Ottawa municipal election, 2003
Encyclopedia
The Ottawa municipal election of 2003 was held in Ottawa
, Canada
, to elect the city's mayor, City Council
, and school trustees for the city of Ottawa
, Ontario
, Canada
. The vote was held on November 10, 2003. The elections were held simultaneously with most other municipalities
in Ontario.
The mayoral election was won by popular incumbent and former Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament
Bob Chiarelli
. His main competition was that of right-wing candidate Terry Kilrea
.
, the expansion of the O-Train (Ottawa's light rail
system), official bilingualism
and the recent amalgamation
. Chiarelli was in favour of the smoking ban, which had been implemented by the last city council. The ban was on smoking in all public places, which angered many bar and restaurant owners. Kilrea was against the smoking ban. He was also against putting money into expanding the O-Train, and official bilingualism in the city.
support. Donna Upson received contributions from the Ku Klux Klan
, and she voiced support for racial segregation
. She has also set up a Canadian branch of the National Socialist Movement
. She finished in sixth place with 1,312 votes (0.71%).
, Rideau
and the highest West Carleton
(45%). The lowest turnout was in Somerset ward at 25% turnout.
Chiarelli won all but three wards and had his most strength in the city core region. Kilrea won three wards, all in the rural south and west.
Orléans Ward
Innes Ward
Bell-South Nepean Ward
Kanata Ward
West Carleton Ward
Goulbourn Ward
Bay Ward
Baseline Ward
Knoxdale-Merivale Ward
Gloucester-Southgate Ward
Beacon Hill-Cyrville Ward
Rideau-Vanier Ward
Rideau-Rockcliffe Ward
Somerset Ward
Kitchissippi Ward
River Ward
Capital Ward
Alta Vista Ward
Cumberland Ward
Osgoode Ward
Rideau Ward
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, to elect the city's mayor, City Council
Ottawa City Council
The Ottawa City Council is the governing body of the City of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. It is composed of 23 city councillors and the mayor. The mayor is elected at large, while each of the councillors represent wards throughout the city. Council members are elected to four year terms with the...
, and school trustees for the city of Ottawa
Ottawa
Ottawa is the capital of Canada, the second largest city in the Province of Ontario, and the fourth largest city in the country. The city is located on the south bank of the Ottawa River in the eastern portion of Southern Ontario...
, Ontario
Ontario
Ontario is a province of Canada, located in east-central Canada. It is Canada's most populous province and second largest in total area. It is home to the nation's most populous city, Toronto, and the nation's capital, Ottawa....
, Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
. The vote was held on November 10, 2003. The elections were held simultaneously with most other municipalities
Ontario municipal elections, 2003
In the 2003 municipal elections in Ontario, voters in Ontario, Canada, elected mayors, councillors, school board trustees and all other elected officials in all of Ontario's municipalities.-Results of election:...
in Ontario.
The mayoral election was won by popular incumbent and former Liberal Member of Provincial Parliament
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
The Legislative Assembly of Ontario , is the legislature of the Canadian province of Ontario, and is the second largest provincial legislature of Canada...
Bob Chiarelli
Bob Chiarelli
Robert "Bob" Chiarelli is a Canadian politician. He served in the Ontario Legislative Assembly from 1987 to 1997, and was subsequently re-elected to the legislature in 2010 after serving as regional chair and mayor of Ottawa from 1997 to 2006...
. His main competition was that of right-wing candidate Terry Kilrea
Terry Kilrea
Terry Kilrea is an aspiring politician from Ottawa.-2003 election:Kilrea ran for mayor of Ottawa in the 2003 municipal election on a platform that included opposition to light rail expansion, opposition to official bilingualism, abolition of the ban on smoking in public places, and an increase of...
.
Issues
The main issues of the race were a controversial Smoking banSmoking ban
Smoking bans are public policies, including criminal laws and occupational safety and health regulations, which prohibit tobacco smoking in workplaces and/or other public spaces...
