OLDCORN: Hamilton’s crackdown on Dominion Society conference failed — and that’s good for Canadian democracy

Hamilton’s political establishment did almost everything it could to stop the Dominion Society of Canada from holding its first DomCon conference.It failed.That failure should be welcomed by anyone who believes government officials have no business deciding which lawful political opinions Canadians may gather to discuss.DomCon went ahead on August 29 at the Atrium Banquet and Conference Centre in Burlington, ON, after weeks of pressure forced organizers out of Hamilton. The Dominion Society describes itself as a Canadian nationalist organization advocating immigration restrictions and “remigration,” including the removal of millions of people from Canada.Those policies can be debated, opposed, or condemned. Canadians are free to protest them.Government is another matter.Hamilton Mayor Andrea Horwath said the event would not be allowed at city-owned facilities. She also wrote to private businesses asking them to think carefully before accepting a Dominion Society booking. Horwath acknowledged she could not order private businesses to refuse the organization, but she nevertheless used the weight of the mayor’s office to encourage exactly that result.At least two Hamilton venue bookings were cancelled..Hamilton Police Service went further and disgraced their uniform.Acting Inspector Darren Murphy publicly declared that “Dom Con is not welcome in Hamilton.” Police encouraged businesses to consider the event’s political message before renting space and later asked anyone with information about a possible August 29 booking to contact police.An official Hamilton police notice confirmed officers were seeking information about possible venues while telling businesses to consider how DomCon’s “messaging” could affect the community.That is an extraordinary role for police to assume.Police should investigate crimes, protect protesters, protect conference attendees, and keep the peace. They should not become political referees deciding which lawful organizations are “welcome” in a Canadian city.Private businesses are different. A banquet hall owner can refuse a booking. Citizens can boycott a venue. Protesters can stand outside with signs. More than 100 people did precisely that at Hamilton City Hall during the Hope Not Hate rally.That is democracy working properly. People expressing their views without government interference. The government using its power to make speech harder is something else..Even Ottawa became part of the story. Austrian remigration activist Martin Sellner, advertised as an international speaker, was prevented from travelling to Canada after he failed to receive the electronic travel authorization required for his trip. B’nai Brith Canada said federal authorities had denied him entry.Foreign nationals do not have an automatic right to enter Canada, and admissibility decisions are a legitimate federal responsibility. Still, keeping Sellner off Canadian soil did not prevent Canadians from hearing him.DomCon organizers simply played a prerecorded video address.Nor did Hamilton’s pressure campaign kill the conference.Organizers moved down the Queen Elizabeth Way to Burlington. A livestream showed Dominion Society co-founder Ken Jones delivering opening remarks, followed later by Sellner’s video presentation. The parking lot at the Atrium was reportedly nearly full, while about 30 masked protesters demonstrated outside under the watch of Halton police.The Atrium said afterward it did not know about the Dominion Society’s background when the reservation was accepted. Owner and CEO Alexandre R. Figueiredo told CBC the venue does not normally require clients to disclose their social or political views.There is an important principle buried in that mundane explanation..Banquet halls should not need political screening departments.Canada’s Charter protects freedom of thought, belief, opinion, and expression, along with freedom of peaceful assembly. Those freedoms are subject to reasonable limits under law, but disagreement with a political viewpoint is not itself a crime.This is not an abstract concern.On July 31, the Quebec Superior Court found the Quebec government violated the freedom of expression of Harvest Ministries International after a government-owned convention centre cancelled its booking following political intervention over the organization’s views. The court concluded the minister had acted without legal authority and because of ideological disagreement.A legal warning sent to Hamilton officials over DomCon is not a court ruling, and no court has found Horwath or Hamilton Police violated the Charter.The broader lesson remains.Politicians are entitled to condemn the Dominion Society. Police are entitled to prepare for disturbances. Citizens are entitled to protest.Public officials should not use government authority to make lawful political gatherings impossible because they dislike the politics involved.Hamilton tried.DomCon happened anyway, and Canadian democracy is better for it.

OLDCORN: Hamilton’s crackdown on Dominion Society conference failed — and that’s good for Canadian democracy

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