Letter sent to the London Free Press following the publication of the article Fight of a Lifetime, which focused on the issue of hate on the Internet and the role of the Commission in this area.

Letter to the Editor
London Free Press

Following the publication on March 31 of the article titled  Fight of a Lifetime, the Commission would like to clarify some of the issues raised about its work and its commitment in the area of hate on the Internet.

Combating hate on the Internet is one of the Commission’s priorities. As noted in your article, the Commission is receiving more complaints related to this issue than in previous years. At this moment, 24 complaints are being investigated and 3 cases are currently before the Tribunal.

The Commission is aware that the very nature of the Internet, with service providers often located outside Canadian borders, makes it difficult to enforce the Act’s provisions regarding hate messages. In order to move away from a case by case approach, the Commission is in the process of establishing a comprehensive, multi-faceted and proactive strategy to deal with hate on the Internet, which includes, but is not limited to, complaints. Proactive actions could include working with Internet service providers to discourage hate sites, developing public information activities, compiling special reports to Parliament with clear recommendations, working with other organizations and encouraging people to contact service providers and advocacy groups when they are made aware of such sites.

The Commission has a history of dedicated  work in the investigation, Tribunal inquiries and enforcement of hate complaints.  The 1997 CHRC complaint against the website run by Ernst Zundel was among the first legal actions in the world to target hate on the Internet.  Over a five year period Commission lawyers and those representing the complainants, argued that the so called Zundelsite contravened the Human Rights Act, resulting in a decision in 2002 ordering Zundel to close the website.

Since the Zundel case the Commission has fully participated in two other internet hate cases considered by Tribunal. Furthermore, the Commission has had an enforcement role in some hate complaints, including the use of contempt proceedings and injunctions. In addition, the Commission has taken action to have hate related material removed from the Internet. 

Robert W. Ward
Secretary General
Canadian Human Rights Commission