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OTTAWA, Ontario, July 27, 2021 (LifeSiteNews) – A member of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police has praised a highly controversial “hate speech” bill introduced by Prime Minister Trudeau’s Liberal Party, saying it would give cops the power to “do something” about online “hate.”
“An amendment to this section of the Code I believe will have a positive effect as far as our ability to do something about online hate when something needs to be done,” said Cpl. Anthony Statham of the RCMP’s British Columbia Hate Crimes Team, according to Blacklock’s Reporter as reported by the Western Standard.
Statham was commenting on Bill C-36, which was introduced by Justice Minister David Lametti just before Canada’s House of Commons closed for summer break.
The bill is titled “An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Canadian Human Rights Act and to make related amendments to another Act (hate propaganda, hate crimes and hate speech).” If passed bloggers and social media users could be targeted for speaking their minds.
Canada banned hate speech in 1970, but Statham said that the 1970 law did not define what constituted “hate” speech and stated that what law enforcement needs is “the ability to use the law effectively.”
Statham said that no law in Canada regulates speech, claiming that under Section 2 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, “our freedom of expression is protected. So there is no such thing as free speech in Canada, only freedom of expression.”
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, Statham seemed to welcome the new piece of legislation.
“The government is now proposing to add a definition of hatred under this section of the Code,” said Statham, adding that he thinks the “proposal to do that is a very good thing.”
Statham then said that Bill C-36, if passed, would “equip law enforcement to see more things through to charges in this country.”
“An amendment to this section of the Code, I believe, will have a positive effect as far as our ability to do something about online hate when something needs to be done,” he added.
Bill C-36 includes text to amend Canada’s Criminal Code and Human Rights Act to define “hatred” as “the emotion that involves detestation or vilification and that is stronger than dislike or disdain (haine).”
If passed, the bill would theoretically allow a tribunal to judge anyone who has a complaint of online “hate” leveled against them, even if he has not committed a crime. If found guilty, the person would be in violation of the new law and could face fines of $70,000 as well as house arrest.
According to the text of Bill C-36, it would become a discriminatory practice to communicate “or cause to be communicated hate speech by means of the internet or other means of telecommunications in a context in which the hate speech is likely to foment detestation or vilification of an individual or group of individuals on the basis of a prohibited ground of discrimination.”
The text of the bill does say that content from social media platforms which “discredits, humiliates, hurts or offends” would be exempt from the new law.
However, the government said that the new bill would apply to most public communications by individual users on the internet. These would include social media, personal websites, and mass emails, as well as in online news sites, blog posts, and even user-comment sections.
If passed, Bill C-36 will also resurrect Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act. Section 13 was a controversial hate speech law under the Human Rights Act that was abolished in 2013.
Bill C-36 is the second piece of legislation that deals with censorship that was pushed by Trudeau’s Liberals in June.
Canada’s House of Commons passed the controversial internet regulation Bill C-10 on June 22 at 1:30 AM.
Bill C-10, known as “An Act to Amend the Broadcasting Act,” has drawn fire for its targeting of user-generated content on social media platforms.
The bill would force websites, including YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook, to remove content deemed “harmful” within 24 hours, and compel sites such as Netflix to have more Canadian content.
Bill C-10 failed to pass the Senate during the last day of debate on June 29, before the upper chamber broke for the summer.
Both Bill C-36 and Bill C-10 will die if Trudeau calls an election this summer or autumn, as is anticipated.
According to Blacklock’s Reporter, Canada’s Heritage Ministry produced a June 16 internal note that stated Twitter content “steals and damages lives,” adding that it “intimidates and obscures valuable voices,” which prevents “a truly democratic debate.”
Conservative opinion writer Spencer Fernando gave a scathing review of Bill C-36 in a report he posted today, saying “With Bill C-10, and now Bill C-36, there can be zero doubt that the Trudeau Liberal government is engaged in an attack on your freedom of expression.”
According to Fernando, Bill C-36 is “incredibly dangerous, goes against Canada’s values, and must be stopped.”
Contact information:
The Honourable Steven Guilbeault – Minister of Canadian Heritage
15 Eddy Street, 12th Floor
Gatineau, Quebec K1A 0M5
Telephone: 819-997-7788
Email: [email protected]
MP Michelle Rempel Garner
Conservative shadow minister for industry and economic development
Suite 115, 70 Country Hills Landing NW
Calgary, AB T3K 2L2
Telephone: 403-216-7777
Email: [email protected]
Justin Trudeau – Office of the Prime Minister
80 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A2
Fax: 613-941-6900
[email protected]
https://pm.gc.ca/en/connect/contact
David Lametti
Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
284 Wellington Street
Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H8
Email: [email protected]
Use online contact form here.
To contact your member of parliament (MP), click here.
To contact members of Canada’s senate, click here.