He made fun of a singer's disability in comedy sets for several years and was ordered to pay damages.
MONTREAL — The Supreme Court of Canada has decided to hear the appeal of Quebec comedian Mike Ward in a human-rights case that touches on the limits of artistic expression and the role of the country’s human rights tribunals.
The Quebec Court of Appeal ruled last November that Ward’s comments about Jeremy Gabriel’s disability compromised the young performer’s right to the safeguarding of his dignity and could not be justified, even in a society where freedom of expression is valued. A 2016 Quebec Human Rights Tribunal ruling had ordered Ward to pay $35,000 in moral and punitive damages to Gabriel based on comments he made during shows between 2010 and 2013.Comedian Mike Ward speaks to the media at the Quebec Appeal Court on Jan. 16, 2019 in Montreal.
In his act, Ward joked he thought Gabriel’s illness was terminal and people were only nice to him because he would soon die. Ward then joked that after he realized the child was not going to die, he tried to drown him.
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