, the expansion of the O-Train (Ottawa's light rail
Light rail
Light rail or light rail transit is a form of urban rail public transportation that generally has a lower capacity and lower speed than heavy rail and metro systems, but higher capacity and higher speed than traditional street-running tram systems...
system), official bilingualism
Bilingualism in Canada
The official languages of Canada are English and French, which "have equality of status and equal rights and privileges as to their use in all institutions of the Parliament and Government of Canada" according to Canada's constitution...
and the recent amalgamation
Amalgamation (politics)
A merger or amalgamation in a political or administrative sense is the combination of two or more political or administrative entities such as municipalities , counties, districts, etc. into a single entity. This term is used when the process occurs within a sovereign entity...
. Chiarelli was in favour of the smoking ban, which had been implemented by the last city council. The ban was on smoking in all public places, which angered many bar and restaurant owners. Kilrea was against the smoking ban. He was also against putting money into expanding the O-Train, and official bilingualism in the city.
Controversy
One of the prominent fringe candidates for mayor was associated with white supremacistWhite supremacy
White supremacy is the belief, and promotion of the belief, that white people are superior to people of other racial backgrounds. The term is sometimes used specifically to describe a political ideology that advocates the social and political dominance by whites.White supremacy, as with racial...
support. Donna Upson received contributions from the Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan
Ku Klux Klan, often abbreviated KKK and informally known as the Klan, is the name of three distinct past and present far-right organizations in the United States, which have advocated extremist reactionary currents such as white supremacy, white nationalism, and anti-immigration, historically...
, and she voiced support for racial segregation
Racial segregation
Racial segregation is the separation of humans into racial groups in daily life. It may apply to activities such as eating in a restaurant, drinking from a water fountain, using a public toilet, attending school, going to the movies, or in the rental or purchase of a home...
. She has also set up a Canadian branch of the National Socialist Movement
National Socialist Movement (United States)
The National Socialist Movement is a neo-Nazi party operating in the United States. The group was founded in 1974 by Robert Brannen, former member of the American Nazi Party before its decline. The group claims to be the largest and most active neo-Nazi organization in the United States. Its...
. She finished in sixth place with 1,312 votes (0.71%).
Turnout
Turnout for the election was low, at 33%. The highest turnouts were in the rural areas, specifically in GoulbournGoulbourn Township, Ontario
Goulbourn Township, Ontario was formed in 1818, roughly 20 km southwest of downtown Ottawa, with the first major settlement occurring in Richmond. Other communities in the township include Stittsville, Munster, and Ashton. Stittsville is the largest community in the township, owing in part to its...
, Rideau
Rideau Township, Ontario
Rideau is an historic township in eastern Ontario, Canada. It is located in the rural parts of the City of Ottawa, in the extreme south. Its eastern boundary is the Rideau River, its namesake....
and the highest West Carleton
West Carleton Township, Ontario
West Carleton is a historic township in Eastern Ontario, Canada. It is located in the rural parts of the new City of Ottawa, west of Kanata. Its northern boundary is the Ottawa River....
(45%). The lowest turnout was in Somerset ward at 25% turnout.
Results for mayor
| Candidate | Vote | % | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bob Chiarelli Bob Chiarelli Robert "Bob" Chiarelli is a Canadian politician. He served in the Ontario Legislative Assembly from 1987 to 1997, and was subsequently re-elected to the legislature in 2010 after serving as regional chair and mayor of Ottawa from 1997 to 2006... (inc.) |
104,595 | 56.53 | |
| Terry Kilrea Terry Kilrea Terry Kilrea is an aspiring politician from Ottawa.-2003 election:Kilrea ran for mayor of Ottawa in the 2003 municipal election on a platform that included opposition to light rail expansion, opposition to official bilingualism, abolition of the ban on smoking in public places, and an increase of... |
66,634 | 36.02 | |
| Ike Awgu Ike Awgu Ike Jonathan Awgu is a Canadian politician. At the age of 19 he ran for Mayor in the 2003 municipal election, and finished third out of eight candidates with 2.92% of the vote... |
5,394 | 2.92 | |
| Ron Burke Ron Burke For the American sportscaster and television personality, seeRon Burke .Ron Burke, also known as Lucky Ron is a country music performer based in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada's capital.-Musical style:... |
2,698 | 1.46 | |
| John A. Bell | 2,027 | 1.10 | |
| Donna Upson Donna Upson Donna Marie Upson is a white supremacist who ran for the office of mayor of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada in the 2003 municipal election.... |
1,312 | 0.71 | |
| Paula Nemchin | 1,191 | 0.64 | |
| John C. Turmel John C. Turmel John C. Turmel is a perennial candidate for election in Canada, and according to the Guinness Book of Records holds the records for the most elections contested and for the most elections lost having contested 75 elections and lost 74... |
1,166 | 0.63 | |
| Total | 185,017 | 100.0 |
Chiarelli won all but three wards and had his most strength in the city core region. Kilrea won three wards, all in the rural south and west.
