Urback: Canada’s hate speech laws don’t need a rewrite. They need to be enforced

2025/12/16 Leave a comment

Agree:

…Whether that was a reasonable conclusion is a matter of debate (who, I wonder, was Mr. Charkaoui referring to when he called for the killing of Zionists?), but the religious exemption under the Criminal Code is not what got him off the hook. And even if Mr. Charkaoui was charged with hate speech and he decided to lean on 319(3)(b) as a defence, the Crown could still make the case that his statements were not a “good faith” reading of a religious text, and that he was willfully promoting hatred with an intention that went well beyond an interpretation of scripture. It seems the problem here – as with many other instances of, for example, protesters intimidating people outside of their homes or places of worship, or individuals spreading hateful messages at public events – is one of enforcement of existing laws and a willingness to prosecute, and not of a subsection defence in the Criminal Code.

It is easy to see why many people would think scrapping the religious exemption is a good thing. Why wouldn’t we want to remove any crutch upon which bigots can rely to get away with spreading messages of hate? But on principle, we should demand government restrictions on speech to be as narrow as possible, so that the law doesn’t end up criminalizing good-faith readings of religious texts. In his capacity as chair of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights, Marc Miller, now the Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, cited Bible verses he personally considers “hateful.” That’s fine as a matter of personal opinion, but alarming when the government is opening the door to criminal conviction. 

Source: Canada’s hate speech laws don’t need a rewrite. They need to be enforced

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Terry Newman: Liberals give $100K to antisemitic group to fight antisemitism

2025/12/16 Leave a comment

More than 15 years ago, when I was responsible for multiculturalism at Canadian Heritage, officials were shocked when the political staff would check the websites and social media of groups applying for grants, to check whether the values in the submission matched the public website values. The websites in question are skimpy with no board or members listed.

Some embarrassing disconnects and it appears that those habits, forced under the Harper government, have been forgotten under the Liberals. Should be part of due diligence:

…Instead, Savoie [IRCC] wrote, “The Government of Canada remains committed to ensuring that public funds are allocated responsibly and in alignment with Canadian values, ensuring that every dollar spent contributes to fostering equity, inclusivity and respect for all Canadians. Grants and contributions are actively monitored by the department to ensure program funding terms and conditions are duly respected.”

This is interesting, because clearly these funds were not “allocated responsibly and in alignment with Canadian values,” nor do they “foster equity, inclusivity, and respect for all Canadians.” And if they’re actively monitored to ensure conditions are respected, then what the government is telling us, is that it approves of TPF’s conduct.

And just in case his response seemed insensitive, Savoie added: “Jewish-Canadians deserve to feel safe, supported and accepted, and the government reaffirms its commitment to ensuring they can practise their religion and culture freely. The country cannot tolerate any form of antisemitism in any context.”

Reading this response had me questioning which dystopia I’m living in — Orwell’s “Nineteen Eighty-Four” or Kafka’s “The Trial” — perhaps both.

Savoie suggested I contact Toronto Palestinian Families and Toronto Jewish Families directly if I would like information on their organizations and their activities.

Round and round we go. No explanation. No accountability. No responsibility taken by the Canadian Heritage department.

Savoie also ignored my question about whether he thought it was troubling — at a time of skyrocketing antisemitism in Canada — that an explicitly anti-Zionist group has been given almost $100,000 of taxpayer money for a grant based on false pretenses.

The Canadian Heritage department doesn’t appear to be taking any responsibility, nor does it appear to be concerned about what it has funded.

What are Canadian Jews to make of all of this?

Source: Terry Newman: Liberals give $100K to antisemitic group to fight antisemitism

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Plaidoyer de Fatima Aboubakr pour une laïcisation complète au Québec

2025/12/16 Leave a comment

The extreme laïcité perspective:

…Fatima Aboubakr s’explique mal pourquoi l’interdiction de porter des signes religieux prévue dans le projet de loi 9 s’appliquera aux centres de la petite enfance et aux garderies privées subventionnées, mais pas aux garderies privées non subventionnées — y compris celle qu’elle dirige à Laval. « Nos institutions au Québec sont universalistes, sont égalitaires, sont mixtes. Et les religions ne sont ni universalistes ni égalitaires, et quelques-unes d’entre elles ne sont pas mixtes. Donc, il est juste cohérent que la laïcité commence dès la petite enfance [et s’étende] jusqu’à l’université », explique-t-elle.

Elle déplore au passage la contestation de la constitutionnalité de mesures favorisant la laïcité, adoptées par le gouvernement québécois, telle l’interdiction du port de signes religieux pour certains employés de l’État, par une organisation de défense des droits comme le Conseil national des musulmans canadiensau nom des 500 000 personnes de confession musulmane qu’il dit représenter. « Même en islam, il y a plusieurs lectures et interprétations qui permettent [aux femmes] d’enlever le voile si elles sont obligées de le faire », souligne-t-elle.

