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Decentralized Democracy

House Bill

Bill C-373

44th Parl. 1st Sess.
February 05, 2024
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (promotion of hatred or antisemitism)
  • This is a bill called C-373 that is being introduced in the Canadian Parliament. It aims to amend the Criminal Code to remove the defense of expressing an opinion on a religious subject or belief in a religious text when it comes to promoting hatred or antisemitism. The bill has been given its first reading on February 5, 2024. It will come into force 30 days after receiving royal assent.
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Context: House Hansard - 276 - Feb/6/24
Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)
Mr. Speaker, in Canada, any form of hatred or glorification of violence is unacceptable. Our police forces are working very hard to eliminate hate speech and the glorification of violence. We recognize how important it is, in our legal system, to defend the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the rights of all Canadians, but glorification of violence and hate speech are always unacceptable.
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Context: House Hansard - 276 - Feb/6/24
Mr. Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly, BQ)
Mr. Speaker, in order for police to take action, the law must allow them to do so. Last time, the Prime Minister chose denial and swept the issue under the rug. Discussion ended then and there. He spoke of freedom of expression, freedom in general, as he did just now. This religious exemption is found in a bill that criminalizes hate speech yet allows people to take the cowardly way out and hide behind that exemption. Will he condone hate speech, or will he eliminate hate speech spread under the guise of the religious exemption?
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Context: House Hansard - 276 - Feb/6/24
Right Hon. Justin Trudeau (Prime Minister, Lib.)
Mr. Speaker, I completely agree with my hon. colleague that any form of hatred or glorification of violence is completely unacceptable. The Minister of Public Safety is in constant communication with the RCMP, and local police will not hesitate to act if necessary. Canada is a country governed by the rule of law and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. As Canadians, we must stand together against hate, regardless of when or where it is expressed.
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Context: House Hansard - 276 - Feb/6/24
Mr. Yves-François Blanchet (Beloeil—Chambly, BQ)
Mr. Speaker, yesterday, the Bloc Québécois reintroduced a bill to eliminate the religious exemption that allows hate and violence to be incited in the guise of religion. We saw people hide behind the religious exemption recently to justify their support for a terrorist organization. This time, will the Prime Minister vote in favour of eliminating the religious exemption with respect to hate speech and inciting violence?
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Context: House Hansard - 275 - Feb/5/24
Mr. Alexis Brunelle-Duceppe (Lac-Saint-Jean, BQ)
moved for leave to introduce Bill C‑373, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (promotion of hatred or antisemitism). He said: Mr. Speaker, it is an honour for me today to introduce this bill to amend the Criminal Code so that religious beliefs can never again be used as a justification for hate speech or words meant to incite violence under the Criminal Code. It is very unfortunate that people in positions of influence, whether in the religious or civil domain, use their status to incite hatred and violence and sometimes even enjoy a certain impunity in that regard. The recent actions of a Montreal preacher are a shameful example. This behaviour is unacceptable and must be punished. That is the purpose of our bill. We think that we need to take action as quickly as possible on this, particularly since the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could exacerbate tensions. I invite the elected members of all parties in the House to join forces and to debate and pass this bill as quickly as possible.
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