Skip to content
LEAF logo
LEAF logo
DONATE
DONATE
MENU
LEAF logo

Contact

DONATE
DONATE
Informations en français
  • English
  • Français
  • About
    • Our Story
    • Mission & Vision
    • Staff
    • Board
    • Law Program Committee
    • FAQs
  • Cases and Law Reform
    • Our Work
    • Issue Areas
      • Reproductive Justice
      • Indigenous Rights and Law
      • Identity-Based Oppression
      • Hate Speech and Online Hate
      • Sexual Assault and Consent Law
      • Gender-Based Violence
      • Access to Justice
      • Workplace Rights
      • Socio-Economic Rights
      • Family Law
    • Search Cases & Submissions
    • Current Work
      • Accountability Project
      • Avenues to Justice
      • Strengthening Community Capacity
      • Technology-Facilitated Violence
      • Valuing the Care Economy
    • Past Projects
    • Legal Resources
  • Education
    • Overview
    • Workshops, trainings & webinars
    • Factsheets & infographics
  • News & Events
    • Search News & Events
    • Events
  • Publications
    • Search Publications
    • Working Papers
    • Reports
    • Annual Reports
  • Regional Branches
    • Overview
    • LEAF Calgary
    • LEAF Edmonton
    • LEAF Halifax
    • LEAF Hamilton
    • LEAF Kitchener-Waterloo
    • LEAF London
    • LEAF Newfoundland & Labrador
    • LEAF Ottawa
    • LEAF Saskatchewan
    • LEAF Sudbury
    • LEAF Toronto
    • LEAF Windsor
    • LEAF Winnipeg
  • Get Involved
    • Ways to Get Involved
    • Donate to LEAF
    • Join a Branch
    • Volunteer
    • Become a LEAF Pro Bono Lawyer
    • Partner with LEAF
  • About
    • Our Story
    • Mission & Vision
    • Staff
    • Board
    • Law Program Committee
    • FAQs
  • Cases and Law Reform
    • Our Work
    • Issue Areas
      • Reproductive Justice
      • Indigenous Rights and Law
      • Identity-Based Oppression
      • Hate Speech and Online Hate
      • Sexual Assault and Consent Law
      • Gender-Based Violence
      • Access to Justice
      • Workplace Rights
      • Socio-Economic Rights
      • Family Law
    • Search Cases & Submissions
    • Current Work
      • Accountability Project
      • Avenues to Justice
      • Strengthening Community Capacity
      • Technology-Facilitated Violence
      • Valuing the Care Economy
    • Past Projects
    • Legal Resources
  • Education
    • Overview
    • Workshops, trainings & webinars
    • Factsheets & infographics
  • News & Events
    • Search News & Events
    • Events
  • Publications
    • Search Publications
    • Working Papers
    • Reports
    • Annual Reports
  • Regional Branches
    • Overview
    • LEAF Calgary
    • LEAF Edmonton
    • LEAF Halifax
    • LEAF Hamilton
    • LEAF Kitchener-Waterloo
    • LEAF London
    • LEAF Newfoundland & Labrador
    • LEAF Ottawa
    • LEAF Saskatchewan
    • LEAF Sudbury
    • LEAF Toronto
    • LEAF Windsor
    • LEAF Winnipeg
  • Get Involved
    • Ways to Get Involved
    • Donate to LEAF
    • Join a Branch
    • Volunteer
    • Become a LEAF Pro Bono Lawyer
    • Partner with LEAF
Home / News & Events / Search News & Events

Media Release

LEAF pleased Ontario court recognizes the serious nature of harm to women caused by hate speech in R v Sears

LEAF applauds an Ontario court’s sentencing decisions in the case of James Sears and LeRoy St. Germaine. Sears and St. Germaine, who were editor and publisher of a community newsletter Your Ward News, were found guilty in January 2019 of 2 counts of willfully promoting hatred. Sears received a 12-month jail sentence and St. Germaine was sentenced to 12 months’ house arrest.

We welcome the court’s characterization of hate promoted towards women as especially aggravating since the defendants’ (St. Germaine and Sears) materials advocated for the commission of physical and sexual violence against women. This greatly undermines women from feeling safe in their communities.

Furthermore, hate speech perpetuates harmful stereotypes, which act as barriers to equality for women in all areas of their life. The reinforcement of negative stereotypes risks contributing to prejudice and bias against women. 

For these reasons, LEAF submitted a Community Impact Statement at the sentencing, which outlined how hate speech negatively effects women.

