Protect My Human Rights. Get Rid Of The Tribunals

There are politically-correct human rights tribunals that do nothing to protect human rights and instead undermine freedom. And just like a monster in a horror movie, they refuse to die.

The Propagandist reported that Heather MacNaughton, the chief commissioner of an HRT on Canada's west coast, the BC Human Rights Tribunal, was not going to be re-appointed to her position. Meanwhile, it looked like the BC government was looking for a part-time replacement for her position, and another tribunal member – Judy Parrack – would not be having her term renewed along with Heather. There was even some speculation at the time that there could be changes ahead for the Tribunal's mandate.

But in the meantime the BC Human Rights Tribunal staggers on, with a new interim leader at its helm. As BC independent journalist Sean Holman at Public Eye Online reports:

"Earlier this month, the Georgia Straight's Charlie Smith reported on concerns surrounding the future of the BC Human Rights Tribunal after the provincial government didn't reappoint its chair, Heather MacNaughton. So who's now heading up that body? Well, according to an order in council passed last week, Bernd Walter will assume that position on an acting for a six month period effective August 1. Mr. Walter is presently best known for chairing the British Columbia Review Board since 1997."

Vancouver's Georgia Straight confirms, and goes on to report that all that part-time stuff is a thing of the past. BC's Ministry of the Attorney General has said that not only will Bernd Walter ( that's his real name, not a typo ) have a full-time position, his replacement will be on a full-time basis as well.

This court isn't guided by legal precedent and stack cases against the defendant. They run roughshod over some of the most basic freedoms, like that of speech or property. This is a tribunal which has yet to release a decision on whether a stand-up comedian has the right to confront hecklers at a show.

This is also the same tribunal which in 2008 put Maclean's magazine through a one-week show trial. They published an excerpt from a book about Islam that offended certain Muslim parties. They went to the BC Human Rights Tribunal, and their offense was all it took for that particular body to waive a piddling charter right called freedom of speech.

The monster is still on the loose and no one knows when the final act will come.

Walker Morrow is a Contributing Writer for The Propagandist.