Serious misunderstanding of free expression

Canadian human rights commissioner has free expression wrong

By Troy Media
Wednesday, July 15, 2009

-Janet Keeping, President, Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Ethics in Leadership

It is perfectly understandable that people disagree on how human rights statutes should be amended to best protect free expression. But a recent speech by Jennifer Lynch, Chief Commissioner of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, should worry everyone for it reveals a serious misunderstanding of free expression.

To be fair, Lynch makes some valid points about the controversy over whether human rights agencies should have authority to punish offensive speech. Much, as she points out, of what has been said about human rights commissions is “inaccurateâ€