Our Statement identified and discussed the following impacts of hate speech on women:

  • Hate speech against women injures women’s dignity and causes psychological harm;
  • Hate speech against women undermines women’s safety from violence;
  • Hate speech against women perpetuates stereotypes and erects or reinforces barriers to women’s social, economic, and political participation.

Rosel Kim, LEAF Staff Lawyer adds:

“As the Court has recognized, hate speech injures women’s human dignity and causes psychological harm. We also know that this harm is exacerbated for Black and racialized women, who were specifically targeted by the defendants’ materials based on their race and gender.

The Court’s decision is the first conviction for hate speech against women, recognizing the harm of promoting misogynist views and beliefs. This is a pivotal part of moving Canadian society closer to the goal of gender equality.”

Learn more about the harm caused to women in our Community Impact Statement Submission to the Court.


Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF)

The Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) works to advance the substantive equality rights of women and girls through litigation, law reform, and public education. Since 1985, we have intervened in landmark cases that have advanced equality in Canada—helping to prevent violence, eliminate discrimination in the workplace, provide better maternity benefits, ensure a right to pay equity, and allow access to reproductive freedoms. For more information, please visit www.leaf.ca


For media inquiries, contact: 

Rosel Kim, Staff Lawyer 

Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF) 

T: 416 595 7170 ext 2003 

E: [email protected] 

 

Let's Change The Law to Uphold Gender Equality
Donate
Join Us!

Related Project

Loading...
""
Current Work
LEAF’s Technology-Facilitated Violence (TFV) Project

Related Cases

Loading...

R. v. Jarvis (2019)

This case concerned the meaning of voyeurism under the Criminal Code, and students’ right to privacy.

Saskatchewan (Human Rights Commission) v. Whatcott (2013)

This case concerned the prohibition of hate speech under the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code.
More Cases

Related Issue Area

Loading...

Hate Speech and Online Hate

LEAF_FAEJ_hz_names_colour_rgb_rev
Donate to support equality

National Office
180 Dundas Street West, Suite 1420
Toronto, ON M5G 1Z8
[email protected]
Phone: 416.595.7170
Toll-free: 1.888.824.5323
Facsimile: 416.595.7191

Linkedin

Stay up to date on feminist law and LEAF’s work to advance gender equality



LEAF_FAEJ_hz_names_colour_rgb_rev

National Office
180 Dundas Street West, Suite 1420
Toronto, ON M5G 1Z8
[email protected]
Phone: 416.595.7170
Fax: 416.595.7191

Charitable Registration Number: 10821 9916 RR0001

Facebook-f Twitter Instagram Linkedin

Stay up to date on feminist law and LEAF’s work to advance gender equality



Donate to support equality
Donate to support equality

© 2020 Women’s Legal Education & Action Fund (LEAF). All rights reserved. | Legal & Privacy | Accessibility | Website by Affinity Bridge

MENU

  • About
    • Our Story
    • Mission & Vision
    • Staff
    • Board
    • Law Program Committee
    • FAQs
  • Cases and Law Reform
    • Our Work
    • Issue Areas
      • Reproductive Justice
      • Indigenous Rights and Law
      • Identity-Based Oppression
      • Hate Speech and Online Hate
      • Sexual Assault and Consent Law
      • Gender-Based Violence
      • Access to Justice
      • Workplace Rights
      • Socio-Economic Rights
      • Family Law
    • Search Cases & Submissions
    • Current Work
      • Accountability Project
      • Avenues to Justice
      • Strengthening Community Capacity
      • Technology-Facilitated Violence
      • Valuing the Care Economy
    • Past Projects
    • Legal Resources
  • Education
    • Overview
    • Workshops, trainings & webinars
    • Factsheets & infographics
  • News & Events
    • Search News & Events
    • Events
  • Publications
    • Search Publications
    • Working Papers
    • Reports
    • Annual Reports
  • Regional Branches
    • Overview
    • LEAF Calgary
    • LEAF Edmonton
    • LEAF Halifax
    • LEAF Hamilton
    • LEAF Kitchener-Waterloo
    • LEAF London
    • LEAF Newfoundland & Labrador
    • LEAF Ottawa
    • LEAF Saskatchewan
    • LEAF Sudbury
    • LEAF Toronto
    • LEAF Windsor
    • LEAF Winnipeg
  • Get Involved
    • Ways to Get Involved
    • Donate to LEAF
    • Join a Branch
    • Volunteer
    • Become a LEAF Pro Bono Lawyer
    • Partner with LEAF
  • English
  • Français