Council results
No incumbents lost any races, and only two councillors had a decrease in the popular vote percentage from the 2000 election.Orléans Ward
Orléans Ward
Orléans Ward is a city ward in the city of Ottawa, Canada. It was created before the 2000 Election when the area was amalgamated into the city of Ottawa. The ward covers much of the suburban community of Orleans in the east of the city. Previous to that, the ward existed in the Regional...
- Herb KrelingHerb KrelingHerb Kreling is a former Ottawa City Councillor representing Orléans Ward. He was first elected as a regional councillor for the Regional Municipality of Ottawa-Carleton in the 1994 election, and was re-elected to that position in 1997. He was elected to city council in 2000 and was re-elected in...
7,182 (72.89%) (+31.93%) - Louise Malloy 2,671 (27.11%)
Innes Ward
Innes Ward
Innes is a city ward in the city of Ottawa, Canada. It includes the community of Blackburn Hamlet as well as the neighbourhoods of Orléans Village, Chateau Neuf and Chapel Hill in Orléans. It also includes the part of the community of Notre Dame des Champs formerly in the city of Gloucester. The...
- Rainer BloessRainer BloessRainer Bloess is a member of Ottawa City Council. He represents Ward 2 - Innes covering some of the city's eastern suburbs. He was originally a member of the city council of Gloucester, being elected to that council in 1994 on a cost cutting platform. He lives in the suburban community of...
5,925 (59.26%) (+7.25%) - J.-F. Claude 4,073 (40.74%)
Bell-South Nepean Ward
- Jan HarderJan HarderJan Harder is an Ottawa City Councillor representing the ward of Barrhaven. She is the appointed chair of the Ottawa Public Library board, which sets policy and has the ultimate say in decisions affecting the library system....
11,678 (86.75%) (+25.86%) - John R. Palmer 1,784 (13.25%)
Kanata Ward
- Peggy FeltmatePeggy FeltmatePeggy Feltmate is Canadian politician who was Ottawa city councillor representing Kanata South Ward from 2003 to 2010.She was born in Wallaceburg, Ontario, in 1949 and was first elected in the 2003 Ottawa election to replace outgoing councillor Alex Munter in Kanata ward...
12,260 (70.58%) - Richard Rutkowski 4,166 (23.98%)
- Donald Leafloor 561 (3.23%)
- Grant Johnston 384 (2.21%)
West Carleton Ward
- Eli El-ChantiryEli El-ChantiryEli El-Chantiry is an Ottawa City Councillor.He was born in Lebanon and moved to Canada with his family at age eighteen. He became a businessman, owning the Lighthouse Restaurant in Constance Bay in West Carleton....
2,738 (44.61%) - Adele Muldoon 2,709 (44.14%)
- Daryl W. Craig 480 (7.82%)
- Jim Jenkins 210 (3.42%)
Goulbourn Ward
- Janet StavingaJanet StavingaJanet Stavinga is a politician from East Ontario, Canada, she was an Ottawa City Councillor. She represented the Goulbourn ward covering what was once the independent Goulbourn Township. Stavinga represent the claim of Tanakiwin, the traditional territory of the Algonquin Nation.She was first a...
5,076 (64.15%) (+19.14%) - Michael P. O'Rourke 2,837 (35.85%)
Bay Ward
Bay Ward
Bay Ward is a municipal ward in Ottawa, Canada. It covers much of the western portion of the old city of Ottawa as well as some portions of what was once Nepean. The ward runs from Sherbourne and Maitland in the east to March Road in the west. The southern border in the Queensway while the northern...
