Coming to a [Shredded] Constitution Near You

Stephen Boissoin, a pastor in Alberta, Canada, has been fined $7,000 for voicing his opinion on homosexuality.

Boissoin was first hauled before the Human Rights Commission to answer to a complaint filed by [Darren] Lund, an assistant professor at the University of Calgary. Lund made his complaint after Boissoin published a letter to the editor in the Red Deer Advocate, in which he denounced homosexuality as immoral and dangerous, and called into question new gay-rights curricula permeating the province’s educational system.

The ruling orders Boissoin to apologize and to “cease publishing in newspapers, by email, on the radio, in public speeches, or on the internet, in future, disparaging remarks about gays and homosexuals.”

So says the decision of one Lori Andreachuk, a divorce lawyer appointed to decide this case. Of particular interest, Andreachuk found that no one was harmed. She wrote:

In this case, there is no specific individual who can be compensated as there is no direct victim who has come forward seeking redress by the contravention of the Act by Mr. Boissoin. . . .

No victim? No problem.

Dr. Lund, although not a direct victim, did expend considerable time and energy and suffered ridicule and harassment as a result of his complaint. The Panel finds therefore that he is entitled to some compensation.

Ezra Levant, who has personal experience with the Human Rights Commission comments:

So a busybody with no standing spends time filing complaints — and gets a tax-free reward for doing so. Oh — and for his “suffering”. Not suffering at the hands of Rev. Boission, but “as a result of his complaint”. People in the community ridiculed Lund for filing the complaint — as they should. And so Andreachuk will get the pastor to pay for that. Why the hell not? Who’s going to stop her?

The Corner on National Review editorializes:

Further, Boissoin has been enjoined from saying anything “disparaging” about the scurrilous character that brought the complaint against him. That’s right, under threat of legal penalty Mr. Boissoin is being told what he can and cannot say for the rest of his life. The Great White North has effectively become a Brave New World.

A Google search revealed another site catering to gay activists that responded to Boisson’s letter by calling him an “overweight bigot” and an example of “the unenlightened, doo-doo-brained, twisted forces against which gays must struggle.” Those gay activists, of course, are just exercising their free speech rights. And to drive home the superiority of their views, they posted a gratuitous picture of a buff male, wearing nothing but briefs and sunglasses, fondling himself. Now there’s a cogent argument that homosexuals deserve more respect that Boissoin afforded them.

We are still waiting for the decision on Mark Steyn – same law, same kind of tribunal, same ability to penalize anyone for speaking out even when they can’t find a victim.