“I want to make a big deal out of quibbling over the exact way the Prime Minister gets power. Don't interrupt my grandstanding.”
What they said. What they meant.
Plain-language translations from the House of Commons.
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Combatting Hate Act
A bill to make it easier to criminally charge people for 'hate propaganda' offenses, creating new offenses for promoting hatred against 'identifiable groups' or intimidating people accessing religious places. During debate, Conservatives raised concerns about free speech and religious liberty, while Liberals insisted the bill would only protect vulnerable communities. As usual, many members spoke at length about their own ridings and personal anecdotes only tangentially related to the bill.
“I'm filling time with a lot of words that don't answer the actual point she raised. I want to talk about how my team won instead of whatever she said. I don't want to give the other guys a real chance to talk. My team did it before too. The rules are for other guys, not us.”
“Madam Speaker, my friends say some scary things happened. The bill must be why it happened. The government needs to do more to sell it better next time.”
“Madam Speaker, people say scary things about the bill. I want this bill to pass. The government needs to sell it better.”
“I want the last speaker to talk more in public about why specific symbols are bad. This makes it look like our whole government cares.”
“I want my party to look like we care about racism. I'm repeating an anecdote to make that feel more real.”
“I want my party to look good by contrasting the Conservatives' stated principles with their opposition to harsher punishments for hate crimes. I'm saying it's surprising that a party claiming to be tough on crime wouldn't support longer sentences for these crimes.”
“I'm piling on by listing other bills the Conservatives oppose. I want to paint them as hypocrites who talk tough on crime but vote against our laws. I appreciate this chance to say they're a barrier to safer communities.”
“I want to make the Conservatives look bad for opposing this bill. I'm saying they don't support combatting hate and are against protecting people's rights. I want my colleague to join in expressing how shocking and wrong the Conservatives' position is.”
“I'm saying the Conservative Party has gone too far to the extreme right. They won't stand up and ask me about my comments because they know they're making a mistake by not supporting Bill C-9. I'm accusing their House leadership team of spreading misinformation on this issue.”
“I want you to say why the opposition keeps fighting this anti-hate bill. I think the bill will bring peace.”
“I want to cheer for this bill so Canada can show the world how much we cherish diversity.”
“Tens of thousands of Canadians from many faiths are writing to me. They're afraid this bill will let the government arrest them for their religious beliefs. The government says it's combatting hate, but we already have laws against violence and threats. This bill doesn't add anything good. Canadians deserve a full debate. The government needs to slow down and listen. I want to protect the freedom to believe and speak without the state breathing down our necks.”
“You said you're worried this bill takes away freedoms. I want to put you in a corner. If a criminal yells a slur, do you want to give them a harsher punishment? Say yes and I'll say you want this bill. Say no and I'll say you're soft on crime. I don't care what's fair. I just want people to think you said something bad.”
“You've been fighting to get rid of mandatory minimums. Now you pretend to be tough on crime? I don't buy it. Your 'solution' does nothing. Criminals won't care. It won't stop them. We need real enforcement and real punishment. Enforce the laws we already have!”
“I want the government to stop calling people names for disagreeing with them. Maybe question their motives less and actually listen to what all these faith leaders are saying about their bill. Even if someone disagrees, it doesn't mean they're some crazy racist.”
“The government is right that antisemitism is real and Jewish people deserve protection. But our Criminal Code already has laws against this. Even the government's own expert lawyer said this bill won't make anything illegal that isn't already. The real issue is enforcing the laws we have consistently. I agree with protecting people, but piling on duplicate laws while taking away a religious defense might not be the way.”
“I already asked this once. Here it is again. The bill says people can still talk about their religion or politics or science, as long as they don't willfully promote hatred. Why won't you take yes for an answer?”
“The existing law already protects good faith religious speech. Why are you asking for something that's already there?”
“I don't like these bills. They won't protect the Jewish or Muslim communities. They're an attack on our rights. The government is turning our democracy into a banana republic. They're passing bills at the end of the summer sitting as the government-subsidized media is already at the cottage. I want the government to enforce existing laws, not make new ones that attack our rights. I'm asking for help for my Jewish community. I want the government to stop fueling violence and hatred against us.”