Yesterday, I sent out a message to our e-mail list, as follows:

You may recall a recent article I wrote regarding my wrongful arrest at Calgary's old City Hall building for asking to speak to the mayor about being banned from City Hall for reading from the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Well, now that our thirty day no trespass notice is expired, we are going back, once again to exercise our democratic freedom to read from the Word of God, to preach and to praise God publicly. We encourage you to join us at Calgary's City Hall Atrium this Tuesday at noon, to help us prompt our City Councilors to preserve our democratic freedoms.

Thanks and God Bless,

Jim Blake

National Chairman
ConcernedChristians Canada

I then received an e-mail response from a lady by the name of Dianne who wrote:

It offends me that you actually think that it is your right, personally why do you think that anyone wants to listen to you when entering City Hall, buy a liscence and pick a corner, don't enfringe on my rights

To which I responded as follows:

Dianne, no offence intended, but sometimes free speech does offend. By the way, you don't need a license to exercise freedom of speech, which is why you didn't need a license to e-mail your comments to me. No, in fact you are free to do so and it is your right. If I don't like what I hear I move on. If I do, I come and engage or question, or whatever I want to do (legally). The point of the Charter is that there are certain Guaranteed Fundamental Freedoms that the government, business, or any citizen not be able to remove from you. They are unalienable rights.

Whether you like my free speech or I like yours is irrelevant, you and I still have it protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canadian Bill of Rights before it, signed by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, July 1, 1960.

In 1936, four years before being elected to Parliament, John Diefenbaker began drafting his Bill of Rights. As a young boy, he saw injustice first-hand in the form of discrimination against French-Canadians, natives, Metis and European immigrants.^[10] As a lawyer, he would have been aware of the Jehovah's Witnesses' cases being tried in the courts.

On March 16, 1950, a decade before the Canadian Bill of Rights became law, Diefenbaker, then a Saskatchewan MP, told a public forum why such a law was needed. Individuals' freedoms of religion, press, speech and association are threatened by the state, he said. A Bill of Rights was needed to take a "forthright stand against discrimination based on colour, creed or racial origin." ^[11]

In 1960, as Prime Minister, Diefenbaker successfully introduced the Canadian Bill of Rights, the precursor of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Here is how the preamble of the Canadian Bill of Rights reads:

Preamble

The Parliament of Canada, affirming that the Canadian Nation is founded upon principles that acknowledge the supremacy of God, the dignity and worth of the human person and the position of the family in a society of free men and free institutions;

Affirming also that men and institutions remain free only when freedom is founded upon respect for moral and spiritual values and the rule of law;

Prime Minister Diefenbaker included the following statement at the bottom of the Canadian Bill of Rights:

"I am a Canadian,
free to speak without fear,
free to worship in my own way,
free to stand for what I think right,
free to oppose what I believe wrong, or
free to choose those who shall govern my country.
This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind."

Our Canadian National anthem includes the words:

O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Dianne, when I stand for my rights, I at the same time stand for the rights of all Canadians, including yours. If you don't like what I have to say, move along. If you don't agree with what I say, speak up. If you don't understand what I say, ask questions. But for heaven sake don't stand in the face of our forefathers, who fought and died in wars, so that we would have a free land, and spit.

God bless you in the name of Jesus Christ,

Jim Blake
National Chairman
Concerned Christians Canada
www.concernedchristians.ca
Call 403-690-4636
or Toll Free 877-739-2646

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Dianne, no offence intended, but sometimes free speech does offend. By the way, you don't need a license to exercise freedom of speech, which is why you didn't need a license to e-mail your comments to me. No, in fact you are free to do so and it is your right. If I don't like what I hear I move on. If I do, I come and engage or question, or whatever I want to do (legally). The point of the Charter is that there are certain Guaranteed Fundamental Freedoms that the government, business, or any citizen not be able to remove from you. They are unalienable rights.

Whether you like my free speech or I like yours is irrelevant, you and I still have it protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Canadian Bill of Rights before it, signed by Prime Minister John Diefenbaker, July 1, 1960.

In 1936, four years before being elected to Parliament, John Diefenbaker began drafting his Bill of Rights. As a young boy, he saw injustice first-hand in the form of discrimination against French-Canadians, natives, Metis and European immigrants.^[10] As a lawyer, he would have been aware of the Jehovah's Witnesses' cases being tried in the courts.

On March 16, 1950, a decade before the Canadian Bill of Rights became law, Diefenbaker, then a Saskatchewan MP, told a public forum why such a law was needed. Individuals' freedoms of religion, press, speech and association are threatened by the state, he said. A Bill of Rights was needed to take a "forthright stand against discrimination based on colour, creed or racial origin." ^[11]

In 1960, as Prime Minister, Diefenbaker successfully introduced the Canadian Bill of Rights, the precursor of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Here is how the preamble of the Canadian Bill of Rights reads:

Preamble

The Parliament of Canada, affirming that the Canadian Nation is founded upon principles that acknowledge the supremacy of God, the dignity and worth of the human person and the position of the family in a society of free men and free institutions;

Affirming also that men and institutions remain free only when freedom is founded upon respect for moral and spiritual values and the rule of law;

Prime Minister Diefenbaker included the following statement at the bottom of the Canadian Bill of Rights:

"I am a Canadian,
free to speak without fear,
free to worship in my own way,
free to stand for what I think right,
free to oppose what I believe wrong, or
free to choose those who shall govern my country.
This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind."

Our Canadian National anthem includes the words:

O Canada! Our home and native land!
True patriot love in all thy sons command.
With glowing hearts we see thee rise,
The True North strong and free!
From far and wide, O Canada,
We stand on guard for thee.
God keep our land glorious and free!
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.
O Canada, we stand on guard for thee.

Dianne, when I stand for my rights, I at the same time stand for the rights of all Canadians, including yours. If you don't like what I have to say, move along. If you don't agree with what I say, speak up. If you don't understand what I say, ask questions. But for heaven sake don't stand in the face of our forefathers, who fought and died in wars, so that we would have a free land, and spit.

God bless you in the name of Jesus Christ,

Jim Blake
National Chairman
Concerned Christians Canada
www.concernedchristians.ca
Call 403-690-4636
or Toll Free 877-739-2646