Pihoo, Dev, Anhad

R.V Keegstra
What is the R.V Keegstra?
The RV Keegstra is a case that tested the balance between the right to
freedom of speech shown in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms
and the law's limits on hate speech stipulated in the Criminal Code.

The case consists of a secondary school teacher from Alberta who was
teaching antisemitic propaganda to his students. In 1984 he was charged for
a hate crime, and in 1985, was found guilty. Keegstra launched many appeals
to argue that the Criminal Code had violated his constitutional freedom of
expression. This case challenged the limits of hate speech and freedom.
(TheCanadianEncyclopedia, 2021)

What Happened in this case?

Key People in case
- Jim Keegstra
- Keegstra’s students
- Alberta Court
- Supreme Court of Canada

Right being violated

The right being violated in this case is freedom of
expression. Jim Keegstra believed that the Alberta
Court of Appeal violated his rights of freedom of
expression as it was he was charged.
(TheCanadianEncyclopedia, 2021)

What did the Court say?

The court rejected Keegstra’s argument that stated his
comments fell and was protected under the Canadian Charter
of Rights and Freedoms Section 2(b) (Freedom of Expression).
The court argued that Canada’s hate laws imposed a
“reasonable limit” on a person's freedom of expression.
(TheCanadianEncyclopedia, 2021)

Case Facts
- Believed the Holocaust was “created to gain sympathy”
- Keegstra had been communicating these anti semitic comments
to students for more than a decade before multiple complaints
were noticed
- Warned multiple times about his views in a teaching environment
- He had two trials as he continued to try and appeal his case
- One of the first successful conviction cases for the hate speech
provisions under the Criminal Code
TheCanadianEncyclopedia, 2021)

What did the Court say?

: Keegstra was fined $5,000 and his professional teaching certificate was
suspended. The guilty verdict in the trial did not necessarily prove justice for the
offended group. He had a second trial and was heard again by the Supreme
Court. Jim Keegstra never abandoned his anti-Semitic beliefs, despite the
accusations and faults found in his teachings against Jews. At the end of his
second trial, he was once again fined for $3,000, and once heard from the
Supreme Court, it was decided the former conviction from the first trial would
stand. Due to this decision, the Alberta court suspended Keegstra for a one-
year sentence, along with 200 hours of community service and one year of
probation. (TheCanadianEncyclopedia, 2021)