Marc Lemire

Last updated

Marc Lemire (born 1975) is a Canadian. He works closely with leader Paul Fromm, and is the webmaster of the Hamilton, Ontario-based Freedom-Site which he began in 1996. [1] [2] [3] [4] Formerly of Toronto and now living in Hamilton, Lemire was the last president of the Heritage Front organization from January 1, 2001, until the organization folded around 2005. [5] [6] He was employed as a network analyst in the IT department of the City of Hamilton, Ontario, from around 2005 [7] [8] until 2019, when he agreed to resign. [9]

Contents

Early career

In 1997, Lemire ran for school trustee in Toronto Public School Ward P17, but lost after receiving only 2,503 votes (or 12% of the total). [3] [10] In the mid-1990s he was a Canadian Armed Forces reservist. [2] In their 1997 Annual Audit of Antisemitic Incidents. B'nai Brith Canada wrote, "Marc Lemire, webmaster of the Freedom-Site that hosts the websites of several of Canada’s most virulent antisemitic organizations such as the Heritage Front, The Canadian Patriots Network and the Citizens for Foreign Aid Reform". [11] In 1998, the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation called The Canadian Patriots Network a "hate website". [12]

Lemire's involvement with Wolfgang Droege and the neo-Nazi Heritage Front group began while he was a teenager in the early 1990s. When the Heritage Front fell into crisis around 1993, he attempted independent projects on the far right, such as his Canadian Patriots Network before embarking in his online activities. [2] He resumed his activity with the Heritage Front within a few years, and according to the Heritage Front website, Lemire helped organize a Heritage Front flyer campaign in 2001. The flyers were titled in part Immigration can kill you, and claimed that there was a connection between immigration and an outbreak of tuberculosis. [13]

Lemire was briefly a member of the Canadian Alliance, a mainstream conservative Canadian party — along with several other far-right figures, such as Paul Fromm, Doug Christie and Doug Collins — until late 2000 when, according to The Report newsmagazine, they were all expelled from the party. [14] [15]

In August 2006, a Canadian Human Rights Tribunal found that postings by Craig Harrison on the Freedom-Site forum (an interactive message forum on Lemire's website) contained violations of Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. No liability was found against Lemire, although the Tribunal did issue a decision that "compelled" Lemire to provide evidence during the hearing. [16] [17] A total of eight people in Canada viewed the material. [18]

A complaint was also laid against Lemire for allegedly "communicating and/or causing to be communicated" messages in violation of section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. Hearings before the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal began February 2007. [19] [20]

On November 25, 2005, Lemire filed a Notice of Constitutional Question with every Attorney General in Canada, against the Canadian Human Rights Act, in which he challenged the constitutionality of sections 13 (Internet hate) and 54(1)(1.1) (Fines) of the Canadian Human Rights Act. Specifically he argued that they are in violation of ss. 2(a) and (b), 7, 26 and 31 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. A violation of ss. 1(d) and (f) of the Canadian Bill of Rights is also alleged. [21] As a result of the constitutional challenge, the Canadian Free Speech League, the Canadian Association for Free Expression, the Attorney General of Canada, The Canadian Jewish Congress, B'nai Brith Canada and the Simon Wiesenthal Centre have all obtained "Interested Party Status" in the case. [22]

In September 2009, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal ruled that Section 13 of the Canada Human Rights Act violated the right to freedom of expression, and refused to impose a penalty on Lemire. [23] However, as author of the decision Athanasios Hadjis is not a judge and the tribunal is not a court, the section remained in force and the ruling was not binding beyond the Lemire case. [23] [24]

Two previous decisions of the CHRT (first by a 2-member panel, and later by Chair Grant Sinclair) considered the same challenges to the amendments by the same respondents in Lemire's case - Paul Fromm in #2 and Douglas Christie / Barbara Kulaszka (and Lemire having applied and been rejected as an intervenor) in #1 - and found them constitutional. [25] [26] [27]

In January 2014, the Federal Court of Appeal ruled against Lemire in a decision that found Section 13 to be constitutionally valid and reinstated the penalty section and the CHRT's cease and desist order against Lemire violating Section 13, regardless of the fact that by that point the section had already been repealed by parliament. [28]

In 2008, Lemire filed 2 criminal complaints alleging that Canadian Human Rights Commission investigators surreptitiously used an unrelated person's unsecured Internet connection, purportedly in violation of the Criminal Code, to investigate his activity. [29] The office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada found no evidence that the CHRC had accessed the network during the course of their investigation, and that "the association of [the individual's] internet address to the rights commission likely was 'simply a mismatch' on the part of a third party." [30] [31]

See also

Related Research Articles

The Nizkor Project is an Internet-based project run by B'nai Brith Canada which is dedicated to countering Holocaust denial.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heritage Front</span> Canadian white supremacist group

The Heritage Front was a Canadian neo-Nazi white supremacist organization founded in 1989 and disbanded around 2005.

