March 20, 2024 - 1:00pm
Amy Hamm is a Canadian nurse. Yesterday was the final day of hearings into a disciplinary case against her, which has dragged on for 18 months. It’s been a nightmare for Hamm, but it’s also a test case of how far Canada is prepared to go to enforce an authoritarian ideology on women.
Hamm’s ordeal has nothing to do with how she does her job. The British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives opened an investigation after just two people complained that she was one of the sponsors of a billboard praising the author J.K. Rowling in 2020. This is heresy in Canada, where transgender ideology enjoys the status of holy writ and Rowling is regarded as chief witch.
The regulator swung into action, producing a 332-page report on Hamm’s activities, accusing her of making “discriminatory and derogatory statements regarding transgender people, while identifying yourself as a nurse or nurse educator”. With the zeal of inquisitors, they pored over tweets, podcast transcripts and articles, coming to the damning conclusion that Hamm believes there is a conflict between women’s rights and the demands of trans activists.
Of course there is. It’s a simple statement of fact. Yet the Canadian government is proposing legislation that includes a power to arrest someone who “might” commit a “hate crime” in future, forcing them to wear an electronic tag or remain at home. The prospect of a future Amy Hamm being placed under house arrest in Canada may seem outlandish. But trans activists in Scotland, who are salivating over the prospect of using the hate crime law that comes into effect on 1 April to target Rowling, must be looking on with envy.
The disciplinary action against Hamm has nevertheless exposed the reactionary project at the heart of trans ideology, which is to return to a situation where women’s right to exist in public is conditional. Hamm’s lawyer, Lisa Bildy, made exactly this point. “A key issue in this case is whether professionals can express criticism of gender identity ideology or other political issues in the public square without being subject to regulatory discipline,” she said as the hearings in Vancouver ended.
The same issue emerged in the case of Rachel Meade, the British social worker placed under investigation by her regulator for “liking” gender-critical tweets. In January, Meade won multiple claims of harassment against her employer, Westminster City Council — which suspended her for a year — and the regulator, Social Work England. Her compensation has yet to be decided.
What’s happening in the UK and in Canada is nothing less than an attempt to impose conditions on women’s involvement in public life. You can keep your job, but only if you accept the prevailing ideology. You can use public buildings, but you mustn’t complain about men in the ladies’ toilets. And if you hold meetings in a public place, you should expect to be intimidated and harassed if you dare suggest that trans women are men.
Women fought for centuries for unconditional access to the public square, refusing to stay at home and be quiet. And Hamm is on the front line of a fight that matters to us all. “This process was hell,” she posted on X last night. “I […] endured it because the truth matters. Free speech matters. Women and children matter.”
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SubscribeI think that it’s about time to declare Canada to be a criminal regime.
If only it wasnt so boring. It’s hard to take it seriously.
Part of the axis of evil
What better way for the authoritarians to quash any dissent to their ‘progressive’ creed than by attacking the fairer sex, whom they believe are less able to defend themselves?
All hail the new crusade for men’s rights.
There is no question that Canada is now an ideology-driven, identitarian authoritarian state. This is what the identitarian Leftist state looks like. If you want to see the future, visit Canada. I was there recently – it’s truly dystopic. We ought to fight and stop this kind of thing from happening elsewhere. I think it’s too late for Canada, but we should resist whenever and wherever we can here in the UK. It may already be too late for Scotland. Once this nonsense builds a critical momentum, there’s no stopping it.
Western Canada, the stronghold of Conservative values will move to separation if the progressive trend continues. If the progressive judiciary in Canada stifles the return to sanity, Western Canadians will move further towards successionism. We are seeing active defiance of federal carbon laws by Alberta and Saskarchewan.
This case is taking place in British Columbia, which is further west than Alberta and Saskatchewan.
I think Western Canada is a political construct separate from geography, just like Australia is part of the West.
Northern and eastern B.C. are very similiar to the prairie provinces, but it is dominated politically and demographically by Vancouver and the southern coastal communities.