Fatima Aboubakr trouve également que le gouvernement Legault a manqué une belle occasion de légiférer afin d’interdire le visage couvert dans l’espace public, après que les membres de la CAQ lui eurent demandé de le faire en septembre dernier. « Le visage découvert, c’est vraiment un enjeu de sécurité », fait-elle valoir.

François Legault n’est pas à l’abri des critiques de Fatima Aboubakr. En accusant les « islamistes radicaux » de perpétrer des attaques contre « certaines de nos valeurs communes » comme l’égalité entre les femmes et les hommes sans donner plus de détails, le chef du gouvernement a semé, selon elle, de la « confusion ». « Un jour, une madame m’a [écrit :] “La personne qui a fait ma livraison de Maxi, elle est voilée. Je vais appeler Maxi pour leur dire de ne jamais m’envoyer cette personne.” Donc, dans sa tête, c’est une islamiste radicale. Je lui ai expliqué que ce n’est pas parce qu’elle porte un voile qu’elle est islamiste ou dans une idéologie. Tu peux juste prendre ta livraison et lui dire merci », relate la membre du conseil d’administration du MLQ.

Vendredi dernier, François Legault a promis de « continuer à protéger la laïcité » et de poser de nouvelles actions si le besoin s’en fait sentir.

Fatima Aboubakr « souhaite » que, durant la prochaine campagne électorale, « on ne parle plus des Québécois issus des communautés musulmanes ou de communautés juives ou… mais qu’on parle des Québécois tout court ».

Source: Plaidoyer de Fatima Aboubakr pour une laïcisation complète au Québec

… Fatima Aboubakr can’t explain why the ban on wearing religious signs in Bill 9 will apply to early childhood centres and subsidized private daycares, but not to unsubsidized private daycares — including the one she runs in Laval. “Our institutions in Quebec are universalist, egalitarian, mixed. And religions are neither universalist nor egalitarian, and some of them are not mixed. So, it is just consistent that secularism begins from early childhood [and extends] to university,” she explains.

In passing, she deplores the contestation of the constitutionality of measures promoting secularism, adopted by the Quebec government, such as the prohibition of the wearing of religious signs for certain state employees, by a rights organization such as the National Council of Canadian Muslims on behalf of the 500,000 people of Muslim faith that it says it represents. “Even in Islam, there are several readings and interpretations that allow [women] to remove the veil if they are forced to do so,” she emphasizes.

Fatima Aboubakr also finds that the Legault government missed a great opportunity to legislate to ban the face covered in public space, after members of the CAQ asked her to do so last September. “The uncovered face is really a security issue,” she argues.

François Legault is not immune from the criticism of Fatima Aboubakr. By accusing the “radical Islamists” of perpetrating attacks against “some of our common values” such as equality between women and men without giving more details, the head of government sowed, according to her, “confusion”. “One day, a lady [wrote to me:] “The person who made my delivery of Maxi, she is veiled. I will call Maxi to tell them never to send me this person.” So, in her head, she is a radical Islamist. I explained to her that it is not because she wears a veil that she is Islamist or in an ideology. You can just take your delivery and say thank you, “says the member of the MLQ board of directors.

Last Friday, François Legault promised to “continue to protect secularism” and to take new actions if the need arises.

Fatima Aboubakr “wishes” that, during the next election campaign, “we no longer talk about Quebecers from Muslim communities or Jewish communities or… but that we talk about Quebecers altogether”.

Filed under Interculturalisme, Laïcité, Multiculturalism Tagged with

Lederman: The ceasefire is holding, but in Israel the fight for sustainable peace isn’t over

2025/12/15 Leave a comment

Good long read:

…Even for a Canadian who couldn’t understand more than the odd Hebrew word, it was electric.When I messaged the woman in Toronto who had let me know about the choir to tell her how profound I found the performance, Bonnie Goldberg shared some notes she wrote after her own experience.

“If the Rana Choir of Muslim, Jewish and Christian women, can find their common voice,” she wrote, “why can’t my former friends who shunned me find their way back to be my friend?”

This shunning in the diaspora has gone from shocking to almost familiar: friendships torn apart, mezuzahs ripped from doorways. For Israel, the shunning is existential, with people around the world using their platforms to question its legitimacy. Does Israel even deserve to exist? 

It was, I have to say, a relief over those 10 days to not be confronted with antisemitism and a prevailing anti-Israel sentiment. There are political arguments and debates here – very heated – but at least you can skip past the should-Israel-even-exist question.

It was also a relief to meet with so many Israelis who are fighting for justice for Palestinians, while also acknowledging the trauma of Oct. 7.

It was never lost on me – visiting art museums, strolling on the beach that I had more rights as a visitor than many of the people who live here, Palestinians, have under Israeli control. I was not able to visit Gaza, obviously. Nor was I able to get to the West Bank. But I didn’t need to go there to know, with certainly, that in those places, there is a lot less of that thing I had been searching for.

