Tuesday 24 January 2012

Cyber-bullying is celebrated in Fredericton

It’s fascinating to watch how the story of Fredericton resident Charles LeBlanc is taking on elements of “folk hero”.

LeBlanc has apparently been charged by the Fredericton police under section 301 of the Criminal Code, which prohibits the publication of defamatory libel, “defined as matter published without lawful justification that is likely to injure the reputation of any person by exposing that person to hatred, contempt or ridicule, or that is designed to insult the person to which the matter refers.”

Any number of blatantly amateur legal analysts have jumped on the bandwagon to claim such action violates the spirit of the Freedom of Expression provision contained in the Charter of Rights & Freedoms. They are quick to point out that it has been successfully challenged in a couple of provincial courts (R. v. Gill, 29 O.R. (3d) 250 (Ont. Gen. Div.); SCC File No. 30103), 2003 SCCA. No. 555). It has become a bit of a cause célèbre with some of the pseudo intelligentsia in Fredericton who flit from one cause to another with the attention span of a ram in heat.

For those of you who don’t know or haven’t listened to the CBC over the last decade, LeBlanc is the fellow from Saint John who pitched a tent on the grounds of the New Brunswick Legislature to draw attention to ADHD (which he claims he has) and the use of the prescription drug Ritalin. LeBlanc calls himself a political activist. Some people think he has a great scam going where he gets welfare, doesn’t have to work and maintains a blog that has recently attracted a lot of attention. He has taken on the appearance of a unregistered charity.

For anyone who has taken the time to read through his blog, you will find it loaded with pictures of Fredericton and a nauseating number of entries detailing LeBlanc’s personal vendetta(s) against anyone who dares to question his beliefs. To the casual observer, seeing the words “racist”, “fascist” and now “gestapo” used endlessly and repeatedly to describe Fredericton police and officials at the New Brunswick Legislature becomes a bit much. There is little doubt but that his writing is designed to insult the people to whom he refers and expose and subject them to contempt and ridicule. LeBlanc doesn’t have the common sense to let up.

Instead, he relishes the attention. He will knowingly break the law, whether it’s riding his bicycle on the sidewalk or standing outside the police station with a bullhorn and disturbing the peace for everyone around him. Then, when the police take action against him, he draws the victim mantle tightly around him and the local press lap it up. Local newshounds take great glee in claiming that the law is not applied equally but never seem to acknowledge the fact that indeed LeBlanc did break the law.

It’s the same as the current situation with regard to his blog and it being wrapped in the Freedom of Expressions in the Charter. One juvenile city councillor in Fredericton has even suggested police action to charge LeBlanc under Section 301 is a violation of civil liberties and a potential conflict-of-interest since the alleged injured party in the defamatory libel scenario is a police officer. It might be helpful for the juvenile councillor to take a couple of Canadian law courses at UNB before he spouts off at length about something of which he has such little apparent command of the facts.

LeBlanc crossed the line when he began subjecting municipal and provincial officials in Fredericton to insult and ridicule. In this day and age of focus on “bully”, no one seems willing to acknowledge that LeBlanc is a cyber-bully in the worst sense of the word because they are afraid they will be seen as insensitive or politically incorrect. Maybe they need to rethink their perspective and support the decision of the Crown to proceed under Section 301. The authors of the Charter of Rights & Freedom did not intend it to be used as a justification for bullying.

5 comments:

  1. For once someone has taken the entire history of 'Charles' and wrapped it up in one nice little package. EXTREMELY accurate! (about time)

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  2. Flanatican & Anonymous, thank you. I wish more people would express their opinion on this situation. Alerting people to the presence of this blog and the opportunity to voice their opinion is one place to start. As with any blog, as editor, I reserve the right to determine what gets posted.

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  3. What an insightful and well written blog. I have read Leblanc's blog (or rabble) to which it is obvious he has little respect for the media in which he claims to be. I also note in many of the other blogs I have read that the authors have not taken the time or effort to educate themselves on the law or review case law on the subject matter. Bravo to you...well done.

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  4. Anonymous Feb 12, thank you for your kind words.

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