Criticism of Confederate Flag Spurs Human Rights Complaint in Canada

Canadian news coverage of the debate over the Confederate flag in the United States constitutes discrimination, a Saskatchewan man says.

Dale Pippin says he’s filed a complaint with the provincial human rights commission over media coverage.

“While the U.S. media seems able to routinely trash the Confederate flag, I thought I’d see if we are able to get away with it here in Canada,” Pippin wrote on his blog, SouthSaskSoutherner.

He says he filed the complaint on July 1. The Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission does not comment on complaints and cannot confirm if Pippin’s complaint has been received.

Citing CTV News specifically and other media in general, Pippin says coverage has been degrading and discriminatory toward today’s southerners, which he counts himself among.

Pippin says his family moved to Saskatchewan 110 years ago from Tarboro, N.C. His ancestors fought for the Confederacy in the American Civil War.

“I was under the impression that we are in a free country. In this free country we call Canada we ensure that the lineage and history of minorities is protected and not discriminated against,” he writes in the complaint he posted on his blog.

“The media needs to be held accountable and held to some sort of responsible standards of reporting,” writes Pippin, who did not immediately respond to a request for an interview. “There should be extensive public apology in the paper, on the radio, and the television. The disinformation now needs to be corrected by the source of the exaggerated propaganda.”

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Pippin, who claims to be a former member of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, points out in his complaint that he was unable to purchase Confederate flags at The Flag Shop in Saskatoon.

But if he considers that discrimination, the shop owner does not.

Judy Denham says the flag has been removed from franchise shelves across the country and reaction in her store has been overwhelmingly positive.

When the stars and bars came down in South Carolina it made her realize the connotations, Denham tells Yahoo Canada News.

“Why did we sell it up to that point? Because of my ignorance,” she says. “Because I didn’t do my homework and understand what that flag was all about.”

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Pippin says he may organize Confederate flag marches, depending on the reaction to his stance. {snip}

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