Canada to make online hate speech a crime punishable by fine
This is bad. The bill does not define &quot;hate speech&quot;; that&#x27;s left for later administrative determination. All we have so far is “expresses detestation or vilification of a person or group on the basis of a prohibited ground of discrimination.”<p>Combining &quot;detestation&quot; (&quot;I don&#x27;t like you&quot;) with vilification (&quot;You&#x27;re evil&quot;) is a concern. The first is legitimate opinion. The second is defamation. For which truth is a defense under US law.<p>The committee report that fed into this bill [1] is scary. &quot;Finding that certain expression falls within political speech does not close off the enquiry into whether the expression constitutes hate speech.&quot;[2] This is at least in part about suppressing political speech on certain issues.<p>YMCA of Canada proposed a definition: &quot;integrate an intersectional gender equity lens and consider the gendered impacts of anti-Black racism, anti-Indigenous racism, anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and Xenophobia in any definition of “hate” and “online hate”&quot;. Think of trying to defend against a claim of that in court.<p>The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs proposed the IHRA definition of antisemitism, the one that includes some kinds of criticism of the Israeli government.[3]<p>This isn&#x27;t classic hate speech, intended to incite people to violence. Such as &quot;Hang Mike Pence&quot;. This is far, far broader.<p>[1] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.ourcommons.ca&#x2F;DocumentViewer&#x2F;en&#x2F;42-1&#x2F;JUST&#x2F;report-29&#x2F;page-57#11" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.ourcommons.ca&#x2F;DocumentViewer&#x2F;en&#x2F;42-1&#x2F;JUST&#x2F;report...</a><p>[2] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;scc-csc.lexum.com&#x2F;scc-csc&#x2F;scc-csc&#x2F;en&#x2F;item&#x2F;12876&#x2F;index.do?q=whatcott" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;scc-csc.lexum.com&#x2F;scc-csc&#x2F;scc-csc&#x2F;en&#x2F;item&#x2F;12876&#x2F;inde...</a><p>[3] <a href="https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.jta.org&#x2F;2021&#x2F;01&#x2F;15&#x2F;global&#x2F;the-ihra-definition-of-anti-semitism-and-why-people-are-fighting-over-it-explained" rel="nofollow">https:&#x2F;&#x2F;www.jta.org&#x2F;2021&#x2F;01&#x2F;15&#x2F;global&#x2F;the-ihra-definition-of...</a>