Source: The ceasefire is holding, but in Israel the fight for sustainable peace isn’t over

Filed under Antisemitism, Islamophobia, Multiculturalism Tagged with , ,

Kay: Liberalism’s Lonely-Hearts Club

2025/12/15 Leave a comment

Good calling out of the hypocrisy of the anti-woke when it comes to their betrayal of liberal beliefs in the age of authoritarian Trump and his policies:

…While Quillette’s liberal editorial mission has never really changed, executing it became more complicated during the COVID pandemic—especially once vaccinesbecame available. When heated and pressurised under lockdown, the same sort of free-thinking scepticism that fuels heterodox political thought, it turns out, can readily blur into conspiracism and junk science. A prominent example is Bret Weinstein, the one-time Quillette academic darling who began telling Americans that COVID vaccines had, according to one “credible estimate,” caused “something like 17 million deaths globally.” (In fact, the figure represents a passable ballpark estimate of the number of lives that such vaccines have saved.)

Even in ultra-progressive Canada, where this sort of conspiracism is less common, I’ve seen a number of prominent anti-wokesters go down similar rabbit holes. And though it’s been years since the pandemic ended, not all of them have found their way back to the surface. 

Following a recent speech I gave to a free-thinking Toronto crowd, the organiser felt moved to explain to attendees that it was important to hear “diverse views.” This was a diplomatic reference to my (poorly received) observation that many self-described heterodox intellectuals who cheer on my opposition to trans-activist pseudoscience will also insist (falsely) that COVID vaccines don’t work and (also falsely) that anthropogenic global warming is a myth. Science isn’t a buffet where you get to pick and choose what proven truths to accept, I told them. Few in the crowd looked convinced.

Another major schism within our liberal movement has centred on Donald Trump and conservative populism more generally. Trump’s second presidency, in particular, has accelerated the ongoing process by which critics of progressive illiberalism have been self-organising into two separate camps—(1) one that continues to oppose illiberalism of all flavours (that’s us), and (2) another that’s just fine with authoritarian political creeds, so long as the authoritarians come from the conservative side of the aisle.

If the goal is to get rid of DEI and throw men off women’s college sports teams, members of this latter Trump-friendly faction reason, why bother with the hard intellectual slog of staging “heterodox” academic conferences and writing long essays about Martin Luther King Jr., Areopagitica, and the nature of human sexual biology? Just elect a strongman who tells university presidents and athletic directors what to do, on pain of losing their government cash. Problem solved.

…While the University of Austin is just one institution, it serves as a bellwether of the whole anti-woke project more generally—having been conceived as a sort of model liberal project by some of the leading lights of this movement. Its board of trustees includes historian Niall Ferguson and journalist Bari Weiss, while the board of advisors boasts Eric Kaufmann, economists Glenn Loury and Tyler Cowen, and famed evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins. Harvard professor Steven Pinker was also an early advisor; as was social scientist Jonathan Haidt (a founder of the staunchly liberal-minded Heterodox Academy)—though both have since departed. Every one of these people has been featured by Quillette at one time or another, either as author or podcast guest. It says a lot about the stormy seas that liberals now face that even a once-impeccably liberal organisation such as this can begin listing to starboard just four years out of the shipyard.

I find these developments not just politically disturbing, but also personally disappointing. Not so long ago, I imagined that the coalition of plucky liberal gadflies that began countering illiberal progressivism at around the time I began working for Quillette could be sustained indefinitely—and perhaps even solidify into a durable movement that would become my long-term political home. (I’ve never had one, and it would be nice if I finally did.) But that’s now been exposed as an exercise in wishful thinking.

O’Sullivan’s Law and Quillette’s Law (I promise that’s the last time I’ll use the phrase) both describe ideologically centrifugal forces—driving people away, in opposite directions, from the liberal democratic baseline that I’d always taken for granted as the natural resting point for mainstream intellectual life. Battling against illiberalism from both sides at the same time can feel like a lonely and hopeless intellectual project. But absent the emergence of some third law that will deliver me from my labours, I see no principled alternative.

Source: Liberalism’s Lonely-Hearts Club

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Bouchard | Questions de laïcité à M. Legault

2025/12/15 Leave a comment

Bouchard still going strong with his pointed critique:

Des restrictions non justifiées. Le nouveau projet de loi sur la laïcité contient des mesures bienvenues, notamment la fin des exemptions en faveur des écoles privées. Mais d’autres mesures font problème parce que leur justification n’est pas démontrée. Où sont les études qui précisent le nombre d’éducatrices en CPE et en garderies subventionnées qui portent le hidjab ? Ou des études qui établissent que cette pratique perturbe les enfants ? Qui dénombrent les femmes exerçant leurs activités à visage couvert dans les institutions publiques ? Qui évaluent rigoureusement l’ampleur du problème des prières en public ?

Vous dites, Monsieur Legault, qu’il vaut mieux prévenir que guérir. La religion musulmane au Québec serait donc un fléau en dormance ? Et la bonne façon de s’en protéger serait de resserrer des mesures déjà très restrictives ? Vous ne craignez pas de favoriser ainsi ce que vous prétendez prévenir ?

