FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

MARK STEYN NOT GUILTY OF “FLAGRANT ISLAMOPHOBIA,”SAYS TRIBUNAL

AUTHORS OF NEW BOOK ABOUT HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSIONS CALL VERDICT THE EXCEPTION WITHIN A SYSTEM STACKED AGAINST THE ACCUSED

TORONTO (October 10, 2008) — Today, the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal handed down a not-guilty verdict in the case of Maclean’s magazine and its columnist Mark Steyn.

The case, prompted by charges of “flagrant Islamophobia” made against Steyn and Maclean’s by the Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC), focused critical attention on Canada’s controversial Human Rights Commissions. Today, the Tribunal ruled that Mark Steyn and Maclean’s did not violate the human rights of the complainants merely by reporting facts and accurately quoting sources.

The Steyn trial, along with other lesser known but equally troubling cases, are chronicled in the new book The Tyranny of Nice: How Canada crushes freedom in the name of human rights, written by Kathy Shaidle and Pete Vere (www.TyrannyOfNice.com)
Authors Kathy Shaidle and Pete Vere commented today on the verdict in the Steyn & Maclean’s case:

“Unfortunately, this decision is only a partial victory for Mark Steyn, Maclean’s magazine and every other writer and publisher in Canada.

“This Kafkaesque trial cost taxpayers dearly, while many Canadians struggle to make ends meet. More importantly, it cost Canada its international reputation as a free, just and tolerant country. While Steyn and Maclean’s won, most defendants are found guilty; the HRCs boast of a nearly 100% rate of conviction.

“We can only hope that this case and all the others chronicled in our book will help make the continued existence of Canada’s out of control, draconian Human Rights Commissions an issue in the coming federal election.

“If elected Prime Minister, what will Stephen Harper, Stephane Dion, Jack Layton or Elizabeth May do to rein in the powers of human rights commissions and protect freedom of speech and freedom of the press?”