July 30, 2015

Why 's Law Society should drop Levant's Case

The Law Society of Alberta has lawyers – have pointed out: the denial and scornful condemnation of this commenced disciplinary proceedings of basic fairness to those who stand decision – by lawyers and non- against over his accused of racism, sexism or other lawyers alike – was part of the anti- comments in a newspaper column “isms”; the rejection of the rules of slavery effort that ultimately about the Alberta Human Rights evidence (which are upheld by real succeeded. In 1928, the Supreme Commission and about another courts, but not kangaroo courts); Court of Canada unanimously lawyer, Arman Chak. taxpayer-funding for complainants’ decided that women were not cases; and a serious lack of respect for “persons” who could hold public In a 2014 column titled “Next stop, our basic Charter freedoms of office as Canadian senators. This, crazy town,” Mr. Levant wrote that expression, association, religion and too, has been subjected to savage Mr. Chak, a prosecutor with the conscience. and withering criticism on the part Alberta Human Rights Commission, of lawyers and all citizens. supports “a global, international Mr. Chak claims that Mr. Levant Muslim super-state” known as the failed to encourage public respect for The Canadian Bar Association has “ummah.” Mr. Levant quoted Mr. the administration of justice, and publicly advocated for left-wing Chak as having allegedly diminished violated the lawyers’ Code of positions on a long list of public- the gravity of the genocide and rape Conduct by making “petty, policy issues, including same-sex perpetrated in 1971 by the West intemperate” criticisms. marriage, gun control and climate Pakistan military, which killed change, to name only a few. While between 300,000 and 3,000,000 The code requires lawyers to the CBA does not represent the people, and raped between 200,000 to “encourage public respect for the opinions of all lawyers on these or 400,000 Bangladeshi women. Mr. administration of justice,” but also other issues, it’s clear that lawyers Levant stated that Mr. Chak wrote in states that lawyers must “try to have as much a right to criticize Pakistani Link magazine: “I look at improve the administration of laws, policies, and court decisions as the events in the context of the justice.” It goes on to state that “a anyone else. In light of the manifest fundamentals of an Islamic State and lawyer should not hesitate to speak unfairness of Human Rights its Muslim identity. Regardless of out against an injustice,” and Tribunal procedures, and rulings that what West Pakistan did to East expressly upholds the right of lawyers undermine our basic Charter Pakistan, the latter’s alliance with to criticize “laws, legal institutions, freedoms, it is neither fair nor India makes the creation of and public authorities.” realistic to expect all criticisms to be Bangladesh one of the worst “temperate.” examples of the dis-unification of the Injustices are never defeated without Muslim Ummah in contemporary For a lawyer to file a complaint with vigorous criticism. For example, history.” the law society about the contents of slavery, totalitarian socialism (in both another lawyer’s newspaper column, its Nazi and communist If this quote was not accurate, Mr. and for the law society to commence Chak could have sued Mr. Levant for manifestations) and the legal disciplinary proceedings against the . Instead, Mr. Chak filed a oppression of women were subjected column’s author, does nothing to complaint with the law society, to decades of scathing denunciation encourage public respect for the claiming that Mr. Levant’s comments before they were substantially administration of justice. If were in violation of the lawyers’ defeated in the West. The U.S. anything, this undermines respect Code of Conduct, as “inappropriate Supreme Court in Dred Scott v. for the legal profession, and creates and unbecoming” for a lawyer. Sanford ruled in 1857 that African a climate of fear. Americans could never be U.S. lawyer John Carpay is president Mr. Levant has criticized Canada’s citizens, and that the federal of the Justice Centre for Constitutional “human rights” laws for obvious government had no power to regulate faults that many others – including slavery in federal territories. Fierce Freedoms (JCCF.ca)