and they don't understand why this make some people upset
link-CBC
Speaking on the Public Policy Forum's "WONK" podcast, former chief justice of the Supreme Court Beverley McLachlin said society is changing.
"It's our responsibility as responsible citizens, it's the government's responsibility, to deal with new media, new harms, new things that develop in society. So I applaud the government for taking this on, as many other countries have," she said.
But she cited potential problems with the bill's proposed changes to the Criminal Code, such as an increase in the maximum punishment for four hate propaganda offences.
Someone found guilty of advocating genocide, for example, could face life imprisonment, up from five years in prison.
"I do predict that this is going to be challenged in the courts," McLachlin told host Edward Greenspon.
"We have not seen this in speech law, expression law, to my knowledge — life sentences for sending out some words. That's heavy. And it will, I suspect, be challenged."
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association has called for amendments, saying the bill's "draconian penalties" could put a chill on free speech.
"Bill C-63 risks censoring a range of expression from journalistic reporting to healthy conversations among youth under 18 about their own sexuality and relationships," said executive director Noa Mendelsohn Aviv in a statement issued soon after the bill was introduced.
"The broad criminal prohibitions on speech in the bill risk stifling public discourse and criminalizing political activism. "
Does the bill define what advocating genocide is? Because there's an argument out there that what the Arabs do to Israel is advocating genocide and there's likewise an argument out there that what the Israelis are doing in Gaza is advocating genocide. So that's massive eye of beholder stuff that all sorts of activists will try to drive a bulldozer through if it's not tightly defined. The Armenian diaspora if Canada has one like we do will use that as lawfare to frame everything around forcing people to recognize a bunch of their people got killed 100 years ago because they're parochial like that and that's what they do.
Like a lot of things with good meaning reform unfortunately, opens a giant can of worm .and no one wants to take the time to argue nuance.
