“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.”
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.
“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.”
“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.”
“I know Jewish people in my community. They want this bill. They say it will protect them. Many groups support this bill. The other guy doesn't believe those groups.”
“I don't like that. You should talk about the bill I want you to talk about.”
“We already punish crimes like assault. My bill just adds extra punishment when they believe it's a hate crime. I want everyone to know I'm being tough on hate crimes.”
“Hate crimes are bad. I need to look like I'm doing something about it. This bill adds the noose as a hate symbol. I don't like what the other party said about it. The other party is too partisan. We all need to work together to pass this bill and stop hate.”
“I don't want to stay silent. I want to condemn symbols I don't like. A noose should be a hate symbol. Parliament should ban more things.”
“Thanks for supporting my bill. My riding saw an anti-Semitic symbol and a woman in a hijab almost got set on fire. I want this bill as it shows we are combating hate.”
“I want this bill because it shows we are combating hate. No one should feel unsafe. We need to make Canada safe for everyone.”
“I want to divert from the previous question. Does everyone agree politicians should call out hate even from their own supporters?”
“I'm filling time with kind words and saying nothing anyone could pin down later. A Conservative member said something bad. I want to remind everyone the hate bill is important.”