Metro Vancouver is woke. Most of Western Canada is Conservative?
In the US the red States will never put up with this progressive nonsense. The Constitutional rights of the fifty States (stubborn, independent, fractious, thin-skinned…) might turn out to be the saving grace of our (so-called) system.
Who’da thunk?
The framers of our system.
Just wait until Labour are in! The Trudeau, Humza, Varadkar, Ahern, Albanese, Biden Playbook will be strictly adhered to.
Varadkar is out, thank goodness, although I wouldn’t bet on his replacement being an improvement.
The face doesn’t matter, the policies remain: men can be women if they want to be, anyone who says otherwise gets punished; euthanasia even for kids, even if you’re not dying; abortion to the 9th month; quickie divorce even for couples with kids; Islam up, Christians down; black women best, white men worst; your country is racist and backwards while the [insert primitive native tribe] are tolerant and wise; slavery was only practised by the British but was stamped out by the Africans, the British Empire was bad but the Soviet empire and the Chinese empires are fine and so on.
What puzzles me is why those that support abortion to the 9th month get so worked up over Gaza. They just need to look at what is happening as post term abortions.
Exactly. I think abortion should be legal up to the age of 43.
What’s worse? A nurse being hounded by regulators to bend to their ideological will, or a presidential candidate being successfully sued for $500 mill for a non crime? Canada is bad, but this cancer has spread across the west.
In what way isn’t it a crime? Is it not on the books?
You can choose to do all the mental gymnastics you like, but being tried and convicted for civil fraud for a loan you completely repaid, even though the vendor didn’t file a complaint, is banana republic lawfare. If you think it ends with Trump, you’re sadly mistaken. Two days after the verdict, Letitia James filed similar civil fraud charges against a beef company for lying about its emission reduction goals – for 2040. And it won’t be there either.
Not only were the loans repaid, but the bank lenders are all on record as:
Having conducted their own independent evaluations of the properties used as collateral, and made their loans based on those evaluations.
Willing to lend again to the borrower in question under similar terms and conditions.
I’m from Canada; Canada is definitely worse. It’s one thing to weaponize the legal system to extract money from an opponent; it’s another thing to use it to humiliate them into saying things that aren’t true. I’m genuinely ashamed to be Canadian.
What specifically did you observe while there?
I’m afraid that the UK is already infected with no obvious remedy!
The remedy is economic collapse
Personally, I favour global nuclear war
Covid revealed just how authoritarian the majority of Canadians actually are. As some have noted, there’s hope in some of the provincial legislatures saying they won’t collect the Carbon tax, and one of the provinces, Saskatchewan, just invoked a constituional perogative to avoid some of the gender nonsense in schools. But yes, other countries should be taking a very serious, critical look at us as a warning for not standing up to leftist nonsense.
Woke Canada!
It isn’t a real country anyways.
At the risk of having a highly controversial and problematic opinion: identity politics is plainly an excuse for behaving like Mao’s Red Guards.
Bill C63 shows how far Progressives intend to go with their soft totalitarianism. The legislation will enviserate free speech rights in the name of protecting people from hate.
Absolutely true Arthur they are insane so why are people bowing to them ? Canada was always the shining beacon of common sense and fairness to be replaced now with what , fascism under dictator Trudeau ? This man is truly dreadful and has put Canada through a complete 180 and now the vast majority of people are astonished and angry at what he has done .
Transwomen are men. Its not transphobia to say this, its reality-philia.
Orwell predicted modern Canada. We cannot say we weren’t warned.
“The Party told you to reject the evidence of your eyes and ears. It was their final, most essential command.”
George Orwell, 1984
A 332-page report? If Hamm was wrong (or “in the wrong”) it might be expected to have it done and dusted in 33 pages, maximum. Of course, those employed in the progressive industries have to do something with their time.
Its 332 pages and 18 months because the process is the punishment.