Donald Clarke Andrews is a Canadian white supremacist. He is the leader of the Nationalist Party of Canada and a perennial candidate for mayor of Toronto, Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">B'nai Brith Canada</span>

B'nai Brith Canada is a Canadian Jewish service organization and advocacy group. It is the Canadian chapter of B'nai B'rith International and has offices in Toronto, Winnipeg, Montreal, and Vancouver.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Paul Fromm (white supremacist)</span> Canadian white supremacist

Frederick Paul Fromm is a Canadian former high school teacher, white supremacist, neo-Nazi, and perennial political candidate.

Barbara Kulaszka was a Canadian lawyer who practised law in Brighton, Ontario, known for her work with far-right causes, defending alleged Nazi war criminals and Holocaust deniers, and free speech cases.

Ronald A. Gostick was a long-time figure on the Canadian far right and founder of the Canadian League of Rights. Gostick was involved in the Canadian social credit movement and later published far-right and antisemitic material over the course of 50 years, including the Canadian Intelligence Service and On Target! and numerous books and pamphlets.

The Canadian Association for Free Expression (CAFE) is one of a number of groups run by neo-Nazi and white supremacist Paul Fromm. Established in 1981, CAFE states that it is committed to the promotion and defense of total freedom of speech, and publishes the Free Speech Monitor ten times a year. Although it began in Ontario, it has also been incorporated in Alberta.

The Canadian Islamic Congress (CIC) was a Canadian Muslim non-profit organization.

Christopher Stephen Myles Kempling is a Canadian educator who was suspended by the British Columbia College of Teachers and disciplined by the Quesnel School District for anti-gay comments in letters to the editor of the Quesnel Cariboo Observer. Kempling challenged the suspension in court, arguing that his right to freedom of expression had been violated. The British Columbia Court of Appeal ruled against him, ruling that limitations on his freedom of expression were justified by the school's duty to maintain a tolerant and discrimination-free environment. Kempling filed a complaint with the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal alleging that the disciplinary action taken against him by the school district infringed his freedom of religion; this complaint was dismissed on similar grounds.

Western Canada For Us (WCFU) was a short-lived Alberta-based white nationalist group founded by Glenn Bahr and Peter Kouba in early 2004. The WCFU was formally dissolved on May 11, 2004, four days after Bahr's residence in Edmonton, Alberta, was raided by members of the Edmonton Hate Crimes division. The police proceeded to, "[seize] the computers involved in running the web site and Bahr's extensive collection of neo-Nazi paraphernalia."

William John Beattie is a Canadian Neo-Nazi who was the founder and former leader of the Canadian Nazi Party. The establishment of the Canadian Nazi Party, re-named the National Socialist Party in 1967, marked a re-emergence of organized neo-Nazi activity in Canada that had been dormant since the days of Adrian Arcand.

Terrence Cecil Tremaine is the founder and national director of the National-Socialist Party of Canada. He is a white nationalist organizer who has posted on white nationalist web forums such as Stormfront and other websites using the screen name "mathdoktor99", and on other websites as "JCMateri".

Peter Kouba was one of the co-founders of the now defunct Alberta-based white nationalist group Western Canada for Us (WCFU). Kouba, along with Glenn Bahr started the group in February 2004. The WCFU was formally dissolved by Bahr on May 11, 2004 after his apartment was raided and racist paraphernalia seized by the Edmonton Hate Crimes unit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">David Matas</span> Canadian lawyer

David Matas is the senior legal counsel of B'nai Brith Canada who currently resides in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He has maintained a private practice in refugee, immigration, and human rights law since 1979, and has published various books and manuscripts.

Richard Warman is an Ottawa-based lawyer who is active in human rights law. Warman worked for the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) from July 2002 until March 2004. He is best known as the primary instigator of actions related to Internet content under Section 13(1) of the Canadian Human Rights Act against people including white supremacists and neo-Nazis.

Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act was a provision of the Canadian Human Rights Act dealing with hate messages. The provision prohibited online communications which were "likely to expose a person or persons to hatred or contempt" on the basis of a prohibited ground of discrimination. Complaints under this section were brought to the Canadian Human Rights Commission and if the Commission found sufficient evidence, the case would be heard by the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. Section 13 was repealed by the Parliament of Canada effective June 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jordan's Principle</span> Canadian principle for First Nations children

Jordan's Principle is a child-first and needs-based principle used in public policy and administration in Canada to ensure that First Nations children living on and off reserve have equitable access to all government funded public services. It holds that First Nations children should not be denied access to public services while governments fight over who should pay. In order to ensure substantive equality, this can also include services that are not ordinarily available to other children. According to the First Nations Child & Family Caring Society of Canada, the organization that hosts the Jordan's Principle campaign:

Jordan's Principle ensures that First Nations children can access all public services when they need them. Services need to be culturally-based and take into full account the historical disadvantage linked to colonization that many First Nations children live with. The government of first contact pays for the service and resolves jurisdictional/payment disputes later.

