Bay of Quinte MP Chris Malette wants to set the record straight about Bill C-9.
Also known as the Combatting Hate Act, Bill C-9 would create new Criminal Code offences targeting hate-motivated intimidation and interference with religious and cultural institutions.
The bill, which is currently mired in committee, has many detractors, many with concerns that it will restrict religious freedoms.
Malette says the bill protects churches and that the Conservatives’ opposition of the bill is turning into a runaway train of misinformation.
He say the bill is designed to protect identifiable groups from any mobilized hate efforts.
“It essentially creates a new hate propaganda offence that would make it a crime, and I’m reading from an overview of this, that would willfully promote hatred against an identifiable group such as publicly displaying certain symbols including symbols used by terrorist groups that are already listed under the criminal code.”
He says it’s about people being blocked from places of worship, harassed, threatened, or targeted because of who they are including Jews, Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, LGBTQ Canadians, and others.
Malette’s office has been inundated with comments from concerned members of the religious community.
“My office has been inundated with clearly organized talking points to say that we’re going to lock up anybody for certain types of scripture that the government may or may not find acceptable, that sort of thing. And it’s, it really is unfortunate that these groups have been swayed to carry out this, really what’s an organized campaign of misinformation.”
He notes the legislation has the support of several groups including B’nai Brith Canada, Friends of the Simon Wiesenthal Centre and the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
Malette says the opposition has been filibustering the bill to keep it at the committee stage.
