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Books
won't stay banned. They won't burn. Ideas won't
go to jail. In the long run of history, the censor
and the inquisitor have always lost. The only sure
weapon against bad ideas is better ideas.
-- Alfred Whitney |
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The
Canadian Association for Free Expression Inc. was founded
in 1981 and is incorporated as a non-profit educational
organization. CAFE is dedicated to maximizing the freedom
of speech and freedom of expression provisions in the
Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It is one of
Canada's foremost civil liberties groups. |
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WHAT
IS CAFE? |
The
Canadian Association for Free Expression, Inc., (CAFE)
is a non-profit educational organization that was incorporated
in the Province of Ontario in 1981, and later in Alberta. |
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WHAT
DOES CAFE STAND FOR? |
CAFE
believes in maximizing freedom of speech and freedom of
expression. These rights were enshrined in the Charter
of Rights and Freedoms in 1982. Specifically, Section
2(b) states: |
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"Everyone
has the following fundamental freedoms... freedom of
thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom
of the press and other media of communication..."
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Closely
tied to these rights was Section 2(a) which guaranteed
freedom of conscience and religion. |
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IF
ALL THESE WORTHY RIGHTS ARE GUARANTEED BY THE CHARTER,
WHY IS THERE A NEED FOR AN ORGANIZATION LIKE C.A.F.E? |
Sadly,
freedom of speech and freedom of belief have never been
under such attack as in the 13 years since the Charter
of Rights and Freedoms became the law of the land. People
have been sent to jail solely for the non-violent expression
of their political beliefs. Human Rights Commissions have
run amok. The Mayor of Hamilton, Ontario, was recently
fined $5,000 by an Ontario Human Rights Commission tribunal
for refusing to proclaim Gay Pride Day in 1991. Telephone
messages across the country have been suppressed in a
million dollar campaign by the Canadian Human Rights Commission
to shield privileged minorities from views they find offensive.
Ontario and B.C. both have draconian laws preventing pro-life
Canadians from expressing their views outside abortuaries. |
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SPECIFICALLY,
WHAT DOES CAFE DO? |
CAFE
believes that the principled defense of freedom begins
with information. CAFE researches threats to freedom of
speech and publishes the results of its research in THE
FREE SPEECH MONITOR, which costs $15.00, and it is
published ten times per year. From time-to-time, CAFE
publishes other specialized reports and leaflets - like
our recent one on Bill C-41. |
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SO,
ARE YOU JUST A PUBLISHING GROUP? |
No.
Information without action is useless. CAFE sends regular
letters to the media outlining our concerns about threats
to freedom of speech and nd freedom of belief. For instance,
we recently protested efforts to harass the Human Life
International Conference in Montreal and pressure the
Archbishop of Montreal to deny those attending the conference
use of the local basilica for worship. We also lobby politicians,
both federal and provincial about present or proposed
legislation. |
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AS
A RECENT EXAMPLE OF YOUR LOBBYING, WHAT ABOUT BILL 56? |
In
1993, and early 1994, CAFE led a campaign against Bill
56, a piece of legislation proposed by an obscure Tory
backbencher named Charles Harnick. It had already sailed
through second reading before a sleepy legislature. Among
other atrocities, this bill would have created a provincial
hate law and permitted civil suits which could have bankrupted
organizations and individuals. Among the views prohibited
would be any expression indicating superiority or inferiority
of any person or group on the basis of sex or sexual orientation.
Thus, to have argued that heterosexuality is healthier
or more desirable than homo- sexuality might well have
resulted in crippling fines and other punishments. Indeed,
had this bill passed, it's likely church leaders and other
concerned citizens would have been unable to voice their
opposition to the then-NDP government's bill extending
same-sex benefits to homosexuals and lesbians. Indeed,
militant homosexuals regularly referred to their opponents
as "voices of hate." |
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WHAT
ABOUT YOUR EFFORTS AGAINST ALLEN ROCK'S BILL C-41? |
Yes,
this bill is an outrage. It creates two classes of Canadians:
privileged minorities and the rest of us. Of course, we
oppose violence. However, it should be equally wrong to
assault a person because he's homosexual as it is to assault
him because he's pro-life. This bill would make the first
victim twice as worthy as the second. CAFE has lobbied
MPs, advertised to inform others, done media appearances,
and sent thousands of names on petitions to Parliament.
In 1995, we held a Dominion Day commemoration protest
outside Rock's Toronto office, reflecting on the nails
he had put in the freedoms of Canadians'. On Dominion
Day, 1996, we repeated this memorial. |
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DO
YOU HOLD MEETINGS? |
Yes,
we hold regular meetings, especially in Ontario. Among
our recent speakers were Rosanne Skoke, MP -- Bill C-41;
Gordon Domm -- Court Gag Laws, and lawyer Barbara Kulaszka
-- The Hate Crimes Law in Canada, 1970-1994: Effects and
Operations. |
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PHOTO'S
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Supporters
of the Canadian Association for Free Expression picket
Allan Rock's Constituency Office, July 1, 1995.
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Another
nail in Canadians' Freedoms
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Ex-OPP
officer Bill Domm discusses court gag orders, July,
1994.
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Lawyer
and Author Barbara Kulaszka presents her "Hate
Crimes" study, May, 1995.
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Doug
Christie, the "Battling Barrister" from Victoria,
and a frequent speaker at our meetings outlines new
threats to free speech.
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Victoria
free speech supporters have established "Speakers'
Corner," a place where thinking Canadians can practice
this much- threatened right to speak. Director Paul
Fromm appears at Speakers' Corner during a visit to
B.C.
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Pat
Burns makes one of his last public appearances, keynoting
the second Canadian Free Speech conference.
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In
1987, we hosted a major free speech conference in Vancouver,
where the keynote speech was given by Judge Les Bewly.
In March, 1996, we hosted the Second
Canadian Free Speech Conference in Vancouver. A
concerted effort was made by the enemies of free speech,
including Communist Party member David Lethbridge of
the Salmon Arm Coalition Against Racism and Alan Dutton
f the Canadian Anti-Racism Education Research Society
(CAERS), to prevent the conference from taking place.
The Surrey Inn, the original site of the conference,
was pressured into cancelling the contract. The conference,
which attracted 95 people, was held at another location.
Among the speakers were the late Pat Burns, the founder
of talk radio in Vancouver, journalist Doug Collins,
student activist Steve Dumas, lawyer Doug Christie,
and Paul Fromm.
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