“The Office [of
Religious Freedom] will be an important vehicle through which Canada can
advance fundamental Canadian values including freedom, democracy, human rights
and the rule of law worldwide,” said a background document released by the
government. [1]
If only the nice sounding words from the Harper government
were true, life would be wonderful and “fundamental Canadian values” would be a
shining light here in Canada.
Unfortunately freedom and free speech here in Canada has been under attack by the
Harper Government and the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC)
“The Attorney General
of Canada, the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the Canadian Jewish Congress,
the Simon Wiesenthal Centre and B'nai Brith Canada will be intervening in the
Lemire case in support of Section 13, arguing that it is a reasonable
restriction on freedom of speech” (Canadian Constitution Foundation Letter of
April 28, 2008. [2]
There are also other people and organizations that have been
under attack in Harper’s Canada
by Human Rights Commissions (HRCs) Here are some examples: Chris Kempling,
Scott Brockie, Knights of Columbus, Stephen Boissoin, Bishop Henry and others.
Catholic Insight magazine, the Christian Heritage Party, Free Dominion, and
MacLean’s magazine have also been under the guns of the Human Rights Commissions
(HRCs.) Nobody is safe in Canada
from these appointed interrogators of totalitarian bent. But hey, we are
getting an Office of Religious Freedom even as free speech in Canada is under
attack. Go figure that one out. And we are told Canadian values include
freedom, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Yeah sure!
The government “document” also mentions “democracy” and
“human rights.” Ah, if only that were true in Harper’s Canada. This is
a government that prorogues Parliament. Has passed omnibus bills with little
debate and announces changes to old age security in Davos [7] to a gathering of
the world’s elite before discussing it in the Canadian parliament. Still this
is “democracy” in Harperland!
But hey, Harper believes in “human rights.” Provided they
don’t include the pre-born child in the Mother’s womb. Then he doesn’t want to
discuss when human life begins or even pass a law to protect innocent human
life. [3] [4] [5]
Canada
has no law on abortion which puts it in company with North
Korea and China.
And of course Mr. Harper has formed a “strategic partnership” with China. [6] Which makes a mockery of, “Canadian values including freedom, democracy,
[and] human rights…”
“The fact is, that in the two decades since visits were
resumed after the Tiananmen massacre, China’s respect for human rights has
diminished, and the situation is worsening by the day, with arbitrary arrests,
disappearances, draconian sentences for expressing the slightest criticism, and
lethal fire on demonstrators in Tibetan areas.” Patrick Brown, Global
National. [6]
In closing one has to say that Harper’s Office of Religious
Freedom sounds too good to be true based on the evidence of happenings here in Canada and Canada’s association with a
Communist dictatorship. Still, I suppose there are some “true believers” out
there who will accept the nice sounding words in the government document. After all, if it sounds nice it must be true! And
you know you can trust the government!
“…voters are never supposed to give absolute trust to
anybody,…” Stephen Harper quoted in
the Globe and Mail of April 24, 2011.
Stephen J. Gray
February 20, 2013.