“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.”
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'm a Conservative. Bill C-9 is bad. My riding doesn't like it. The government shouldn't pass it. They should stop.”
“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 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.”
“You haven't answered legitimate concerns about this bill. Where's the line between expressing religious beliefs and breaking the law?”
“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?”
“I don't like that. The Liberals have been in power for 10 years. People are angry. The government froze bank accounts. It sent police to Ottawa. It divided the country. Why should anyone listen to them? They're part of the problem. They've made people frustrated.”
“You Liberals just want to look like you're doing something about hate. The laws we have are fine. You just won't enforce them. You'd rather pass a new bill and pat yourselves on the back than actually do the hard work of keeping our Jewish community safe.”
“I'm supposed to talk about a bill. But first I'm going to say nice things about random people you've never heard of. That should eat up some time. Now onto the bill. Bad things are happening. The other party hasn't fixed it. They haven't even talked about it enough! If they really cared, they would have already fixed everything. They've had 12 whole years! I don't believe anything they say.”
“I distrust government power over speech. I'm worried hate laws will be abused to silence religious speech I value. How do we know it won't go too far?”
“You called this bill too broad. It could punish regular dissent. Your colleague said he wants to prosecute people for owning Bibles. Do you agree with him?”