Un terrain mal connu. Contre quoi précisément entendez-vous nous protéger ? Voit-on les signes d’un grave problème islamiste au Québec ? Observe-t-on des manifestations de haine, des mouvements de rue, de la violence ? Que savons-nous exactement de la situation, de l’humeur de cette minorité ? De l’état de la foi et de la pratique ? De son attitude envers l’intégration ? Des tendances qui la traversent ou la divisent ? Est-elle aussi homogène que vous le croyez ? Que savons-nous de ses dispositions envers notre société ? Sont-elles marquées par l’agressivité, le retranchement ? Je parle ici de connaissances et non de stéréotypes ou de rumeurs nées d’épisodes montés en épingle.

Pourtant, en cette matière tout particulièrement, il importerait de bien connaître le terrain sur lequel vous intervenez. Ce n’est pas le cas. Vous vous laissez guider surtout par la boussole électorale.

Des contradictions. Votre démarche est plombée par des contradictions qui révèlent un étrange bricolage. En voici deux exemples. Les signes religieux et les lieux de prière sont interdits dans les universités. Cependant, une chapelle catholique située sur le campus de l’Université Laval restera ouverte. Motif ? Ce serait un « milieu de vie » isolé à l’image des prisons et des CHSLD ! S’il s’agissait d’une petite mosquée, aurait-elle droit à la même indulgence ?

Votre gouvernement entend légiférer dans les écoles privées à vocation religieuse. Mais en respectant quelques conditions, elles continueront néanmoins à être financées par l’État (coût en 2024 : 160 millions de dollars, ce que M. Drainville a fièrement qualifié de « compromis historique »). Ici, c’est donc l’ensemble de l’école qui sera elle-même religieuse. Où est la logique ?

De la retenue. Notre société a été jusqu’ici épargnée par les conflits religieux. Mais la réalité internationale enseigne que le sujet doit être traité avec prudence et lucidité. Il faut se garder d’initiatives dont on n’a mesuré ni la pertinence ni le potentiel d’effets nocifs.

Élargissons la perspective. Des études québécoises montrent que la majorité des immigrants désirent s’intégrer et nourrissent une vision favorable de notre société. Mais ces travaux semblent ignorés. J’ai à l’esprit la déclaration d’un de vos ministres de l’Immigration se désolant de ce que les immigrants refusent de travailler, méprisent nos valeurs, rejettent le français, etc.

Cette vision reflète-t-elle la réalité ? Donne-t-elle le goût du Québec ? Inspire-t-elle confiance en votre gouvernement ?

De l’inconséquence. Sous prétexte de fermeté et de vigilance, ne craignez-vous pas de faire mal au Québec en semant les graines d’un vrai problème qui mettrait un grand désordre dans notre vie collective ? Avez-vous une pensée pour la réaction des jeunes musulmans d’aujourd’hui quand ils auront pris conscience des effets que vos politiques à courte vue auront provoqués ? Curieusement, votre projet de loi est pourtant présenté sous l’affiche de la « paix sociale » — j’ai lu aussi : « apaiser le climat social ». Étrange médecine. Et ce climat serait donc présentement turbulent ?

Monsieur Legault, vous avez opté pour la méthode forte avec votre laïcité répressive. Peut-être pourriez-vous jeter un coup d’œil du côté de la France pour voir ce qu’il en est ? On constate aujourd’hui chez les jeunes musulmans français qu’au lieu de s’intégrer, ils se replient sur un islam plus radical que celui de leurs parents.

Il y a plus. Selon des études fiables, un grand nombre de jeunes écoliers québécois manifestent beaucoup d’ouverture en matière de diversité ethnique et religieuse. Comment réagiront-ils à vos initiatives ? Leur disposition sera-t-elle ébranlée ? Vous apprêtez-vous à compromettre une importante avancée de notre système scolaire ?

Une phobie du religieux. Je ne comprends pas pourquoi il faut interdire le port du hidjab à une étudiante universitaire, une adulte agissant selon des convictions profondes, en conformité avec le droit consacré par notre charte et qui ne porte préjudice à personne — sauf à ceux et celles que la seule vue d’un signe religieux indispose. C’est pour moi l’exemple le plus frappant d’une violation arbitraire d’un droit fondamental. Réalisez-vous que, ce faisant, vous encouragez l’hostilité non seulement envers les signes religieux, mais envers le religieux lui-même ? Et ce n’est pas un n’est pas un croyant qui vous en fait reproche, c’est un athée tout simplement respectueux du droit.

J’ai peine aussi à comprendre que les manifestations et rassemblements publics à caractère social, culturel ou politique sont admis, mais non ceux qui ont une connotation religieuse. Cet interdit ne relève-t-il pas d’une phobie du religieux, tout comme l’interdiction du hidjab chez les éducatrices de la petite enfance ?

Et tout ça, pour quoi au fond ? Pour tenter de refaire votre image en vue de la prochaine élection ? Cet objectif justifierait les sensibilités que vous allez heurter, les préjugés que vous allez remuer, les divisions que vous risquez de créer ?

Apparemment, « c’est comme ça qu’on fonctionne au Québec ». Et les droits ? Ils ne feraient pas partie de notre fonctionnement eux aussi ?

