How did the joke end up appearing in the Supreme Court of Canada?

And in general 2010Famous Quebec comedian Mike Ward, known for his straightforward humor, gave a 90-minute program.

Besides the thorny issues of race, religion, etc., Ward’s comedy targeted what he called the “holy cows” of the famous neighborhood star system, people who were, in his opinion, for various reasons – very wealthy. , very powerful – and regarded as beyond the limits of any cynicism.

But the fallout from that show lasted nearly a decade and peaked on February 15, when the Supreme Court of Canada envisioned a lengthy legal battle over a joke Ward had told about Gabriel.

As part of the show, Ward targeted, among others, Quebec singer Celine Dion and her late husband Renee Angelel.

He was also featured on his show Gabriel, who became known in the press as “Jeremy Little” and released an album and biography.

Ward mocked him in an excerpt from his presentation in which Gabriel described his appearance and disability.

If the joke is removed from Ward’s performance or read in court documents, it may be difficult to know why the crowd laughed, but they laughed with amusement.

Ward scolds them: “I didn’t know how far I could go with this joke. At one point I was like, ‘You keep going too far, and they’ll stop laughing. But the opposite happened. , they didn’t. stop laughing. ‘”

The show was put online more than 200 times between 2010 and 2013, with copies sold online.

Gabriel first discovered Ward’s jokes about him in 2010, when he was 13 and started high school. He had been bullied before, and he said an incoming offer had exacerbated his bullying.

“I never went a day without someone telling me one of their jokes,” said the 24-year-old.

Gabriel felt targeted due to his disability and began to socially withdraw and seriously consider suicide. But Gabriel’s family did not communicate directly with the comedian on this matter.

“Due to the nature of the jokes and what they said, we thought we wouldn’t be taken seriously,” says Gabriel.

Then, in 2012, they overheard Ward on a popular newscast discussing the joke.

“He compared himself to a cocaine addict and said he needed to tell jokes consistent with the ban,” court documents say.

It was then that the family filed a human rights complaint.

And when Ward’s case went to the Quebec Human Rights Court – a specialized tribunal that deals with cases related to discrimination or harassment under the Provincial Bill of Rights – the comedian lost.

The court found that he had “crossed the limits of free speech” and that his jokes were discriminatory on the basis of a disability.

Ward appealed the decision and, in a 2019 ruling, the Court of Appeal upheld the court’s decision, in addition to the 35,000 Canadian dollars ($ 27,500; £ 20,000) awarded to Gabriel in damages.

“The intention of the court is not to restrict creativity or impose censorship on the opinions of artists,” the judgment said. “Comedians, like other citizens, are responsible for the consequences of their words when they cross certain red lines.”

And Ward had already decided that if he lost, he would seek to take the fight to the Supreme Court of Canada.

“Comedy is not a crime,” he said in a statement after the appeal court ruling. In a “free” country, it should not be for the judge to decide what the joke will look like on stage.

He said the laughter from the crowd “has already answered that question.”

Ward said he refused to pay compensation “not for me, but for the sake of young comedians, the artists of tomorrow”, considering it essential to the profession that comedians be allowed to take risks.

In his argument in court, he said that Gabriel was a public figure, which is why he can be talked about in comedies.

Gabriel replied: “Your rights are not denied just because you are a public figure.”

He added: “It has gone too far – and I firmly and firmly believe in it.”

Many comedians, in Quebec and elsewhere, have expressed their support for Ward.

The support comes as stand-up comedy circles fear he has found himself at the center of controversies over political correctness, free speech and censorship.

Michael Lifshitz is a Canadian comedian born with multiple congenital musculoskeletal abnormalities and uses comedy to educate people about disabilities.

When the case first hit the headlines, he joked, “I’m going to sue myself for the jokes I make about my disability because I admit some of my jokes are inappropriate.

Lifshitz said he didn’t want to be treated any differently because of his condition – even though it was just a joke – and sees the case as a missed opportunity to change social attitudes to with regard to disability.

“I’m not sure what dynamic a pre-test case might give to the issue of integrating people with disabilities into society or avoiding becoming a victim of bullying,” he said.

“I think it’s a dangerous precedent when the court says what you can and can’t say – it should be left to the court of public opinion.”

Before the Supreme Court hearing, Gabriel said both sides of the case have their cases.

“I think it’s important to stand up for what you believe in,” Gabriel said. “I think that’s what I did and I think that’s what Mike Ward did” when he decided to continue fighting the court ruling, he said.

He added: “I also respect my belief that freedom of expression is not immune to consequences.”

Ward has sarcastically stated in the past that if he lost the last round, he would “move to Syria or Saudi Arabia or any other country that respects free speech more than Canada.”