Bill C-9, the Combating Hate Act, which passed the House of Commons this spring has been controversial because of widespread fears that its broad definitions of hate speech and intimidation threatened fundamental democratic rights. Almost everybody opposes incitement to group hatred but almost everybody also supports the widest definition of freedom of human conduct that does not lead to chaos or promote or defend sociopathic behaviour. Opponents of C-9 are particularly concerned at the removal from the Criminal Code’s protection of people acting in good faith in reciting religious texts that could be construed as incitements to hate, even if unintentionally.
Conrad Black: Liberals unfairly target religious expression
