Dear Madame Augustine: This past summer, your office published the
report, "School
Succes by Gender: A Catalyst for Masculinst Discourse".
Under the guise of "research," the report called for the leveling of
charges of Hate Crimes, under section 319 of the Canadian Criminal Code,
against a broad variety of individuals and organizations that work for
gender equality as it applies to males.
On June 16, I wrote
a
column in which I pointed out that the report
failed to list my name, in spite of my extensive work on behalf of
gender equality. I concluded my article with this request: "Please put
me on your blacklist."
I then sent this article to you at augustinej@swc-cfc.gc.ca.
Four months later, you have not added my name to the blacklist.
I don't know if you are aware, but your report has triggered a furor
among human rights and gender equity advocates throughout North America.
The House of Commons debated whether "a project that is a
poorly-disguised attack on men and the family unit" was worthy of a
$75,000 government grant.
On June 8, Ted Byfield, columnist for the Edmonton Sun,
pointedly
asked his readers, "How did I not make this list?".
In its July issue, the Canadian Watchdog Newsletter published an
article, "Status of Women Canada Creates a McCarthystic 'Hit List' of
Men's Groups." Author David Murrell described the report as "full of
one-sided, poorly researched arguments." He concluded, "here we witness
anti-male bigotry, not funded out of some extremist group, but by the
Government of Canada."
Internationally-known feminist Wendy McElroy devoted
one
of her columns to the report. Titled, "Feminists Slurping at the Public
Trough," Ms. McElroy accused the report's authors of creating hysteria
and "double-thinking double-speak."
Attorney Steve Imparl
made
the observation that the report "is merely
a man-hating polemic, riddled with incredibly sloppy writing, pathetic
organization, logical fallacies, irresponsible generalizations, and a
biased, ranting style that is totally inappropriate for expository
writing.".
Dr. Warren Farrell, a recent candidate for the governorship of
California, was one of the persons included on the report's blacklist.
In
his response, Farrell pointed out that feminist efforts to reduce
contacts between fathers and children end up hurting not only children,
but also end up imposing an unfair burden on the mother of those
children.
And in the current issue of the Everyman journal, editor David
Shackleton laments this report is reminiscent of "Periods in history
when whole societies abondoned themselves to irrational feelings of
victimhood and entitlement."
Secretary Augustine, this report is not merely an example of inept
scholarship. And it does not just represent a gross misuse of taxpayer
money.
Rather, it represents a chilling encroachment on the most important of
all rights, the freedom of speech. Because if gender equity advocates
cannot speak out against injustice without the fear of legal sanctions,
then Canada has traveled much further down the road of totalitarianism
than most of us realize.
Secretary Augustine, human rights advocates around the world are
waiting to hear whether Canada will acquiesce to this intolerant rant.
Your silence to date can only leave the impression that you condone the
hateful recommendations of this ideological tract.
I respectfully await your response.
