Expect the Canadian Inquisition

Monty Python is well known for the line "no one expects the Spanish Inquisition." However, you should expect the Canadian Inquisition because it is already here. What I am referring to are the Human Rights Commissions in Canada.

On Friday, Canadian conservative commentator Ezra Levant faced the Alberta Human Rights Commission in a hearing. He was called before this kangaroo court because of two complaints filed against him and a magazine that is no longer being published. What was their crime? The magazine, the Western standard, dared to publish the Danish Mohammed cartoons in February 2006. Levant writes about his experience at the "interrogation." He also published videos of parts of the proceedings, which you can watch below.

Here is his opening statement:



And here he is asked what his intentions were in publishing the cartoons.



I must say, I am quite impressed with Levant's strong and pointed response to the Alberta Human Rights Commission. I especially liked how he utterly refused to accept the legitimacy of the hearing or the commission itself. Finally, his answer to the question in the second video is absolutely perfect. The intention of the magazine in publishing the cartoons is absolutely no business of the government. The point of freedom of speech is not just to protect speech that everyone agrees with. It also is meant to protect speech that may offend some members of society. If you start eroding the protection of controversial speech, you set a dangerous precedent.

But wait, there's more. Columnist Mark Steyn and the Canadian magazine Maclean's are facing an investigation from the Canadian Human Rights Commission for an article that offended the Canadian Islamic Congress.

(Hat tip: Hot Air)