The Canadian Jewish Community Forum (CJCF) has welcomed the ruling of the Court of Appeal of Ontario, rejecting the attempt by the editor of an antisemitic Toronto publication to appeal his conviction for promoting hate.
In a written decision released on July 16, 2021, the Court rejected the attempts to appeal the convictions of James Sears on two counts of willfully promoting hatred against identifiable groups - Jews and women - contrary to S.319(2) of the Criminal Code for statements written and published in Your Ward News. The statements appeared in Your Ward News, distributed in Toronto and online between January, 2015 and June, 2018.
"This decision reaffirms once more, as has been determined by the Supreme Court of Canada and multiple other courts, that our justice system is capable of understanding the difference between hate speech, as it is now clearly defined and interpreted ,and merely offensive or distasteful statements," said Les Scheininger, spokesperson for the CJCF. "As was found in this most recent decision, the governing legal principles were set by the Supreme Court of Canada in the case of antisemitic Alberta school teacher James Keegstra in 1990 and guide the Courts in applying the test for promotion of hatred. As in the Your Ward News case, in which the Court was able to determine the distinction between hate speech and satire, the Courts have been capable of applying the law set out in the Keegstra case and deciding which statements are stronger than 'dislike' and 'disdain' or only ''discredit, humiliate, hurt or offend." It is nonetheless sad to see decades after the courts dealt firmly with the likes of Keegstra, Ernst Zundel and others that individuals like this still taint our society with their hatred.
"In Canada, we have the tools to combat hate, whether it is spread by public statements, written word or on the internet. It is the responsibility of government and law enforcement authorities to strongly enforce the law."
About the Canadian Jewish Community Forum
The Canadian Jewish Community Forum was formally launched on May 27, 2021 by a group of former Canadian Jewish Congress senior leaders from coast to coast. For 92 years, until its dissolution in 2011, CJC was recognized as the Parliament of Canadian Jewry and served as the community’s democratic and grassroots voice, advocate and intervenor with governments, courts and other communities, domestically and internationally. The CJCF will provide a forum to educate, discuss and debate issues of interest and concern, both regional and national, that impact Canada, the Canadian Jewish community and the welfare of the people of Israel.
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Contact:
Mike Cohen
Communications Advisor, communicationsmjc@gmail.com
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