OTTAWA, November 29, 2001 (LSN.ca) – The controversial anti-terror legislation proposed by the Liberal government and amended after an outpouring of public objection passed the House of Commons yesterday. Pro-lifers’ concerns with the legislation were much abated when the government rendered its amendments.
Gwen Landolt, a lawyer with REAL Women Canada, told LifeSite that the legislation’s amendments have alleviated the concerns of pro-life groups which could have been liable to prosecution under the original bill. The amendments “ensure that protest activity, whether lawful or unlawful, would not be considered a terrorist act unless it was intended to cause death, serious bodily harm, endangerment of life or serious risk to the health or safety of the public.” Moreover, an interpretive clause was added to the Bill “clarifying that the expression of political, religious or ideological beliefs is not a terrorist activity unless it also constitutes conduct that meets the definition of ‘terrorist activity.’”
Janet Epp Buckingham, General Legal Counsel with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, agreed with Landolt that the concerns for pro-life groups have been addressed. However she noted that groups that engage in innocent charitable work overseas may still be caught by the legislation. EFC’s release on its ongoing concerns with the legislation explain that “many Christian charities provide humanitarian assistance in conflict-ridden areas where those who are engaged in terrorist activities, or their families, might avail themselves of food aid, hospital or dental services.”
For a full explanation of EFC concerns see their release at: https://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/resources/resource_viewer.asp?Resource_ID=125>
See the National Post coverage of the bill’s passage in the House: https://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20011129/810233.html
See the Justice Canada release on the amendments to the bill: https://canada.justice.gc.ca/en/news/nr/2001/doc_27902.html