Legislation making its way through the Canadian Parliament would allow citizens to be taken to court and penalized if they are suspected of simply intending to post “hate speech” online.
The proposed law encourages Canadians to report other Canadians to the authorities for intent to post hate speech online, and allows courts to punish Canadian citizens for things they haven’t done yet.
The law was noticed by Substack VP Lulu Cheng Meservey, a citizen of Canada, who drew attention to the bill’s “alarming” aspects.
Under the proposed law, provincial courts may add penalties that they consider “desirable to secure the good conduct of the defendant,” including having the defendant wear an electronic monitoring device, confining them to their home or place of residence at set times, and prohibiting them from consuming alcohol.
If a Canadian citizen “fears on reasonable grounds that another person will commit” hate speech online, or “an offence motivated by bias, prejudice or hate based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other similar factor,” they may lay the information before a Canadian court.
The bill defines online hate speech as “a discriminatory practice to communicate or cause to be communicated hate speech by means of the Internet or other means of telecommunication 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 bill has not yet passed into law, but it has the backing of the Canadian government led by Justin Trudeau.
The past few weeks have seen draconian crackdowns by Trudeau’s government against his own citizens, as the Canadian “Freedom Convoy” brought the country to a standstill in a protest against coronavirus vaccine mandates and other restrictions.
HD Editor’s Note: Why Is This News Biblically Relevant?
In the previous reporting of the controversial Bill, Breitbart News wrote:
The bill’s summary includes a proposed legal definition of “hatred” to be included in Canada’s Criminal Code. It defines “hatred” as “the emotion that involves detestation or vilification and that is stronger than dislike or disdain … For greater certainty, the communication of a statement does not incite or promote hatred, for the purposes of this section, solely because it discredits, humiliates, hurts or offends.”
The bill’s text does not specify if or how non-verbal messages such as images or videos would be regulated to control “hate.”
Under a section titled “Fear of hate propaganda offence of hate crime,” Bill C-36 would allow provincial court judges to impose restrictions on those accused by an “informant” of a likely future commission of an offence “on reasonable grounds.” In other words, a judge would be able to issue restrictions against accused parties if the judge believes the accused is likely to commit an offense related to “hate.”
In January, the RCMP commissioner drew fierce criticism for calling on Canadians to report to police anyone who posts “anti-government” comments on the internet.
Particular concern surrounded the fact that her comments were directed largely at those who hold beliefs “outside mainstream ideologies.” In other words, views that are deemed counter to the progressive narrative espoused by the Canadian Government.
In recent years, this has often manifested itself through hostility toward those with alternative views regarding COVID lockdowns, vaccine mandates, sexual morality, gender, abortion, climate change, and even the definition of truth itself.
It may be surprising for some to learn that often, it is Christian beliefs categorized as unacceptable by Canadian politicians and lawmakers.
As Christian writer Samuel Sey recently explained, “Canada isn’t just a post-Christian nation—it’s an anti-Christian nation.”
The world may try to redefine morality and suppress opposing views, but it is the duty of Christians to be unwavering in the truth found in God’s Word and brave in the face of increasing tyranny.