- Alex CullenAlex CullenAlexander Shaun Cullen is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is a former Member of Provincial Parliament in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario and a former member of Ottawa City Council, representing the Bay Ward in Ottawa's west end.-Early life and city politics:Cullen was born February 18,...
6,713 (56.74%) (+8.72%) - John Blatherwick 4,477 (37.84%)
- Don Rivington 394 (3.33%)
- Didar Mohamed 248 (2.10%)
Baseline Ward
- Rick ChiarelliRick ChiarelliRichard "Rick" Chiarelli is a politician in Ontario, Canada. He is currently an Ottawa City Councillor, and the second cousin of former Ottawa mayor Bob Chiarelli. He represents the College Ward covering part of Nepean and Ottawa's west end.-Early years:...
(acclaimed)
Knoxdale-Merivale Ward
Knoxdale-Merivale Ward
Knoxdale-Merivale is a city ward in Ottawa, Ontario. Located in the city's west end, the ward is bordered to the east by the Rideau River and Fisher Avenue, the northern boundaries of the community of Barrhaven to the south, Ontario Highway 416 and Cedarview Road to the west and to the north by the...
- Gord HunterGord HunterGordon Hunter was an Ottawa City Councillor. He represented Knoxdale-Merivale Ward. On January 31, 2010, he announced that he would not be running re-election to city council in 2010....
7,029 (84.79%) (+13.17%) - Phillip Unhola 637 (7.68%)
- Al Speyers 624 (7.53%) (-20.85%)
Gloucester-Southgate Ward
Gloucester-Southgate Ward
Gloucester-Southgate Ward is a city ward located in Ottawa, Ontario. Located in the city's south end, the ward includes Gloucester Glen east of the Rideau River, most of the Ottawa International Airport, CFB Uplands, Blossom Park, Greenboro, portions of Heron Gate south of Walkley Road, the Ottawa...
- Diane DeansDiane DeansDiane Elisabeth Deans is a member of Ottawa City Council, Canada, representing Gloucester-Southgate Ward in the city's south-east.A graduate of the University of Guelph she was active in the Canadian Federation of Students. Deans was first elected to Ottawa city council in 1994...
6,166 (59.34%) (+10.64%) - Harold G. Keenan 3,917 (37.70%)
- David Lamothe 308 (2.96%)
Beacon Hill-Cyrville Ward
Beacon Hill-Cyrville Ward
Beacon Hill-Cyrville Ward is a city ward in Ottawa, Ontario. Located in the city's east end, the ward is bordered to the west by Blair Ward from the Ottawa River to Ogilvie Road and St. Laurent Boulevard south of it, the south by the Via Rail train line and Innes Ward, to the east by Green's Creek...
- Michel BellemareMichel BellemareMichel Bellemare was member of the City Council in Ottawa, Canada from 1994 to 2010. He served as acting as mayor of Ottawa, while mayor Larry O'Brien faced charges from May 2-July 8, 2009....
4,613 (61.04%) (+3.17%) - Frank Reid 2,812 (37.21%)
- Osman Abdi 132 (1.75%)
Rideau-Vanier Ward
Rideau-Vanier Ward
Rideau-Vanier Ward is a ward in the city of Ottawa, Canada, designated as Ward 12 and represented on Ottawa City Council. It was originally created in 1994 as a Ward on Regional Council....
- Georges BédardGeorges BédardGeorges Bédard is a former member of Ottawa City Council representing the ward of Rideau-Vanier. This ward covers Lower Town, Sandy Hill, and Vanier. Born and raised in the area Bédard currently lives in Sandy Hill he attended Carleton University where he obtained a degree in political science...
3,631 (41.52%) - Bruce McConville 2,355 (26.93%)
- Angela Rickman 1,829 (20.91%)
- Giacomo Vigna 582 (6.66%)
- Abdillahi Omar Bouh 211 (2.41%)
- Natasha Duckworth 137 (1.57%)
Rideau-Rockcliffe Ward
Rideau-Rockcliffe Ward
Rideau-Rockcliffe Ward is a city ward in Ottawa, Ontario. Located in the city's east end, the ward covers the neighbourhoods of New Edinburgh, Manor Park, Rockcliffe Park, CFB Rockcliffe, Overbrook, Lindenlea, Viscount Alexander Park, Finter Quarries, Forbes, Castle Heights and part of Carson...