Éviter l’autre extrême. Cela dit, évitons tout malentendu. Il faut évidemment se garder de la naïveté. Je crois que des garde-fous s’imposent — nous l’avons vu dans le cas de l’école Bedford. Mais leur mise en place doit être arbitrée par la mesure, la clairvoyance et la sagesse.

Source: Idées | Questions de laïcité à M. Legault

Unjustified restrictions. The new bill on secularism contains welcome measures, including the end of exemptions for private schools. But other measures are problematic because their justification is not demonstrated. Where are the studies that specify the number of educators in CPE and subsidized daycare centers who wear the hijab? Or studies that establish that this practice disturbs children? Who counts women carrying out their activities with their faces covered in public institutions? Who rigorously assess the extent of the problem of public prayers?

You say, Mr. Legault, that prevention is better than cure. Would the Muslim religion in Quebec therefore be a dormant scourge? And the right way to protect yourself from it would be to tighten already very restrictive measures? Are you not afraid to favor what you claim to prevent?

A poorly known terrain. What exactly do you intend to protect us against? Do we see signs of a serious Islamist problem in Quebec? Do we observe manifestations of hatred, street movements, violence? What exactly do we know about the situation, the mood of this minority? The state of faith and practice? Of his attitude towards integration? Trends that cross it or divide it? Is it as homogeneous as you think? What do we know about his dispositions towards our society? Are they marked by aggressiveness, entrenchment? I’m talking here about acquaintances and not stereotypes or rumors born of episodes edited in pins.

However, in this matter in particular, it would be important to know the field in which you intervene. This is not the case. You let yourself be guided above all by the electoral compass.

Contradictions. Your approach is weighed down by contradictions that reveal a strange DIY. Here are two examples. Religious signs and places of prayer are prohibited in universities. However, a Catholic chapel located on the Université Laval campus will remain open. Reason? It would be an isolated “liveing environment” like prisons and CHSLDs! If it were a small mosque, would it be entitled to the same indulgence?

Your government intends to legislate in private schools with a religious vocation. But by meeting some conditions, they will nevertheless continue to be financed by the State (cost in 2024: $160 million, which Mr. Drainville proudly described it as a “historic compromise”). Here, it is therefore the whole school that will itself be religious. Where is the logic?

Restraint. Our society has so far been spared from religious conflicts. But the international reality teaches that the subject must be treated with caution and lucidity. We must beware of initiatives whose relevance or potential for harmful effects has not been measured.

Let’s expand the perspective. Quebec studies show that the majority of immigrants want to integrate and have a favorable view of our society. But this work seems to be ignored. I have in mind the statement of one of your Ministers of Immigration regretting that immigrants refuse to work, despise our values, reject French, etc.

Does this vision reflect reality? Does it give the taste of Quebec? Does it inspire confidence in your government?

Inconsistency. Under the pretext of firmness and vigilance, aren’t you afraid of hurting Quebec by sowing the seeds of a real problem that would put a great mess in our collective life? Do you have a thought for the reaction of today’s young Muslims when they become aware of the effects that your short-sighted policies will have caused? Curiously, your bill is nevertheless presented under the poster of “social peace” – I also read: “appease the social climate”. Strange medicine. And this climate would therefore be turbulent at the moment?

Mr. Legault, you have opted for the strong method with your repressive secularism. Maybe you could take a look at France to see what’s going on? We see today among young French Muslims that instead of integrating, they fall back on a more radical Islam than that of their parents.

There is more. According to reliable studies, a large number of young Quebec schoolchildren show a lot of openness in terms of ethnic and religious diversity. How will they react to your initiatives? Will their disposition be shaken? Are you about to compromise an important advance in our school system?

A phobia of the religious. I do not understand why the wearing of the hijab should be prohibited to a university student, an adult acting according to deep convictions, in accordance with the law enshrined in our charter and who does not harm anyone – except those whom the mere sight of a religious sign indisposed. For me, this is the most striking example of an arbitrary violation of a fundamental right. Do you realize that, in doing so, you encourage hostility not only towards religious signs, but towards the religious himself? And it is not a believer who reproaches you, it is simply an atheist who respects the law.

I also find it difficult to understand that public demonstrations and gatherings of a social, cultural or political nature are allowed, but not those with a religious connotation. Isn’t this prohibition a phobia of the religious, just like the prohibition of the hijab among early childhood educators?

And all this, for what basically? To try to remake your image for the next election? Would this objective justify the sensitivities that you will offend, the prejudices that you will stir, the divisions that you risk creating?

Apparently, “that’s how we work in Quebec”. And the rights? Wouldn’t they be part of our operation too?

Avoid the other extreme. That said, let’s avoid any misunderstanding. We must obviously beware of naivety. I believe that safeguards are necessary – we have seen it in the case of Bedford School. But their implementation must be arbitrated by measure, foresight and wisdom.

Filed under Interculturalisme, Laïcité, Multiculturalism Tagged with , , ,

Government retreats on Victims of Communism memorial names in aftermath of Nazi controversy

2025/12/12 Leave a comment

Of note:

The controversial Victims of Communism memorial in downtown Ottawa will no longer feature the names of specific individuals after federal officials determined a significant number could be linked to the Nazis.

The memorial, located near the corner of Wellington and Bay streets, was intended to honour those who suffered under communism.

But concerns have been raised over the years by Jewish organizations and historians that names of eastern Europeans who collaborated with the Nazis in the Holocaust have been put forward in an attempt to whitewash their past.

The Ottawa Citizen reported in 2024 that the Department of Canadian Heritage was told by historians that more than half of the 550 names to be inscribed on the Memorial to the Victims of Communism should be removed. The reason was because of potential links to the Nazis or questions about affiliations with fascist groups.

As originally planned, there were to be 553 entries on the memorial’s Wall of Remembrance.

Canadian Heritage has now reversed course on inscribing specific names. “The Government of Canada has emphasized that all aspects of the Memorial to the Victims of Communism must align with Canadian values of democracy and human rights,” department spokesperson Caroline Czajkowski said in an email. “The Wall of Remembrance will now solely feature thematic content that conveys the broader commemorative and educational intent of the Memorial.”

Czajkowski noted “there is currently no set timeline for the completion of the thematic content.”

She declined to say what exactly the department meant by “thematic content.”

But federal documents show that government officials had suggested one way out of the controversy over the Nazi names would be to drop honouring specific individuals and instead focus on various themes or points of history. Those could include events such as the fall of the Berlin Wall and the arrival of the Vietnamese refugees to Canada….

Source: Government retreats on Victims of Communism memorial names in aftermath of Nazi controversy

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Le Devoir Éditorial | Une réforme au succès incertain [religious hate speech exception] and related commentary

2025/12/12 Leave a comment

We will see how this works in practice and whether it is enforced:

Heurter des convictions, des croyances ou des visions du monde, c’est le propre de la liberté d’expression. C’est par la réprobation sociale, et non le risque de poursuite et d’emprisonnement, qu’une société démocratique respectueuse de l’équilibre entre les droits fondamentaux vient à bout des discours fiévreux et orageux.

Le Bloc québécois a souvent demandé aux libéraux d’en faire plus pour que la foi ne soit plus utilisée comme une excuse pour tenir des propos haineux. La formation s’appuyait notamment sur l’aversion suscitée par les propos d’un prédicateur incendiaire, Adil Charkaoui, qui implorait le Tout-Puissant de se charger des « sionistes agresseurs », au lendemain de l’invasion de la bande de Gaza par l’armée israélienne. « Assure-toi de n’en laisser aucun », disait-il. Il en appelait aussi à « recenser et exterminer » tous les « ennemis du peuple de Gaza ». Le Directeur des poursuites criminelles et pénales (DPCP) n’y avait pas trouvé matière à déposer des accusations.

Les débordements et les excès de langage qui ont accompagné les manifestations pro-palestiennes, en particulier sur les campus universitaires, ont grandement influencé la teneur du débat entourant le projet de loi visant à lutter contre la haine. L’affichage de signes ou de symboles associés à des groupes inscrits sur la liste des entités terroristes sera désormais passible de poursuites, au même titre que le blocage des lieux de culte. La montée en force de l’antisémitisme a de quoi inquiéter, et elle doit être dénoncée avec vigueur.

La fin de l’exception religieuse dans le Code criminel marquera sûrement une nouvelle ère, et suivra une nouvelle jurisprudence de la Cour suprême, ultime arbitre de ces questions. Qui sait ce que le DPCP ferait des propos de Charkaoui avec ces nouvelles balises à sa disposition ?

Il n’en demeure pas moins qu’il y a des risques à baisser le seuil en vertu duquel un discours peut être qualifié comme haineux. C’est une porte ouverte à disposer de la question selon l’humeur politique du moment. La loi procurera de nouveaux outils d’intervention aux forces policières, mais seront-elles outillées pour s’en servir ? Départager la véritable haine de la croyance religieuse abêtie, dans ce nouveau contexte, exigera une analyse minutieuse. L’épreuve de la réalité viendra assez vite, car la véritable mesure de succès d’une loi (et son utilité) réside dans la capacité des pouvoirs publics de la faire respecter, sans engendrer de situations arbitraires.

Source: Éditorial | Une réforme au succès incertain

To hit convictions, beliefs or visions of the world is the characteristic of freedom of expression. It is through social reprobation, and not the risk of prosecution and imprisonment, that a democratic society that respects the balance between fundamental rights overcomes feverish and stormy speeches.

The Bloc Québécois has often asked liberals to do more so that faith is no longer used as an excuse for making hate speech. The formation was based in particular on the aversion aroused by the words of an incendiary preacher, Adil Charkaoui, who implored the Almighty to take charge of the “Aggressive Sionists”, the day after the invasion of the Gaza Strip by the Israeli army. ” Make sure you don’t leave any,” he said. He also called for the “identification and extermination” of all the “enemies of the people of Gaza”. The Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions (DPCP) had not found reason to file charges.

The overflows and excesses of language that accompanied the pro-Palestian demonstrations, especially on university campuses, greatly influenced the content of the debate surrounding the bill to combat hatred. The display of signs or symbols associated with groups on the list of terrorist entities will now be subject to prosecution, as will the blocking of places of worship. The rise of anti-Semitism is worrying, and it must be vigorously denounced.

The end of the religious exception in the Criminal Code will surely mark a new era, and will follow a new jurisprudence of the Supreme Court, the ultimate arbiter of these issues. Who knows what the DPCP would do about Charkaoui’s remarks with these new beacons at its disposal?

Nevertheless, there are risks to lower the threshold by virtue of which a speech can be described as hateful. It is an open door to dispose of the question according to the political mood of the moment. The law will provide new intervention tools for police forces, but will they be equipped to use them? Parting the true hatred of the dazed religious belief, in this new context, will require a careful analysis. The test of reality will come quite quickly, because the real measure of success of a law (and its usefulness) lies in the ability of the public authorities to enforce it, without generating arbitrary situations.

Lisée, Les amis de la haine:

Ailleurs dans le monde, des officiers religieux sont accusés, et parfois condamnés, pour ce genre de propos. En Belgique, au Danemark, en France, en Allemagne, en Suisse, pasteurs et imams savent que la tenue de propos extrêmes, même dans leurs temples, même en citant leurs dieux, peut avoir des conséquences, non seulement pour les cibles de leur haine, mais aussi pour leur propre liberté. Partout, ils peuvent plaider la liberté d’expression et la liberté de religion. Partout, les juges doivent mettre ces libertés dans la balance. Pas au Canada. Au Canada, l’exception sert de bouclier impénétrable pour la haine religieuse.

Elle n’est pas fréquente. En fait, rarissime. Élevé dans le catholicisme, je n’ai jamais entendu un curé citer les passages de la Bible susmentionnés. Les textes sacrés offrent aux célébrants le choix des thèmes, et la plupart choisissent d’en tirer des appels à la fraternité, à la compassion et à l’entraide. C’est pourquoi nous avons des religions apaisées. Mais aux religieux qui ne le sont pas, je ne vois pas pourquoi on donnerait le bon Dieu sans confession.

Elsewhere in the world, religious officers are accused, and sometimes convicted, for this kind of statement. In Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Switzerland, pastors and imams know that holding extreme remarks, even in their temples, even by quoting their gods, can have consequences, not only for the targets of their hatred, but also for their own freedom. Everywhere, they can plead for freedom of expression and freedom of religion. Everywhere, judges must put these freedoms in the balance. Not in Canada. In Canada, the exception serves as an impenetrable shield for religious hatred.

It is not frequent. In fact, very rare. Raised in Catholicism, I have never heard a parish priest quote the aforementioned passages of the Bible. The sacred texts offer the celebrants the choice of themes, and most choose to draw calls for brotherhood, compassion and mutual help. That’s why we have peaceful religions. But to the religious who are not, I do not see why we would give the good God without confession.

John Ivison: How I changed my mind about the Liberals ending religious exemptions for hate speech

Baber’s impassioned performance at the justice committee made the case that stripping the religious defence was more likely to criminalize faith than combat hate.

He pointed out that the religious defence has never been used to acquit a defendant accused of public incitement of hatred. “When we start going down the road of criminalizing more and more speech, we kill free speech,” he said.

The Bloc amendment was aimed at separating religion from the state. But Baber said “everyday Canadians” should not have to fear quoting religious scripture. “That is definitely not something the state should engage in.”

He said the problem the Bloc is trying to solve in the Criminal Code does not exist.

Baber pointed out that the religious defence does not apply to the Section 318 of the Criminal Code on advocating genocide. Nor does it apply to the public incitement of hatred.

Proponents of removing the religious defence have pointed to controversial imam Adil Charkaoui who at a pro-Palestinian rally in Quebec in 2023 made a call “to kill the enemies of the people of Gaza” and “take care of Zionist aggressors.” However, the decision not to charge Charkaoui turned on the basic threshold of incitement to hatred, not on the religious defence.

“I’m so tired that there is no nuance in this place,” Baber told the committee.

“For goodness sakes, look at how much money we’re spending and there’s no professional thought. We’ve got to inject a little bit more professionalism into politics.

“You don’t need a fancy lawyer, you need someone to read the section. The problem you (the Bloc) are trying to solve does not exist. You cannot defend yourself with a religious exemption after inciting hatred or inciting violence. I implore you to please not do this.”

But, of course, the Liberals and the Bloc teamed up, and they did.

My takeaway from the gruelling hours of testimony at the committee was that the government made a Faustian bargain to gain passage of their bill.

They won, but it was not a clean win.

The removal of the religious exemption may well prove to be an assault on freedom of expression if misused, and its impact will have to be watched closely.

The Liberals will claim victory but if they rack up more wins like this, they will be ruined.