It’s honestly embarrassing to be Canadian sometimes. Why do we have to be the wokest of the woke? Hamm will inevitably be disciplined, the National Post will mildly rebuke the decision, and it will all be memory holed soon after.
Perhaps Hamm will blossom into a Jordan Peterson figure, talking straight in an Alice in Wonderland world. Remember The History Man? That was fifty years ago! The problem is that wokeism is the wrong answer to an important question; what’s the alternative to unfettered capitalism? Capitalism is gearing up for a fight to the death over the ownership of planet Earth, wokeism is driving us mad. Tricky choice; Putin & Trump or the mad hatters?
A fine mess we got ourselves in, isn’t it?
Hamm’s ordeal has nothing to do with how she does her job.
Of course, it doesn’t. Neither does DEI. The point is not merit or capability; it’s to enforce groupthink in a manner that says Orwell lacked imagination.
Disturbing. That’s the only reaction I can come up with. I hope the author is being misleading and there’s more to this story because from what’s given it sure looks like Canada is actively prosecuting thought crime.
Absolutely they are . Canada was always the shining beacon of common sense and fairness but now under Trudeau the dictator all is temporarily lost it seems ! Is no one squaring up to this nasty man who appears to have such dangerous and unpalatable delusions of grandeur ?
All very true – but the exact same conditions are being imposed on men’s involvement i public life. Women may be in the forefront of this particular battle – and thanks for that – but is it too much to ask that you acknowledge that this is not all about you and you are not the only victims?
Hamm is a transphobic crank. Her freedom of speech has not been restricted – she’s free to say what she wants as she always has been. And, like the rest of us, she will be responsible for the consequences of doing that. Her hateful venting means that she is not suitable to be a nurse, a profession that requires empathy and integrity.
She is of course a very successful grifter though – you people will send money to literally anyone who you think is “owning the libs”. You’re very gullible.
Her 15 minutes are about to be up though. No doubt she’ll get a guest spot on GB News or somewhere equally irrelevant.
And you’re a c**t.
How delightfully righteous of you. Why don’t you post under your real name? Or are you afraid of being punished for your free speech?
Stop feeding the trolls.
That is good advice , if you don’t feed them they die .
What a venomous creep and nutcase you are !
You really do have ridiculous hatred issues and you are a liar and a nasty piece of work . All this trans nonsense is ridiculous , misogyny and hatred from some who have mental health issues . .
Speaking of “hateful venting”…..thanks for the accidental irony and lack of self-awareness. You win.
Hateful venting? Tell me, dear CS, do you believe transwomen bave become women?
Every time I read your comments I move farther right. Progressives are leaving people no other choice.
What hateful venting? The article gave no example of that.
Hamm made no “hateful venting” – that’s your malicious invention. All she did was support the views of JK Rowling.
The tragedy about this farce is that its feeding Putin and his allies narrative about a fallen western civilization that needs to suppressed.
Let’s not forget Jordan Peterson has also been persecuted in Canada for stating obvious truths.
Stripped of his psychology license. A travesty of monumental proportions. Those who judged him were not worthy of cleaning his underwear.
Amy Hamm lives in BC. BC added ‘gender identity’ and ‘gender expression’ to the Human Rights Code summer 2016. The ammendment passed in one day. The vote was unanimous with one abstention. The abstaining politician – who holds a PhD from Cambridge specializing in the history of prisons – said, “the bill would cause distress for “thousands of parents, hundreds of churches and independent schools and other organizations around the province.” Well that was an understatement. https://xtramagazine.com/power/bc-passes-trans-rights-in-one-sitting-71571
How might one support Hamm’s case materially?
God bless Amy Hamm for standing up to the thought police.
This nails it. Thanks, Joan.
I cannot express how great my admiration is for this nurse. Trans women are men and shouldn’t be allowed in women’s toilets.
This too will pass. Just point and laugh.
Didn’t we invade Afghanistan, at least in part, for how women were treated? Canada next?