- Jacques Legendre 6,070 (79.17%) (+15.29%)
- James Parker 934 (12.18%)
- Michel Binda 663 (8.65%)
Somerset Ward
Somerset Ward
Somerset is a city ward in the city of Ottawa, Canada. It covers the neighbourhoods of Downtown Ottawa, Centretown, Lebreton Flats and most of Centretown West. It is Ottawa's smallest and most dense ward. It is represented on Ottawa City Council by Diane Holmes. It has an area of 6.5 km² and...
- Diane HolmesDiane HolmesDiane Holmes is an Ottawa City Councillor representing Somerset Ward which consists of Centretown, Centretown West and the downtown core. She was born and raised in Montreal, Quebec, and graduated from McGill University with a degree in Physical Education...
4,105 (61.62%) - Dawn Pickering 1,195 (17.94%)
- David MacDonald 567 (8.51%)
- William A. Ostapyk 366 (5.49%)
- Steve Sweeney 189 (2.84%)
- Sotos Petrides 132 (1.98%)
- Bill Driver 55 (0.83%)
- Mike Jung 53 (0.80%)
Kitchissippi Ward
Kitchissippi Ward
Kitchissippi Ward is a city ward in the city of Ottawa, Canada. It gets its name from the Algonquin word for Great River. The ward is slightly west of downtown, and covers the neighbourhoods of Broadview, Champlain Park, Civic Hospital, Hampton Park, Highland Park, Hintonburg, Island Park,...
- Shawn LittleShawn LittleShawn Little is a former City Councillor in Ottawa, Canada, for the urban Kitchissippi Ward, consisting of neighbourhoods west of the city centre. He was born in Ottawa and raised in its Westboro neighbourhood, where he attended Woodroffe Avenue and Broadview Public elementary schools followed by...
2,907 (27.12%) (-19.92%) - Kris Klein 2,330 (21.74%)
- Gary Ludington 2,217 (20.68%)
- Linda Davis 1,540 (14.37%) (-26.07%)
- Daniel Stringer 1,058 (9.87%)
- David McConnell 625 (5.83%)
- Les Gangé 42 (0.39%)
River Ward
River Ward
River Ward is city ward located in Ottawa, Ontario. Located in the central west/south central portion of the city, the ward includes the communities of Carlington, Skyline, Parkwood Hills, Fisher Heights, Mooney's Bay, Riverside Park and Hunt Club/Uplands which are located on both sides of the...
- Maria McRaeMaria McRaeMaria McRae is an Ottawa City Councillor. She represents the River Ward covering some of the city's southern suburbs. Born in Sudbury, Ontario McRae has an undergraduate degree in biology and a law degree from the University of Western Ontario. She moved to Ottawa in 2000 working as a legal...
5,600 (63.11%) - Todd Mattila-Hartman 1,654 (18.64%)
- Richard Smith 1,619 (18.25%)
Capital Ward
Capital Ward
Capital Ward is a city ward located in the centre of Ottawa, Ontario. Situated just south of downtown Ottawa, the ward includes the communities of Old Ottawa East, Old Ottawa South, the Glebe, Heron Park, Carleton University and Riverside...
- Clive DoucetClive DoucetClive Doucet is a Canadian writer and politician.Doucet was born in 1946 in London, England to an Acadian serviceman and an English war bride. Doucet grew up in the city of Ottawa, Ontario. He also spent some of his youth in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Doucet was raised as a Catholic,...
5,785 (80.06%) (+9.67%) - C.R.L. Erickson 1,024 (14.17%)
- Mike Salmon 417 (5.77%)
Alta Vista Ward
Alta Vista Ward
Alta Vista Ward is a city ward in the city of Ottawa, Canada represented on Ottawa City Council. Alta Vista Ward was created prior to the 1966 election when Gloucester Ward was split in half due to population growth in the Alta Vista area. Until the 1972 elections, the ward was represented by two...
- Peter HumePeter HumePeter Ernest Hume is a city councillor in the city of Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. He represents Alta Vista Ward.Hume grew up in the Canterbury area of Ottawa. He attended Hawthorne Public School and Canterbury High School before graduating with a degree in Economics from Carleton University...