Filed under Multiculturalism, Religion Tagged with , , , ,

StatsCan: Portrait of the South Asian populations in Canada

2025/12/09 Leave a comment

Another in StatsCan population portraits:

South Asian populations in Canada nearly quadrupled from 1996 to 2021

In 2021, South Asian populations were the largest racialized group in Canada, numbering nearly 2.6 million people and representing 7.1% of Canada’s total population. This was nearly four times as large as the size of the South Asian populations 25 years earlier, in 1996, when they numbered 669,060 people and made up 2.4% of the population.

According to the latest population projections, South Asian populations in Canada could reach 4.7 million to 6.5 million people by 2041, which would make up 11.0% to 12.5% of the total population.

India is the most common place of birth of South Asian populations in Canada

Overall, approximately 6 in 10 South Asians in Canada in 2021 were born in Southern Asia, 3 in 10 were born in Canada and 1 in 10 were born in other regions of the world.

The most common country of birth for South Asian populations was India (44%), while the other main places of birth in South Asia were Pakistan (9%), Sri Lanka (5%) and Bangladesh (3%).

Other places of birth outside Canada included countries in other regions of Asia (such as the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan), Africa (such as Tanzania, Kenya and Uganda), the Caribbean and Central and South America (mainly Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago), Europe (mainly the United Kingdom), Oceania (mainly Fiji) and the United States (Table 1).

Among the 29% of South Asians who were born in Canada, the largest group was that of people whose parents were both born in India, followed by those whose parents were both born in Pakistan, both born in Sri Lanka and both born in Canada.

The majority of South Asian immigrants who immigrated from 1980 to 2021 are economic immigrants

Among South Asian immigrants living in Canada in 2021 who immigrated during the period from 1980 to 2021, the majority were economic immigrants (54%). This share was larger among those who had immigrated from 2011 to 2021 (69%) than among those who had immigrated from 1981 to 1990 (36%).

From 1980 to 2021, economic immigrants made up the majority of South Asian immigrants across many places of birth, including India (57%), Pakistan (56%) and Bangladesh (61%) (Chart 1). Meanwhile, South Asians born in Sri Lanka were mostly a mix of refugees (42%), immigrants sponsored by family (33%) and economic immigrants (21%)….

Source: Study: Portrait of the South Asian populations in Canada

Filed under Multiculturalism Tagged with ,

Diversity of candidates is fundamental to trust in political leadership

2025/12/08 Leave a comment

I think her arguments overstate concerns over candidate selection by ignoring the fact that the vast majority of candidates selected by the three major parities is visible minority majority ridings (i.e., those ridings with visible minorities forming more than 50 percent of the population) are in fact visible minorities themselves, over 80 percent in ridings with 70 percent visible minorities, over 40 percent in ridings with between 50 and 70 percent. Even in ridings with between 20 and 50 percent visible minorities, over 20 percent are visible minority candidates.

Of course, just like women candidates, visible minority candidates are more likely in non-competitive ridings:

…Party networks and the limits of recruitment

Part of the job of political parties is to select candidates who will win their seats and thus aid in the party’s quest for power.

However, party recruiters tend to select candidates from their own networks, which are mainly comprised of people like themselves. If recruiters are mostly white men – and that’s been the case historically – then most candidates will likely be white men. Changing this trend requires changing both the recruiter and their networks.

Some parties have tried to combat this by insisting that riding associations look harder for more diverse candidates. The New Democrats are notable here.

But local executives can undermine these efforts even once a candidate has been chosen. For example, a Black lesbian candidate told me that her Liberal riding association said it didn’t have a lot of money for her campaign, yet had no trouble finding more cash for the white men who ran before and after her. These actions can send the message that only white men should apply to be candidates.

Social media scrutiny as a new barrier

In addition, social media scandals are an emerging barrier to candidacy. They first became an issue earlier this century when several federal and provincial candidates were forced to step down after problematic posts came to light. Negative headlines led parties to tighten candidate vetting as a result.

But heightened scrutiny runs the risk of excluding Indigenous, queer and feminist individuals who definitely don’t share the party’s views on everything or whose views may have changed over the years, yet their original posts can still be found online. This could also deter some young people from running because many of them have documented their lives and views online since adolescence.

Scrub one’s social media sites, you say? That doesn’t always work. It’s not uncommon for party operatives to document the online accounts of people they expect to run for office in the future – both to protect themselves and to inflict reputational harm on their opponents. The inability to fully erase one’s online presence means candidate vetting will likely get tougher.

This reality might make it even harder for diverse candidates to make it to the electoral starting line. If so, white men’s dominance in our legislatures and leadership positions will continue.

Barriers such as these make it harder for Canadians of all backgrounds to contribute to our collective governance. More importantly, ongoing resistance to diverse candidates can undermine political trust. If political parties don’t trust diverse people to hold power, why should diverse Canadians trust politicians to govern on their behalf?

Dr. Angelia Wagner is an assistant lecturer and adjunct professor in the department of political science at the University of Alberta. 

Source: Diversity of candidates is fundamental to trust in political leadership

Filed under Multiculturalism, Politics Tagged with , ,

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