Pastor James Coates to be released from jail as most charges dropped
Pastor James Coates will be released from jail after Alberta Crown prosecutors drop all but one of the charges laid against him, Coates’ lawyers say.
In a statement on Wednesday, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), who is representing Coates, said the Edmonton-area pastor could be released as early as Friday.
Why a Canadian Law Prohibiting False Statements in the Run-Up to an Election Was Found Unconstitutional
In 2018, Canada revamped a long-existent but rarely used prohibition of fake news in the run-up to an election. According to the Canada Elections Act, making or publishing false statements about political figures’ citizenship, place of birth, education, membership in a group, legal offenses or professional qualifications—if done with the intention of influencing the results of an election—could result in a fine of $50,000 or 5 years of prison.
A few months ago, following a survey of Canadian case law, I wrote here that any legal challenge to this provision was unlikely to have much success. Perhaps I should consider throwing my crystal ball away: On Feb. 19, Ontario’s Superior Court of Justice declared that Section 91(1) of the Canada Elections Act—the section of the law on making or publishing false statements about political figures—infringes on freedom of expression protected by Section 2b) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedom and was therefore of no force or effect.
Let’s take a look at what happened.
Blocking is Back: Why Internet Blocking is the Next Big Canadian Policy Battle
In early 2018, Bell led a consortium of companies and organizations arguing for the creation of a new website blocking system in Canada. Complete with a new anti-piracy agency and CRTC stamp of approval, the vision was to create a new system to mandate site blocking across ISPs in Canada. Canadians challenged the so-called FairPlay proposal and the CRTC rejected the Bell application on jurisdictional grounds. Since that time, the Canadian courts have been dealing with site blocking requests (the Federal Court of Appeal is soon set to hear arguments on the issue) and the Canadian copyright review conducted by the Standing Committee on Industry, Science and Technology decided against recommending the creation of a new administrative system for site blocking.
New Report Shows Significant Election Irregularities In Many States
Election irregularities in the 2020 presidential election continue to be uncovered through independent analysis. An expert team led by physicist and Mensa John Droz, Jr., has been relentlessly examining election-related data and lawsuits since November, uncovering significant anomalies that warrant further investigation.
Marvel Comics To Introduce LGBTQ Captain America
The character will be introduced in a new limited series entitled “The United States of Captain America” and it will be released at the beginning of Pride Month on June 2, the New York Daily News reported Tuesday.
U.S. spy agencies warn of growing domestic terrorism threat
The agencies who contributed to the report, including the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Counterterrorism Center, said that domestic extremists who promote white racial superiority have potentially troubling contacts with foreign extremists and that a small number of American extremists have traveled abroad to network with overseas counterparts.
