Canada, whose free speech rights are already quite limited by legislation against so—called hate speech, may be on the verge of ending freedom of religion, for all intents and purposes.

Its House of Commons has already passed C—250, a bill sponsored by a longtime "gay rights advocate," because the Liberal Party leadership has united behind it. All that remains is Senate passage.

Under C—250

it will become a criminal offence (punishable by two years in prison) to "incite hatred" against gays (and other groups already listed) if the communication is "likely to lead to a breach of the peace."

No excuses are allowed under this section (319.1) of the Criminal Code. It doesn't matter if your statements are true, honestly held, or based on religious texts.

The judgement about likelihood is obnviously a subjective one. "Activists" could readily claim that Canadian synagogues, where the Torah is read in a year—long cycle (as it is in synagogues around the world), were inciting violence when they read the passages in the Book of Leviticus calling homosexual relations an "abomination."

Interestingly enough, the sponsor of C—250, MP Svend Robinson, has made a career of inciting hatred against his opponents, referring to them as "hate—mongers" and "homophobes." Regrettably, they apparently do not qualify for protection. Equal rights for all?

Posted by Thomas  04 10 04