Canadian University Tells Ann Coulter To Watch Her Mouth

A Canadian university has forewarned Ann Coulter to be mindful of what she says when she speaks on its campus this week.

The National Post reports that University of Ottawa Academic Vice President and Provost Francois Houle e-mailed the controversial pundit on Friday. He wrote:

"Our domestic laws, both provincial and federal, delineate freedom of expression (or "free speech") in a manner that is somewhat different than the approach taken in the United States. I therefore encourage you to educate yourself, if need be, as to what is acceptable in Canada and to do so before your planned visit here."

He continued, "Promoting hatred against any identifiable group would not only be considered inappropriate, but could in fact lead to criminal charges."

Houle also reminded Coulter of the strong Canadian tradition of "restraint, respect and consideration."

In response to Houle's e-mail, Coulter wrote on Big Government that she was "hoping for a fruit basket" from the university -- "not a threat to prosecute."

Coulter's visit also raised the ire of some students on campus. According to Macleans, University of Ottawa students started a "Ban Coulter from Campus" Facebook group and forbade signs advertising the talk from being posted in a main campus building.

Coulter, while known primarily for her barbs aimed at the Middle East, has been critical of Canada. She once said that Canadians "are lucky we allow them to exist on the same continent."

Coulter was invited to speak at the school by the University of Ottawa Campus Conservatives. The full text of the e-mail is below.

coulter email 3 21 -

Comments

[valecire]

10:29 PM on 04/02/2010

For those Americans saying that Canada has no freedom of speech... look at your own country first. In California, the Supreme Court just ruled that cyber bullying is not protected by the first amendment and a student was charged... Now if you ask me, hate speech against an entire race should be restricted before cyber bullying

http://blogs.findlaw.com/injured/2010/03/ca-court-cyberbullying-is-not-protected-speech.html

Look there if you don't believe me... United States has the same amount of free speech as Canada... maybe even less

[whatthel]

11:23 AM on 03/26/2010

Shouldn't they have addressed the letter, Dear Mr. Coulter?

[Howling Drunky]

12:22 PM on 03/25/2010

In the United States you can say what you want. The Canadian government has a list of rules detailing what you can and can’t say. Sorry. The reality is that Canadians are not a free people.

[banana046]

07:08 PM on 03/25/2010

Oh get a grip - we have more freedoms than you but we do not believe being an idiot, rude person is written into our constitution

[MCJanes]

09:11 PM on 03/26/2010

Please explain how the Canadian government was involved in this affair, lest you look like a complete jack*ss.

[Aquinnah1]

05:00 AM on 03/25/2010

Memo to the folks who understandably dislike Ann Coulter: turn off her microphone and she becomes a martyr. The answer to bad speech is more speech, not less. www.eightfits.blogspot.com

[JaCar]

11:48 PM on 03/24/2010

Nice Adam's apple Ann.

[SILVANUS]

04:49 PM on 03/24/2010

Canada still having 70s drag shows?

[giddlygiddly]

01:00 PM on 03/24/2010

Yes Ottawa, the speech of pundit Ann Coultier reminds me of a glitch in thought.
I suspect she thinks, we all are same minded, and enjoy watching her mindlessness spill over.
Thank you for steering her towards another kind of thought, civility.

[Howling Drunky]

12:05 PM on 03/25/2010

We will tell you what you can say. We will tell you what you can say. We will tell you what you can say. We will tell you what you can say. We will tell you what you can say...

[Orwellian]

08:55 PM on 03/25/2010

We understand. You are unable to think on more than one level at a time, and you haven't read the hate speech legislation BEFORE ignorantly forming a really uneducated and UNINFORMED but erroneous opinion. Happens a lot there. Coulter didn't read it either before railing about something she hadn't bothered to look at.

[jackbutler5555]

11:41 AM on 03/24/2010

One thing both many Americans and Canadians agree on is, if the U.S. First Amendment ever came up for a vote in either country, it would go down in smoldering defeat.

In general, people around the world believe that certain free speech they disagree with ought to be regulated, controlled, or banned.

Recent example: Tea Party members shouting racial and homophobic epithets at members of Congress as they passed by.

[BalancedEgg]

10:56 AM on 03/24/2010

Civility is an art for which Coulter has no aptitude or talent. The American taste for vulgarity and crudeness in our political punditry is perhaps not one of the cultural products welcomed in a country such as Canada which does not pride itself on producing weaponry and wars for profit.

[mikegriffith]

10:04 AM on 03/24/2010

"“OPPOSING VIEWPOINTS ARE NOT THE PROBLEM. HATE IS. HATE IS NOT FREE SPEECH. HATE IS CORRUPTED SPEECH.”

Ah, yes, and WHO gets to decide what speech is "hateful" and what is not? Sheesh, think about what you'e saying and advocating.

Now, I've seen many Ann Coulter speeches and have read just about every column she's ever written--and I've NEVER seen anything that would remotely qualify as "hate speech." Biting sarcasm--you bet. Harsh verbiage at times--you bet. But "hate"? No, never, never seen it.

But using the anti-free-speech, anti-constitutional standards that some on the Far Left apply to Ann Coulter, one could just as easily say that Cindy Sheehan has positively engaged in "hate speech." I would never say that. But if I were to apply a literal reading of Canada's "hate speech" law, I could make a very strong case for prosecuting Cindy Sheehan, and a bunch of other liberals, for "hate speech."

[BalancedEgg]

11:09 AM on 03/24/2010

The inability to discern the difference between Coulteresque inflammatory rhetoric (complete with comic smirk) and that of a grieving mother shows an undeveloped capacity for empathy and compassion. While both forms of protest and speech may be seen as polarized, one is used to deepen a bank account and and further a career. The other was attempting to bring light to the atrocities of a war for profit. There is a difference, but you need to be willing to feel the difference and not just intellectualize the similarities.

[MCJanes]

09:13 PM on 03/26/2010

Rex Murphy is an example of biting sarcasm. Ann Coulter is a hateful bigot who's only out to sell books.

There's a difference.

[MidRoaderTurnedLeft]

02:42 AM on 03/24/2010

Coulter to young Muslim: Take a camel. (Oops - just kidding!)

http://www.seattlepi.com/national/1101ap_cn_canada_coulter_speech_cancelled.html

[Ergon]

02:30 AM on 03/24/2010

I'm sure Ms. Coulter thanks Canada for all the free publicity :)

[potrerohillman]

02:28 AM on 03/24/2010

sorry, i don't spend all my time on line responding to silly questions, however, every time she speaks she is a laugh riot. anyway, the article is about canadian law. and i am not so mentally defective as to spout off on things of which i have absolutely no idea.

but thanks for offering me a choice. i think i prefer being mentally defective in your opinion if you take coulter serious. my dad taught me while i was young that whenever someone tries to insult, just consider the source. therefore, sissypuss, i have and reached the conclusion despite my mental defects that coulter and her followers are loud mouth graceless delusional know nothings. see even the mentally defect can discern something so obvious.

[MidRoaderTurnedLeft]

01:57 AM on 03/24/2010

This is all anyone missed:

http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Ann_Coulter

Don't Christians find it highly offensive and hypocritical that she hides behind a Christian symbol by wearing a cross in public? Her hate (see above) speaks volumes about her true beliefs -- and they have nothing to do with the Christianity I know.

[poseA]

01:36 AM on 03/24/2010

Thanks Canada. We really needed a win :)

http://www.vancouversun.com/news/Right+wing+firebrand+Coulter+will+file+grievance+with+rights+panel/2713903/story.html