A Canadian non-profit legal organization is intervening on behalf of a Star Trek fan fighting to use a personalized licence plate deemed offensive by Manitoba鈥檚 public insurance company.
Nick Troller鈥檚 licence plate with the text 鈥淎SIMIL8鈥� was confiscated by Manitoba Public Insurance (MPI) in April after the Crown Corporation received complaints from two Indigenous people about its reference to the word 鈥渁ssimilate.鈥� Troller was told to surrender his plate and that he could either buy a new personalized plate or receive a refund for the old one.
, plates can鈥檛 contain words, phrases or innuendoes that 鈥渕ay be considered offensive.鈥� Licence plates are the property of the Crown and there isn鈥檛 an appeal process.
Troller defended his custom plate as a simple reference to the Borg, Star Trek villains with the threatening catchphrase 鈥測ou will be assimilated,鈥� that he says is made obvious by his licence plate holder that reads: 鈥淲E ARE THE BORG. RESISTANCE IS FUTILE.鈥�
are advocating for Troller to get the plate back, because they say MPI鈥檚 decision violates his freedom of expression.
The organization鈥檚 founder, John Carpay, says that the government has to make a choice when it comes to freedom of expression.
鈥淓ither we have the right to express ourselves to say what we think and believe or we have a right not to be offended,鈥� Carpay told CTV Winnipeg on Tuesday. 鈥淲hen there鈥檚 a conflict between those two, and there always is, government ought to come down on the side of free expression.鈥�
The JCCF said they will be filing paper work to bring the case to court after the MPI refused their request to return Troller鈥檚 licence plate.
鈥淚t鈥檚 important to hold governments accountable when they violate our freedom of expression,鈥� Carpay said.
Troller鈥檚 predicament has drawn comparisons to another legal battle over a personalized licence plate in Nova Scotia.
Lorne Grabher had his plate with the text 鈥淕RABHER,鈥� his last name, revoked after it was deemed offensive to women. The case attracted international headlines and is headed to court early next year thanks to the help of the JCCF.
"Canadians are becoming increasingly less tolerant of free expression," Carpay said in April. 鈥淵ou have more and more people who believe that they have a legal right to go through life without seeing or without hearing things they find to be offensive."
With files from CTV Winnipeg
