Two bills are being discussed in the Canadian Parliament this month. It is important to note that each has a chilling effect on free speech in general and Christian freedoms in specifics. However, looking at them in a more unified way is enlightening, offering insight into both the direction of the country and the synergistic impact they would have if put into law simultaneously.
Bill C-63 Civil Penalties for Hate Speech
Earlier this week, Bill C-63 was debated in the Canadian Parliament (details here). If enacted, it would outlaw “Hate Speech”, now through civil (financial) penalties. There already exists hate speech criminal laws on the books in Canada. However, if passed, this bill would add the ability for those who feel injured by the words of others to sue under less stringent civil guidelines. And, the definition of “Hate Speech” covered under the bill is “unavoidably subjective”.
Specifically (detail here), C-63 would focus on the news media (both broadcast and social) in seven general areas.
Civil penalties could be upwards of $50k, of which $20k would be paid directly to the “harmed” individual. Some of these provisions serve the public interest on their surface. However, those that are not specifically targeted at child protection have an open-ended exposure to individual interpretations on terms such as "foments hatred" and "incites violence"
Bill C-367 Removing Religious Text as a Defense
This bill would remove specific protections from the Criminal Code of Canada (detail here) for those who are charged with hate speech and use sacred texts as a defense for their views. Of course, as noted above, the definition of “Hate Speech” is “very subjective”.
The primary intent of this bill was to prohibit antisemitism by using the Bible. However, the general provisions of the bill could be broadened by the courts to include almost any Biblical theology as grounds for relief from Hate Speech laws. In the view of the author of a Christian Post article (detail here) on the subject of C-367,
“Lawmakers in Canada are considering legislation which, if passed, could criminalize the act of quoting Scripture in defense of biblical marriage, sexuality and other Christian views.”
Conclusion
One needs only to look to the pandemic to realize the impact of a loss of free speech in America. The definition of Hate speech varies based on the worldview of the individual making the claim. However, when we observe the country to our north adding civil prosecution into the mix and the Bible being potentially removed as a source of protection for those Christians who desire to both love their neighbor and share God’s commands, we are no longer living in a free society.
While in the United States...
Easter, a time of celebrating the resurrection of Jesus Christ….
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus