In Support of Human Rights

Marc Weisblott of the EyeWeekly did a piece on the human right tribunal controversy.

Omar Ha-Redeye, a 29-year-old University of Western Ontario student who contributes to the blog Law Is Cool — where human rights commissions aren’t being dismissed out of hand — feels Levant has abused his high-profile platform.

“The only distinguishing feature between this case and the previous ones is that the respondent has taken it upon himself to start a campaign against the human-rights commissions, rather than resolve it quietly and efficiently,” says Ha-Redeye. “Had he taken on the issue prior, there’s a possibility they would have summarily dismissed the complaint as a frivolous retaliation for his activities.

“The problem is that Levant has conflated this issue with other HRC issues, and quite deliberately. These commissions have done enormous good in Canada in the past — their informality, which he criticizes, is intended to provide flexibility.”

Taking selective cases to the court of public opinion does a disservice to the immense good that human rights tribunals have played in creating equity in Canadian society – especially in stemming the tide of anti-Semitism.

The vast majority of cases are resolved quicky and quietly, with both parties reaching an equitable resolution.