Terry D Wilson is a retired Canadian police officer and hate crime investigator based in London, Ontario.

References

  1. ↑ "The new face of hate" [usurped] CANOE
  2. 1 2 3 "From Marches to Modems". The Canadian Jewish Conference. Archived from the original (DOC) on August 26, 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
  3. 1 2 "Annual Reports > Country > Canada". Stephen Roth Institute: Antisemitism And Racism. Archived from the original on 2006-12-31. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
  4. ↑ "How to turn a neo-Nazi into a free-speech martyr". Archived from the original on May 7, 2008. Retrieved May 31, 2008.
  5. ↑ Joseph Brean (March 22, 2008). "Scrutinizing the human rights machine". National Post. Archived from the original on March 24, 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-22.
  6. ↑ "The New Generation of Organized Racialism in Canada". Canadian Content. Archived from the original on 2003-05-18. Retrieved 2007-01-03.
  7. ↑ Lamoureux, Mack (May 8, 2019). "Former Neo-Nazi Leader Has Been on City of Hamilton's Payroll for Years". Vice. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  8. ↑ Craggs, Samantha (May 8, 2019). "Former Heritage Front leader works in Hamilton's IT office, sparking privacy, safety concerns". CBC News. Retrieved May 8, 2019.
  9. ↑ "Marc Lemire and city 'mutually agree' to end his employment following investigation".
  10. ↑ "Canada". Official City of Toronto Elections Website. 1997. Archived from the original on 2012-10-21. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
  11. ↑ "1997 Audit of Antisemitic Incidents". B'nai Brith Canada. Archived from the original on June 15, 2006. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
  12. ↑ "French arrests point to BC hate website". Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. 1998-11-13. Archived from the original on November 3, 2012. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
  13. ↑ "Press Release". The Heritage Front. Archived from the original on 2006-12-19. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
  14. ↑ M. Lauder (February 28, 2002). "The New Generation of Organised Racialism in Canada". CanCon. Archived from the original on 2003-05-18. Retrieved 2007-01-05.
  15. ↑ Kevin Michael Grace (November 2000). "Urge to purge returns: the Canadian Alliance, aping Reform, cancels the membership of political dissidents". The Report Newsmagazine. Archived from the original on 2007-03-08. Retrieved 2007-01-06.
  16. ↑ "Warman v. Harrison". Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. Archived from the original on 2007-11-15. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
  17. ↑ "Warman v. Harrison (Subpoena of Marc Lemire)". Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. Archived from the original on 2007-11-15. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
  18. ↑ "Canadian Human Rights Tribunal". Chrt-tcdp.gc.ca. 2007-11-14. Archived from the original on 2011-07-06. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
  19. ↑ "CHRT Hearing Schedule". Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. Archived from the original on 2007-02-06. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
  20. ↑ "Warman v. Lemire". Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. Archived from the original on 2012-02-06. Retrieved 2007-01-01.
  21. ↑ "CHRT Ruling". Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. Archived from the original on 2007-11-15. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
  22. ↑ "CHRT Ruling". Canadian Human Rights Tribunal. Archived from the original on 2012-02-06. Retrieved 2007-01-02.
  23. 1 2 "Tribunal declares Internet hate speech law unconstitutional". The Canadian Press. Archived from the original on September 12, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-02.
  24. ↑ Krashinsky, Susan (2009-09-02). "Hate-speech law violates Charter rights, tribunal rules unconstitutional". Toronto: The Globe and Mail. Archived from the original on 2012-10-19. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
  25. ↑ "Canadian Jewish Congress says Lemire case decision wrong in law". Canadian Jewish Congress. Archived from the original on September 27, 2011. Retrieved 2009-09-03.
  26. ↑ mgroulx (2007-11-14). "Canadian Human Rights Tribunal". Chrt-tcdp.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
  27. ↑ mgroulx (2007-11-14). "Canadian Human Rights Tribunal". Chrt-tcdp.gc.ca. Archived from the original on 2011-09-28. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
  28. ↑ "Court finds Internet hate speech law Section 13 to be constitutionally valid, doesn't violate freedom of expression". National Post. February 2, 2014. Retrieved July 1, 2015.
  29. ↑ Joseph Brean (April 3, 2008). "Far-right activist files complaint against human rights body". National Post. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
  30. ↑ "Human rights officials didn't 'hijack' Ottawa woman's internet: privacy watchdog". CBC. January 29, 2009. Archived from the original on 2022-06-03.
  31. ↑ Colin Perkel (April 4, 2008). "Privacy czar probes alleged Net hack by officials". The Toronto Star. Archived from the original on 2008-04-07. Retrieved 2008-04-06.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.