If passed, the bill would theoretically allow a tribunal to judge anyone who has a complaint of “online” hate against them to be in violation of the new law.
Bill C-36, introduced by Justice Minister David Lametti, 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).” It was officially tabled in the House of Commons on Wednesday.
Bill C-36 includes text to amend Canada’s Criminal Code and
Human Rights Act to rather vaguely define “hatred” as “the emotion that involves detestation or vilification and that is stronger than dislike or disdain (haine).”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.”
If a complaint against an accused person is “substantiated,” the defendant may be ordered to pay up to $70,000 in penalties divided into two components. The first component would be a payment of “compensation” of up to $20,000 (CAD) “for any pain and suffering that the victim experienced” as a function of “hate propaganda” or “hate speech.” The second component is a fine, up to $50,000 (CAD), paid to the federal government.
Failure to comply with the “recognizance” could result in imprisonment of up to 12 months.
According to Fernando, Bill C-36 is “incredibly dangerous, goes against Canada’s values, and must be stopped.”
“This is the kind of legislation you would expect to see in an anti-democratic, Communist state that is seeking to create wide pretexts to arrest or punish whomever the government feels has ‘stepped out of line’ with the official government message,” opined Fernando.
According to a summary of Bill C-36, the enactment “amends
the Criminal Code to create a recognizance to keep the peace relating to hate propaganda and hate crime and to define ‘hatred’ for the purposes of two hate propaganda offences. It also makes related amendments to the Youth Criminal Justice Act.”According to the National Post report, Lametti’s parliamentary
secretary, Arif Virani, told the publication in March that the new bill
would look at codifying into law new definitions of online hate and
introduce new rules for websites. This could include a “regulator” that
would be tasked with enforcing taking down websites within 24 hours
should they be deemed to have illegal content." Lifesite/Breitbart