June 4, 1995 (A6)
War on hate needs new weapons
The Canadian Press
WINNIPEG
Canadian human rights agencies are seeking more powerful remedies
against the growing poinson of hate and intolerance.
The agencies, originally set up to deal with discrimination in jobs
and housing, are now paying more attention to Holocaust-denying
literature and anti-gay phone lines.
Intolerance is a sign of tough economic times, said Ken Filkow,
present of the Canadian Association of Statutory Human Rights
Agencies.
The association is holding a four-day conference starting today on
organized hatred in Canada.
“The recent Oklahoma City bombings brings into sharp focus a
horrific consequence of hatred.”
Agencies have no clear way of acting against hate, said Filkow.
The Canadian Human Rights Commission can shut down phone lines that
target particular groups. It has done so in Winnipeg, Toronto and
Vancouver.
In British Columbia and Saskatchewan, recent legislation allows
provincial agencies to stop hate materials from being distributed.
One complaint now before the B.C. Council of Human Rights addresses
a column in the North Shore News by writer Doug Collins.
The article calls the Holocaust movie _Schindler’s_List_ propaganda
that comes about because of a powerful “Jewish influence.”
Other provincial agencies have little power tostop hate materials
from being distributed.
There is also little control over material distributed on the
Internet.
“It’s something that we’re looking at to see if it falls within our
legislation,” said Nicole Richot, Manitoba director of the Canadian
Human Rights Commission.
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Source: Victoria (B.C.) Times-Colonist
