Ontario Human Rights Commission v Brockie: 2002

(Ontario) A Christian printer complained that he was required to offer services to an homosexual group. The court considered that argument that it was a human rights breach to ask a person to promote what they believe to be a sin, namely sexual relations between unmarried persons.
Held: He was required to offer his services, but not to print leaflets which actively promoted an homosexual lifestyle and which was dismissive of Christian beliefs. It was not an answer to say that those who hold the relevant religious belief should not be free to offer services to sections of the public unless prepared to act inconsistently with the belief. Such an approach would lead to withdrawal from society of those holding it, which should be neither the aim nor function of human rights jurisprudence. It would risk the replacement of one set of predominant orthodox views with another. A careful balancing exercise is required.

Citations:

(2002) 22 DLR (4th) 174

Cited by:

CitedBull and Bull v Hall and Preddy CA 10-Feb-2012
The appellants owned a guesthouse. They appealed from being found in breach of the Regulations. They had declined to honour a booking by the respondents of a room upon learning that they were a homosexual couple. The appellants had said that they . .
Lists of cited by and citing cases may be incomplete.

Commonwealth, Human Rights

Updated: 15 May 2022; Ref: scu.451203