Discussion · Government Orders
Leslyn Lewis Conservative
“This bill removes protections for people who quote religious texts in good faith. They could be charged with a crime, spend money on lawyers, and face public shame before they can defend their rights. It treats people as guilty before they are proven innocent.”
“Mr. Speaker, the member across the way makes reference to the Charter of Rights, but it is not clear that for the charter to be invoked, a person has to be charged first? The removal of the good-faith clause means that people who are citing religious texts in good faith could be charged, and then they would have to go through financial expense and public shame before they could defend their rights and before the charter would be imposed. Is that not the process, and is that not the way it would work? People would be guilty before proven innocent in this case.”
Official Hansard
Mr. Speaker, the member across the way makes reference to the Charter of Rights, but it is not clear that for the charter to be invoked, a person has to be charged first? The removal of the good-faith clause means that people who are citing religious texts in good faith could be charged, and then they would have to go through financial expense and public shame before they could defend their rights and before the charter would be imposed. Is that not the process, and is that not the way it would work? People would be guilty before proven innocent in this case.