Fresh off Canada’s Conservative majority win last week, alarm bells are being raised over an omnibus crime bill the government’s planning to push through that would make it a crime to link to a site promoting hatred.
From the Library of Parliament website:
Clause 5 of the bill provides that the offences of public incitement of hatred and wilful promotion of hatred may be committed by any means of communication and include making hate material available, by creating a hyperlink that directs web surfers to a website where hate material is posted, for example.
The Toronto Sun’s Brian Lilley calls this an “attack on our liberty.” Here’s what he wrote last week:
For simply posting a link to a website that has material someone else deems hateful, you could go to jail for two years and be branded a criminal.
The Internet police. Only in Canada.
This isn’t about protecting people from genocide or even threats of death, the way the law is written now is much broader.
“Everyone who, by communicating statements, other than in private conversation, wilfully promotes hatred against an identifiable group is guilty.”
…
This is a ridiculous proposal that has no place in a country that claims to cherish freedom of expression.
We used to say: “I disapprove of what you say, but I will defend to the death your right to say it.” Now it seems like Canadian society believes “I disapprove of what you say and I’ll prosecute you.”
The Harper Conservatives won a majority Monday, they can pass this bill without relying on any other party for support. But they still need your support and your donations and the Canadian public should tell them they will get neither if they put forward bills like this that attack liberty.
Seriously. LifeSite links to pro-abortion sites all the time. Does that mean we’re guilty of promoting abortion? Can’t we point out sites that are evil in order to raise awareness and call the public to action?