We have ten minutes together? I will take two minutes.
First I want to thank you for inviting us to testify before this committee. The Canadian Jewish Congress has for the last 90 years represented the broadest cross-section of Canadian Jewry. We work to foster a Canada where Jews, as part of the multicultural fabric of this country, live and contribute to an environment of opportunity and mutual respect. We advocate on behalf of Canadian Jewry to advance those objectives, and we work in partnership with other Jewish federations and other ethnic communities across Canada.
In the Jewish tradition, we believe that the tongue has such awesome power that in fact it requires two gatekeepers, the teeth and the lips. It is recognized that words have meaning and that evil words can have, indeed, evil consequences. It is in this light that we welcome the opportunity to present our views this afternoon.
I would like to introduce our national president, Mark Freiman, of the Canadian Jewish Congress. He is an eminent legalist. He is recognized as an expert on constitutional law and human rights legislation. He has just completed acting as special counsel on the Air India disaster, and most pertinent to this particular committee, Mark Freiman was special counsel to the Canadian Human Rights Commission on the Ernst Zundel case, which was in fact the first successful proceeding under section 13 dealing with hate on the Internet.
I'd like to pass the rest of our time to Mr. Freiman in order for him to present the views of the Canadian Jewish Congress.