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Combatting Hate Act

Bill C-9, Combatting Hate Act · now law Where it stands

What the law does

The law creates a hate crime offence for breaking federal laws out of hatred based on specified factors. It also makes it an offence to promote hatred by displaying symbols in public, or to intimidate or block people trying to access places used for religious worship or by identifiable groups. In addition, the law removes the requirement for the Attorney General to consent before hate propaganda charges can be laid.

Official text

2 statements

Elizabeth May

Green
“Canadians do not elect a prime minister. We elect members of Parliament to do their work here. The government should not cut off debate on this bill.”

  • Speech on a bill

    Relevance 5 of 100

    Only 5% of this speech directly addressed the bill under debate.

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Official Hansard

Madam Speaker, I heard the hon. member mention frequently that there was an election in which we elected a Prime Minister. I know this may seem pedantic, but we do not elect prime ministers in this country. Under Westminster parliamentary democracy, each member in this place is equal to every other member. Every constituent has the choice to elect their member of Parliament. If their member of Parliament happens to be the leader of a party, and that party has the most seats in the House or can hold the confidence of the House, that person becomes prime minister, with no particular constitutional authority. We certainly do not directly elect them as is done in the United States. I know it may seem pedantic, but we did not elect the current Prime Minister; we elected our own MPs. Only the people in Nepean elected the Prime Minister. Beyond that, we did not elect a CEO. We did not elect a dictator. We elected a Parliament. Parliament needs to do its work. I find time allocation and programming motions offensive to those principles. I wonder if the parliamentary secretary wants to comment.

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Elizabeth May

Green
“I cannot vote for this bill. I worry it limits people's civil liberties and rights by banning certain symbols and places, even though I want to stop hatred.”

  • Question or comment in debate

    Signal 17 of 100

    Much of this statement went to praise, blame, greetings, routine procedure or general stories rather than reasons, requests or specific points.

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Official Hansard

Mr. Speaker, this debate is difficult because the Liberals have put forward that there is no justification for being against Bill C‑9. I have a lot of difficulty with that, particularly from a civil liberties point of view, especially in its describing of the idea of there being certain places and certain symbols. However, we are grappling with the same problem we have been grappling with for a long time. I think the cosmic jury may still be out as to whether Homo sapiens were a good idea. We seem to be willing to take up arms against each other, hate each other and do foul things to each other. It just brings to mind what Reverend Martin Luther King Jr. said: “Morality cannot be legislated, but behavior can be regulated. Judicial decrees may not change the heart, but they can restrain the heartless.” I am torn about the bill in many ways, but I cannot vote for it, and I wish that there were more ways through which we could find common cause against hatred.

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