Today the Peel Board met in camera to consider a recommendation to fire Paul Fromm, an English teacher with 23 years experience. Fromm is Director of the Canadian Association for Free Expression and has come under attack from the self-styled League for Human Rights of B’nai Brith.
Fromm is represented by Doug Christie of Victoria. Mr. Christie represented New Brunswick teacher Malcolm Ross who also came under attack by the enemies of freedom. He was eventually ordered removed from the classroom by a human rights tribunal. Although the ruling was overturned on appeal, it was reinstated by the Supreme Court of Canada in April, 1996.
Christie immediately challenged the Board’s procedure and pointed out that the staff recommendation of termination for “cause” was a violation of Mr. Fromm’s natural rights under the Charter of Rights to due process. He accused Board personnel of judging Mr. Fromm guilty, without ever offering him an opportunity to refute the charges or confront the accusers — B’nai Brith and Alan Dutton, a professional grant chaser from Vancouver who heads up the Canadian Anti-Racism Education Research Society (CAERS).
The Board rejected Mr. Christie’s submission requesting a full hearing, with right to cross-examine Dutton and call witnesses. The Board staff presented a long video of the Revilo P. Oliver memorial gathering in Urbana, Illinois, in November, 1994, where Mr. Fromm spoke briefly.
Indicating that Mr. Fromm wishes to challenge and confront all the accusations fully, Mr. Christie obtained a postponement of the hearing until Monday, February 10. Mr. Fromm remains suspended with pay until that time. The case has attracted consideragble media interest. The Globe and Mail (January 28, 1997) reported: Mr. Fromm, who denies that he is a white supremacist, said he has hired British Columbia laywer Douglas Christie. … Mr. Christie … wrote to the board accusing it of ‘a fundamental breach of justie’ in notifying Mr. Fromm of the intent to fire him before any hearing was held.” Mr. Christie explained to the Board his expertise in the Ross case and indicated that Mr. Fromm’s situation was entirely different. There has been no finding of wrongdoing or of a “poisoned environment”.