The Volokh Conspiracy notes that the ruling by the Alberta Human Rights and Citizenship Commission bans “disparaging remarks”:
This is a breathtakingly broad prohibition, which extends far beyond the terms of the (already troubling) statute. Boissoin and his group aren’t allowed to saying anything “disparaging” about homosexuals, which presumably would even extend to statements such as “homosexuals are acting sinfully” or “The Bible, which I believe should be our moral guide, condemns homosexuality.”
I wonder how long it will be before someone in Canuckistan reports Richard Dawkins to one of these human rights commissions; he has almost surely made far more disparaging remarks about Jews, Christians, and Muslims than Stephen Boissoin ever made about homosexuals or Mark Steyn ever made about Muslims. The whole thing is appalling to anyone who supports human freedom, of course, but it would be extremely ironic to see Dawkins forced to publicly apologize “for his views on Judaism” and refrain from disparaging the religious faithful by a godless secular organization. Perhaps then he might see that connection between atheism and totalitarianism that he just hasn’t been able to locate yet.
As George Orwell noted early on, totalitarians who reach the pinnacles of power always turn viciously on those who helped get them there.