More than 60 civil liberties, human rights, faith based and community organizations just released a statement denouncing the adoption of Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act. Signatory groups warn against the risk of peaceful protesters being criminalized through this new legislation and vow to closely monitor the bill’s implementation by law enforcement.
The joint statement is available here.
“Parliament just adopted Bill C-9 without addressing the many concerns raised by civil society,” said Anaïs Bussières McNicoll, Director of Fundamental Freedoms at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association. “As a result, protesters engaging in peaceful, yet disruptive assemblies may now face the risk of criminalization.”
“Punitive laws that criminalize expression and dissent don’t stop hatred,” Bussières McNicoll continued. “They hand governments a tool that, time and again, gets turned against the very people they are supposed to help—racialized communities, Indigenous peoples, protesters and dissenters.”
“We will be closely monitoring the enforcement of Bill C-9,” Bussières McNicoll added. “A more inclusive and equal society will never be achieved by violating the fundamental rights and freedoms the Charter exists to protect.”
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