Human Rights Commission Limits Freedoms!

Macleans magazine paints a vivid picture of ridiculousness to emphasis how outrageous the "rights" Canadians seem to have. The ideas that come to mind when we read the phrase "I prefer living with space lizards" is quite bizarre, as I immediately think of a futuristic world where space lizards rule our race because we let ourselves be controlled by reptiles as seen to the right.

It seems that Canadian rights and freedoms are constantly being attacked by the Human Rights Commission. Similar to the last human rights article, in which a columnist of a magazine caught heat for 'racist' cartons, this time a plastic surgeon gets sued for refusing service based on sexuality.

An interesting article highlights some of the similarities between the HRC and communism. It uses language to create images of pain and prosecution from the horrors of communism in the early 1900's. The articles views on the HRC agree with Macleans, who are said to have called it a "disgrace".

I beleive that although the HRC has potential to protect certain rights of Canadians, it requires rebuilding from scratch, as currently it is destroying the rights, freedoms, and culture Canada is known for.


Pinker, Steven. “An Instinct to Acquire an Art.” Introduction to Communication. Dr. Alexander Sevigny. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 2005. 41-45.

Free WiFi Everywhere!

Whether you live in the suburbs or downtown Toronto, theirs likely to be multiple unsecured wireless networks for you to connect to. So the question is why do people leave them unsecured and is it legal to connect to them. This all boils down to the new mediums used in communications, and the freedom of information in present day. Without the Internet, many users find it difficulty to get up to date information on weather, sports, and to communicate with friends, even though it is much less personal then traditional means of communication.

WiFi is common name for wireless networking, but in fact it stands for Wireless Fidelity. Over the past few years, their has been a dramatic increase in wireless network speeds, and a decrease in hardware costs. Add computer illiterate people and this turns into a mess of free WiFi all over cities. On the other side of the spectrum, some argue that its only common courtesy to leave your network open to others in your neighbourhood to share your Internet connection.

Above is a picture of a sign in Seattle that advertises a location with free WiFi. From personal experience, their has been times where free WiFi has saved the day, as I was unable to use wired Internet, and from others I know where paying for Internet was over their budget. This agrees with the stance taken in the article linked above, but it also brings concerns such as privacy, security, bandwidth, and speed degradation. Educating your neighbours is always a good idea, as most of the time, an unsecured network occurs when customers purchase a wireless router and just plug it in, wireless is automatically enabled, with no password. Anyone within 100meters of your house can connect to your network, steal your bandwidth by downloading large files, which decreases the speed for your needs, also personal files could be exposed through file sharing.

Their is actually a group of enthusiasts known as wardrivers who drive around cities mapping open networks on maps, so people can find places to go with free Internet access when they are away from home. The following documentary video goes into more depth of this hobby.



Since we now know why most unsecured networks are formed, the next step is should we connect to them? Technically it is legal to use some one's WiFi as long as you don't need to crack any passwords to get in, so let the freedom of information sharing begin.

Introduction to Communication. Dr. Alexander Sevigny. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 2005.

Quebec Solidaire uses Hockey Night in Canada as a leveraging tool to gain votes in quebec

The Quebec Solidaire is a progressive political party, who has strong beliefs in environmental, civil liberties, and peace. This makes me wonder, why are they backing the reinstatement of the French version (La Soirée du Hockey) of Hockey Night in Canada on the radio?

Amir Khadir pictured above, is the co-spokesperson for QS, and puts a good argument across, the radio is a very effective means of communication in Quebec, as it is free and more readily available compared to other mediums such as cable television. And from what I have studied the radio is a “cool” medium[1] compared to the high definition television, as the excitement of Patrick Roy saving the day would have to be filled in by the listener, which leads me to think that hockey on the radio would be great to listen to. In my opinion, it only seems right for Quebecois to have La Soirée du Hockey, especially when some of the most influential players in the National Hockey League are from Quebec.

On the other hand, according to Steve Faguy’s blog, the reason they are backing this issue is solely a cheap trick to get votes since they are normally the minority. Is this wrong? Maybe, but hockey is so important to Canadian culture whether it is French or English, that it's a topic that should be brought to attention.

[1] Sevigny, A. Introduction to Communication. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 2005.

Freedom of speech in Canada under fire! Religious values come into play

Time and time again, we Canadians have to defend what makes Canada the place it is, our right to freedom of speech, expression, and free press. There is a fine line you could say, where freedom of speech clashes with religious values, and racism, and the Alberta Human Rights Commission believes Ezra Levant has crossed it. But, we believe the AHRC is eroding our freedoms, and we have to stand up for our rights.

From the video, it shows just how strongly one is willing to stand up for these rights, and I applaud his strength. Mr. Levant (pictured above) uses many forms of communication to get his message across, but the most influential one I would say would be films of his interrogation with the AHRC. These videos which appeared on YouTube, are influential because they appeal to our human nature as Canadians, as we are empathetic [1] for him. Canadians from around the country will be empathetic, because this issue is so deeply rooted to our lives, and we can all put ourselves in Mr. Levant’s shoes. Fellow Canadian John Pacheco demonstrates how others are feeling about this issue in his blog, and I strongly agree with his statement “when was the last time you heard any politician speak like Ezra has in the defense of our quickly eroding freedoms?” as it really hits home how volatile our freedoms are if we don’t stand up for them. Although religious rights are important, if we disregard our fundamental rights and freedoms, we will loose what defines us as Canadians.

To sum things up, I am empathic towards this ongoing debate of freedoms in Canada, and I feel that we all need to do our part and stand up for them as proud Canadians.

[1] Sevigny, A. Introduction to Communication. Dubuque, Iowa: Kendall/Hunt Publishing Company, 2005.

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