Media Room

Continuing the Fight Against Hate on the Internet

In March, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal issued a ruling in a case involving hate on the Internet. The Tribunal found that messages communicated by the respondents in Warman v. Kulbashian et al. through a web hosting service owned by one of the respondents constituted hate under section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. The respondents were ordered to stop posting hate messages on the Internet and to pay a total of $8,000 in penalties.

The Commission considers hate on the Internet to be an issue with significant public interest, and the Warman v. Kulbashian case is one of a number of Tribunal hearings dealing with complaints about hate messages on the Internet in which we have participated. In order to develop closer partnerships with others concerned with the issue, both here and abroad, and develop new networks of stakeholders who share our goals, the Commission also convened a conference on Hate on the Internet in December 2005. We are developing a strategy to follow-up on the discussions held at the conference.

It is clear that Canadians have no tolerance for hate in our society; the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal’s ruling in Warman v. Kulbashian confirms this once again. Whether through complaints, legal proceedings or strategic initiatives, the Commission intends to continue to use the tools available under the Canadian Human Rights Act to fight hate on the Internet.