Individuals and groups must be protected from hate-filled propaganda that has potential to incite violence against them, says David Arnot, Chief Commissioner for the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission.
The Supreme Court of Canada will hear the case Oct. 12, 2011 between the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and William Whatcott, who was found to have violated The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code by delivering hate-filled messages in flyers against homosexuals, a finding that was reversed by the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal in 2010.
"Our case will speak to the power of words to maim, and the need for protection from the most extreme, hate-filled and destructive forms of public speech," said Chief Commissioner Arnot at a news conference today.
"In the case of public speech, where expression has the real potential to escalate and expose a target group to hate, we have a responsibility to act."
The SHRC contends that Mr. Whatcott conveyed messages of hate when he distributed flyers in Regina and Saskatoon in 2001 and 2002 referring to gays and lesbians in a hateful manner and inciting discrimination against them.
The SHRC argued that Mr. Whatcott's actions were in violation of The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, which protects both the right to freedom of expression and the right of people to be free from discrimination and hate propaganda.
The SHRC has prosecuted only five cases relating to the dissemination of hate in the last 32 years and considers prosecution a tool to be used sparingly and judiciously and only in the most extreme cases.
For more information and the full text of the Commissioner's statement, go to the following link: www.SHRC.gov.sk.ca
