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Action4Canada foundress Tanya Gaw and attorney David LindsayRumble

(LifeSiteNews) – Canadian freedom advocacy group Action4Canada has released a document meant to equip Canadians with the necessary knowledge to stand up for their constitutional rights and freedoms in all areas of civil discourse.

 

The document titled “Know your Rights” was released in November and the principles laid out therein were expounded upon by Canadian legal expert David Lindsay as part of a Q&A with Action4Canada foundress Tanya Gaw.

The two discussed the contents of the constitutional right primer, focusing heavily on issues pertaining to the rights of Canadians to protest in light of the present controversy regarding Canadian protesting rights since the Emergencies Act was used to crush the peaceful Freedom Convoy protest.

The document, available here, states at the outset that “information provided in this resource is not intended to, nor does it constitute legal advice; instead, all information, content and materials are for general informational purposes only.”

“Protesting is a Constitutional Right/Freedom – ­not a privilege,” the document begins.

Action4Canada is adamant that no one has the right to “hinder or prohibit citizens” from expressing their reasons for protest and assembling to do so under the framework of Canadian law.

Lindsay added in the interview that “you have the liberty, you have the freedom to [protest] … protesting isn’t simply about expressing your opposition to what the government is doing, protesting involves education of others.”

Lindsay said that Canadians have the right to protest as a part of the larger reality of engaging in civil discourse as a form of education.

Charter of Rights and Freedoms

A significant portion of the document is devoted to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as it pertains to the freedom of Canadians to express their beliefs and protest.

“Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction,” the document states.

In light of the fact that the term “hate crime” is often bandied about in Canadian legal discourse, Action4Canada and Lindsay clarified that they are certain that doing things like handing out flyers is “not a crime nor an offence.”

Know your rights

The latter half of the document and part of the video interview was dedicated to the rights that a person has when approached or detained by law enforcement during a peaceful protest.

Action4Canada and Lindsay recommend that if approached by an officer you ask the following questions:

Why am I being arrested or detained?

What facts are you relying on to arrest or detain me?

What facts or laws do you rely upon to force me to move from my location?

They are adamant as well that you do not resist any movement by police, but that if you believe an officer is acting unlawfully, that you record interaction or have someone else record the interaction.

As a precaution, those who access this document are encouraged to bring the end pages with them, as they contain citations of the Canadian Criminal Code that pertain to the rights of assembly and protest, which can be given to officers who are willing to engage peacefully.

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