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Post office refused 'porn mail'
16/10/2007 10:04 - (SA)
Vancouver - A tiny Canadian political party that promotes sexual freedom complained in Federal Court on Monday it was discriminated against by the country's postal service.
The Sex Party is upset that Canada Post refused to
distribute a flyer during the 2006 federal election that
outlined the group's philosophy, after deeming some its
contents to be pornographic.
"We are advocating for rights established for any citizen,"
said Sex Party leader John Ince, who told a judge in Vancouver
that the pamphlet was intended to help recruit new party
members and raise donations.
The Vancouver-based party - which advocates liberalisation
of Canada's prostitution laws among other issues - says its
political mailing ran afoul of rules aimed at prohibiting use
of the postal system to distribute mass-mailing flyers for
hard-core pornography or other illegal material.
"That is not what our material is," Ince told the court.
Ince, a former lawyer who owns an erotica shop, said the
Sex Party does not oppose restrictions on mailing hard-core
porn, but said postal officials have been inconsistent in
applying their own rules.
Lawyers representing the post office were not expected to
present their court arguments until on Tuesday, but Canada Post
said it has an obligation to refuse material that could be seen
by children or others who might find it offensive.
Canada Post has denied its motives were political.
The Sex Party, founded in 2005, ran three candidates in
that year's provincial election in British Columbia, and the
mailing was part of its efforts to become registered as a
federal political organization, Ince said.
Among the political ideas it advocated in the 2005
provincial campaign were increased sex education in schools,
more designated public areas for nudists, and the party
describes itself as the world's first political party
"dedicated exclusively to sex-positive issues".
Ince said Canada Post has a government monopoly on
distributing flyers to mailboxes and the low cost of mass
mailings is the only way that small political parties can get
their message out and gauge public support.
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