Alberta pastor's human rights hearing coming up

By Meghan Wood

IN SEPTEMBER, a case will come before the Alberta Human Rights Commission (AHRC) that could set a precedent for the freedom of speech, freedom of religion and the freedom of expression in that province.

"I am the first ordained minister to be taken before the AHRC," said Stephen Boissoin, a former pastor who has been charged with inciting hatred against homosexuals.

Although the date of the hearing is not yet confirmed, Darren Lund, assistant professor in the faculty of Education at the University of Calgary will ask the AHRC for $5,000 in personal damages and $2,000 to be donated to the gay rights group EGALE Canada.

Lund claims that Boissoin, who stated his opposition to homosexuality in a 2002 letter to the editor in the Red Deer Advocate, fostered hatred against an identifiable group, based on its sexual orientation.

This kind of communication is currently prohibited by Bill C-250, which makes it a criminal offence to incite "hatred" against gays if the communication is "likely to lead to a breach of the peace." No excuses are allowed, even if the incitement is based on religious texts.

Since publishing Boissoin's letter under the title 'Homosexual Agenda Wicked,' the paper has amended its Letters Policy to refuse to print statements "that indicate unlawful discrimination or intent to discriminate against a person . . . or are likely to expose people to hatred or contempt."

Lund was advised by his lawyer not to comment before the AHRC hearing, though he noted CC.com was the only Christian source to contact him since this case began.

He sent CC.com a statement prepared by a third party with his knowledge, stating, "[Boissoin's] letter contained erroneous, stereotypical information and militaristic language, and many readers found it extremely offensive."

Lund quoted the offensive comments from the letter in his statement, including:

"From kindergarten class on, our children, your grandchildren are being strategically targeted, psychologically abused and brainwashed by homosexual and pro-homosexual educators."

"Children as young as five and six years of age are being subjected to psychologically and physiologically damaging pro-homosexual literature and guidance in the public school system; all under the fraudulent guise of equal rights."

"My banner has now been raised and war has been declared so as to defend the precious sanctity of our innocent children and youth, that you so eagerly toil, day and night, to consume."

Boissoin now works for the Alberta Youth Outreach Foundation as director of The Cave Youth Centre Initiatives. He runs social, recreational, life skills-based programs for at-risk youth, making 250 to 400 contacts with youth per week per facility.

"I did initially 'win' this battle," he told CC.com. "After Lund filed the complaint, the media spoke to me and to him. When he spoke, he likened me to hatemongers like Terry Long of the Aryan Nation, even though he had never met me.

"A lawyer filed a lawsuit against him on my behalf but we settled for no costs. Now he says I launched that 'frivolous' lawsuit against him for his comments. So Lund appealed and the chief commissioner sided with him."

In his statement, Lund says Boissoin launched a defamation lawsuit against him in December 2003, seeking $400,000 in damages. The legal action sought damages based on comments Lund was alleged to have made to a newspaper reporter for an article that appeared on August 28, 2002. The offending comments attributed to Lund drew a parallel between the pastor and other known extremists from the Central Alberta region.

On the Concerned Christians website, Boissoin wrote, "I am now being forced to appear before an Alberta Human Rights Panel that has the authority to decide my fate and deem me innocent or guilty of propagating hatred. Furthermore this panel has the right to indirectly determine the validity and moral intent of the traditional interpretation of the Bible and the ability of Christians at large to freely share their beliefs in the public forum."

"I am obviously going to refute the fact that he wants money for himself," Boissoin told CC.com. "It's fraudulent because he settled the original lawsuit at no cost. He had a chance then. It's criminal to give him that money."

In addition to paying fines, Lund wants Boissoin to write a letter of apology to be printed in the same paper; and if Boissoin refuses, Lund has asked an order be put into effect to prevent him from sharing his view in any major print media in Alberta.

"That sounds like Communism to me," said Boissoin.

Boissoin will represent himself at the hearing. He said he feels alone in terms of representation, but not in prayer or support. "I'm coming at it from the approach that this is what my religious literature says, and the Charter says I have religious freedom."

The case goes back to early 2002, when Boissoin was investigating funding opportunities on the AHRC's website and came across a page highlighting one of their initiatives.

The Alberta PFLAG Faith Society undertook this initiative, and it stated that the gist of its agenda was to teach that homosexuality was "normal, necessary, acceptable and productive."

He said he found the project "untruthful, dangerous and scientifically baseless," and, as a taxpayer who indirectly funded this initiative, he thought he had a right to communicate his opinion. After submitting his letter to local papers, he was repeatedly called a hatemonger, a bigot, a fanatic and eventually had the complaint filed against him by Lund.

The written statement said Boissoin, in writing that letter, "mobilized a community here and in the U.S. that works actively to deny equal treatment for all Canadians."

"It is so apparent that Lund attempts to immediately manipulate the emotions of his readers by constantly including such comments," Boissoin said.

"It is quite obvious that Lund is the one with the militant agenda that is absolutely intolerant of mainstream Christianity. It is no less obvious that he is primarily driven not by his passion for equality but instead by his ego."

He added, "Lund's ego will be satisfied by the panel determining that I am guilty. He will think that he has put another nail in the coffin of the Christian view that he obviously despises. The reality though is people like me are not intimidated by panels, courts and steel bars. I will always move how the Spirit of God moves me and speak how he directs, regardless of the odds that are stacked against me."