Trial for former U of S prof charged with hate speech

Former University of Saskatchewan instructor Terrence Tremaine will have his day in court for charges of spreading hate speech, reported the Leader-Post.

On Mar. 11, Regina Provincial Court Judge Bruce Henning decided that the crown had provided enough evidence at a preliminary hearing to proceed to a trial. A court date has not yet been set.

Though the hearing for the case began in October 2009, the case has been adjourned repeatedly for continuation.

In the past Tremaine has declared himself to be the leader of the National-Socialist Party of Canada, an unregistered political party which is dedicated to white sovereignty. Tremaine was fired from the U of S in 2005 after the school was informed of comments he’d posted on a white supremacist site.

Doug Christie, a lawyer practising in B.C. who once called anti-hate legislation “a massive waste of police resources" according to the Leader-Post, will represent Tremaine in court. Christie’s previous clients include the late First Nations Leader David Ahenakew, who faced charges of inciting hatred which were later dismissed.