Death of Freedoms of Speech, Religion In Canada

CFAC - Canada Family Action Coalition ^ | April 28, 2004 | CFAC Press Release

[jodorowsky]

You may think it's a little queer, but I pledge to work until I'm all fag-tired and my wrist goes limp from typing, breaking this gay "law".

[Alex Murphy]

Bump for later

[Unam Sanctam]

How about the Canadian Constitution and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms -- is there any freedom of speech protection analogous to the US' First Amendment that could be used to trump statutory "hate speech" laws? Of course the protections here in the US only exist because judiciary interpretation has broadly interpreted the right to free speech, esp. with Oliver Wendell Holmes' "clear and present danger" standard as to when incendiary speech may be outlawed. Given the track record of the Canadian judiciary in cracking down on Christians' rights, I'm sure they would find a way to uphold the statute.

[Unam Sanctam]

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms has the following two provisions:

1. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees the rights and freedoms set out in it subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.

2. Everyone has the following fundamental freedoms: (a) freedom of conscience and religion; (b) freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication; (c) freedom of peaceful assembly; and (d) freedom of association.

I guess a court could find that the "hate speech" laws would be "reasonable limits" under clause 1 that would obviate the rights under clause 2.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Hedonism is still OK.