(acclaimed)
Cumberland Ward
Cumberland Ward
Cumberland Ward is a city ward in Ottawa, Ontario. Situated in the far east end of the city, it includes portions of the Orleans communities of Queenswood Heights, Mer Bleue, Avalon, Chaperal, Notting Hill, Fallingbrook as well as the rural areas of the former city of Cumberland and the village as...
- Rob JellettRob JellettRobert Jellett was an Ottawa City Councillor. He represented the large Cumberland Ward, located at the eastern edge of the city since 2003. Jellett worked as a reporter, news anchor and Assistant News Director with local radio stations CFMO and CFRA for eighteen years. He then became the...
2,957 (54.37%) - Garry Lowe 1,871 (34.40%)
- Pierre E. Doucette 552 (10.15%)
- David Whissell 59 (1.08%)
Osgoode Ward
Osgoode Ward
Osgoode Ward represents the south end of the City of Ottawa and solely made up of residents of the former Osgoode Township. The current city councillor is Doug Thompson....
- Doug ThompsonDoug ThompsonDoug Thompson is a councillor in the city of Ottawa for the Osgoode Ward. Thompson is also the former mayor of Osgoode Township prior to the amalgamation with the new City of Ottawa, and he is a Councillor with the amalgamated City of Ottawa Council for Osgoode Ward. Prior to being Mayor of...
(acclaimed)
Rideau Ward
Rideau Ward
Rideau Ward may refer one of the following wards in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada:* Rideau-Rockcliffe Ward* Rideau-Vanier Ward* Rideau-Goulbourn Ward...
- Glenn BrooksGlenn BrooksRobert "Glenn" Brooks is a Canadian politician who was mayor of Rideau Township and later Ottawa City Councilor representing the rural Rideau-Goulbourn Ward. He grew up on a dairy farm outside of Oshawa and became a science teacher, he and is a wife Gail also operated a small beef cattle farm.He...
2,765 (62.68%) (-2.42%) - Paul Paton 1,646 (37.32%)
Information on the candidates
- Giacomo Vigna (Rideau-Vanier ward) is a lawyer with the Canadian Human Rights CommissionCanadian Human Rights CommissionThe Canadian Human Rights Commission is a quasi-judicial body that was established in 1977 by the government of Canada. It is empowered under the Canadian Human Rights Act to investigate and try to settle complaints of discrimination in employment and in the provision of services within federal...
. He was a candidate in the 1991 Ottawa municipal electionOttawa municipal election, 1991The city of Ottawa, Canada held municipal elections on November 12, 1991.Right wing Britannia Ward councillor Jacquelin Holzman defeats left wing St. George's councillor Nancy Smith and mayor Marc Laviolette.-Mayor:-City council:...
, though he withdrew from the contest before election day. In 1994Montreal municipal election, 1994The 1994 Montreal municipal election took place on November 6, 1994. Pierre Bourque was elected to his first term as mayor, defeating incumbent Jean Doré...
, he ran for a seat on the Saint-Leonard city council in suburban MontrealMontrealMontreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and narrowly lost to incumbent Robert ZambitoRobert ZambitoRobert Liborio Zambito is a politician in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. He has served on the Montreal city council since 2009, representing the Saint-Léonard-Est division as a member of mayor Gérald Tremblay's Union Montreal party.-Early life and private career:...
. In the 2003 election, he focused on economic development issues and called for an expansion of the Ottawa Congress Centre. Vigna has argued cases before the Canadian Human Rights TribunalCanadian Human Rights TribunalThe Canadian Human Rights Tribunal is an administrative tribunal established in 1977 by the Canadian Human Rights Act. It is directly funded by the Parliament of Canada and is independent of the Canadian Human Rights Commission which refers cases to it for adjudication under the Act.The Tribunal...
against persons accused of online hate speech. In 2010, he won a libel suit against right-wing pundit Ezra LevantEzra LevantEzra Isaac Levant is a Canadian lawyer, conservative political activist and media figure. He is the founder and former publisher of the Western Standard, hosts The Source daily on Sun News Network, and has written several books on politics....
; a judge ruled that Levant had libelled Vigna with "reckless indifference" to the truth in various blog posts.