“I want to limit debate on this bill. Let's rush it through with only five more hours of discussion.”
What they said. What they meant.
Plain-language translations from the House of Commons.
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Combatting Hate Act
A bill to create new hate speech crimes and repeal a religious defense against them. The ruling party moved to limit debate after many hours of opposition, citing a campaign promise and misinformation. Much of the discussion focused on procedural points and whether the bill would unreasonably limit free expression.
“I don't like how they're rushing this bill through. The wrong person is trying to limit our debate time. That's against the rules.”
“We can do this because we've done it before. That's all. If it worked before then it has to be okay.”
“I'm a Conservative. Bill C-9 is bad. My riding doesn't like it. The government shouldn't pass it. They should stop.”
“I want us to pass this bill. The government promised it. Canadians need it to be safe. We should stop debating now and pass it.”
“You say this bill makes Canadians safe. But your cabinet says it could be used to ban the Bible and the Torah. I want to know if you agree with them.”
“I'll say my bill will stop a problem. If we all want to solve it, we call my bill good and constitutional. We'll keep more people safe in Canada if we pass it. We should pass my bill.”
“I'm arguing against a straw man. The other party never said the current law stops anyone from reading scripture. No one in this room wants to ban Bibles. I'll say my law stops a bad thing. If we say our law stops something we call bad, it makes us sound good.”
“I'm defending our bill by naming something it allows. I think if I emphasize a Freedom it creates, it might make our bill sound less restrictive.”
“I don't like this bill. My voters don't like this bill. I want more time to say why I don't like this bill. I don't like that the government wants less debate.”
“I want to pass this bill. I don't want more debate. I want to correct people who misunderstand or misinterpret the bill. The bill will not criminalize expression or peaceful assembly.”
“I represent many Jewish voters. They want this bill. They think the bill will protect them. I want to pass the bill quickly. I want the minister to say the government talked to many people before writing the bill.”
“Many groups say hate crimes are rising. The government must act. I want to pass this bill. I want harsh penalties for hate crimes. We are also doing many other programs to stop hate.”
“I think the government keeps rushing bills through the House. It causes unintended problems. We need to consider this bill properly, without rushing. I want the other member to explain why we can't take more time on this.”
“We've debated this bill in both houses. It's short and fits the Charter. But I want to blame others for spreading misinformation about it.”
“You haven't answered legitimate concerns about this bill. Where's the line between expressing religious beliefs and breaking the law?”
“We had a process, the courts already decided what 'hatred' means, and we put in some extra safeguards. We worked on this bill, it's fine now, just pass it so the government can protect people.”
“I want to agree with my Bloc friend and make another point. Conservatives are spreading fake news. I heard someone say the bill would stop people from protesting. Protesting is free speech. But if a protest is for hate, the bill lets the government have tools to stop it.”
“I want Canadians to feel happy that the bill won't limit good protests. Only hate protests will be stopped. It's reasonable to stop rights a little if it makes Canada free. People who don't mean to do hate won't be charged. There's fake news about the bill. We talked to lots of people before we wrote it. It's a good bill!”
“You admitted this bill limits free speech. We're debating if that's reasonable. You moved to shut down debate 12 minutes in. You won't listen to calls and letters from Canadians against the bill. You blame us for misinformation. But big religious groups oppose it too. Are they misinforming people? Or is anyone who disagrees with you? The Liberals won't listen. Will you start?”