Conservative leadership candidate Roman Baber and PPC leader Maxime Bernier have confirmed that they will be joining Canadian Armed Forces veteran James Topp on his nationwide march to Ottawa in protest of Covid-19 mandates.
Baber tweeted on Monday that he would be meeting Topp on Jun. 15 before he reaches the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
On Tuesday, Bernier also said that he would be meeting Topp and walking with him on Jun. 30 for the last leg of his journey to Ottawa.
Topp’s 4,293 km march began at the tail end of February in Vancouver around the time Prime Minister Justin Trudeau invoked the Emergencies Act to quash peaceful Freedom Convoy protestors in Ottawa.
“Everywhere I meet people, I hear their stories and the stories are amounting to an overwhelming amount of individuals suffering due to government overreach,” Topp told True North in March. “I am marching to carry these stories to Ottawa. I want to thank every person who has entrusted me with their story. It increases my resolve more and more each day.”
Legacy media outlets have refused to cover Topp’s historic journey and the CAF veteran has called the blackout a sign of how divisive the industry has become.
“What we’re finding is pretty much a total corporate media blackout on this endeavour,” he said. “To that end, I would say, you know, folks who want to go out there and start banging the drum and shaming the CBC or CTV, because this is an amazing story of – 100 days in – a group of people who had never met each other before February 20.”
Before beginning the march, Topp was a civilian RCMP employee and a CAF member who lost both jobs because of the federal vaccine mandate.
Topp has stated that he has spoken to at least 10 MPs from different parties and he hopes to secure a venue to hold a discussion about ending restrictions. Topp’s three priorities are repealing, reinstatement and restitution plus repair.
CMA Fest bans Confederate flag imagery at country music festival
Confederate flag imagery is banned at this year’s CMA Fest in Nashville.(Pollockdog / Wikipedia / CC BY-SA 3.0) By The Associated Press Published: Jun. 2, 2022 at 11:11 AM CDT
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The CMA Fest is prohibiting any Confederate flag imagery at its four-day festival, following similar bans at other country music festivals.
In a statement provided to The Tennessean, the Country Music Association said the decision to enact the policy this year was based on the personal safety of fans and to prevent discrimination.
“This year’s CMA Fest is our first major fan-facing event in nearly three years. We have always had policies in place that protect the safety of our fans and ban discrimination, but we felt it was important to further refine our language to explicitly outline what will and will not be tolerated,” the statement said.
After a two-year hiatus because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual festival that began in 1972 returns to Nashville, Tennessee, starting June 9. The festival regularly attracts about 50,000 country music fans.
Stagecoach Festival in Indio, California, this year banned Confederate flag imagery and any other “divisive symbols” and “racially disparaging” displays.
Country star Maren Morris has urged other country singers to call on festivals and shows to ban the flag. Luke Combs has also apologized for previously appearing with the Confederate flag, saying there was no excuse.
US State Requests Canada be Added to Religious Freedom ‘Special Watch List’
The Ohio State House of Representatives voted this evening to formally request Canada be added to the United States’ Commission on International Religious Freedom’s Special Watch List. We would be joining the likes of Iraq, Cuba and Kazakhstan on this list.
This is a sad, but incredibly newsworthy move. It speaks volumes to the state of religious freedom and freedom in general in our nation. It also gives insight into how grave the situation is, given overt concerns from our southern neighbors. An outline of the resolution and testimonies can be found here.
Given the Canadian government’s complete disregard for religious freedom over the past year and the denial of almost all requests for religious accommodation in regards to vaccine mandates, this is a welcome development. Please contact your elected representatives and ensure they are aware.
Various members of the Canadian public provided testimony, including students, lawyers, pastors, pilots, military members, medical professionals, and even an OHL hockey player. The Rev Michael Thiessen, Founder of Liberty Coalition Canada, and Greg Hill from Free to Fly gave in-person testimony at the committee hearing a couple of weeks ago, which can be found at the link below, starting at minute 2:00.
We are grateful to our American friends for their efforts on behalf of Canadian freedom, especially the sponsors of this resolution, Rep. Reggie Stoltzfus and Rep. Timothy Ginter.
A senior banker from HSBC has been suspended following his controversial presentation on climate change at an event last week, according to reports. The Financial Times reported that Stuart Kirk, HSBC’s global head of responsible investments, will be the subject of pending investigation after his report on climate change at the FT Moral Money Summit.
During his presentation, Kirk alleged that central bankers and policymakers exaggerated the financial risks of climate change.
“I completely get that there is a competition for funding,” he said during the presentation. “But I feel like it’s getting a little bit out of hand — the constant reminder that we are doomed, the constant reminder that within decades it’s all over.”
“It’s become so hyperbolic that no one really knows how to get anyone’s attention at all,” he added.
Aside from this, Kirk also controversially said: “Who cares if Miami is six metres underwater in 100 years? Amsterdam has been six metres underwater for ages and that’s a really nice place.”
The slides he presented also stirred backlash, with one of his first slides stating: “Unsubstantiated, shrill, partisan, self-serving, apocalyptic warnings are ALWAYS wrong.”
Following his remarks, executives from HSBC have begun releasing statements distancing themselves as well as the company from Kirk’s pronouncements during the event.
Noel Quinn, HSBC chief executive officer, stated that he and the company did not agree with Kirk’s remarks.
“I do not agree – at all – with the remarks made at last week’s FT Moral Money Summit. They are inconsistent with HSBC’s strategy and do not reflect the views of the senior leadership of HSBC or HSBC Asset Management,” said Quinn.
Celine Herweijer, HSBC’s group chief sustainability officer, also dissociated the company from Kirk’s presentation.
“It’s important to be crystal clear that these are absolutely not views I nor any of the HSBC leadership team share. They couldn’t be further from HSBC’s position,” said Herweijer in a separate statement on LinkedIn.
According to both officials, HSBC is committed to its ambition of achieving net zero.
“I hope my colleagues, customers and others will all know, from our work and my public comments, that HSBC is absolutely committed to a net zero future,” said Quinn.
“Given our global reach and capabilities we have an obligation to lead. I want HSBC to be a leader in supporting our clients, the finance sector and others through the massive transformation that’s needed to build a better future.”
In her end, Herweijer said: “As a global bank we understand we have a critical role, and responsibility, to help our customers and communities transition to a net zero future.”
“We are wholly committed to this agenda, and the massive transformation programme ahead for ourselves, for the finance sector, and for clients in all sectors as we look to build a clean, sustainable and resilient future for all.”
European Union Plans Further Crackdown on Dissent Under Guise of Fighting “Hate”
On 9 December 2021, the European Commission proposed to extend the list of EU crimes to hate speech and hate crimes.
If this proposal is accepted, pro-life and pro-family voices in the EU will be shut down, triggering a domino effect in the western countries, including Canada. Sorry, but I must warn you about the upcoming danger: your right to free speech will be violated by public and private entities.
It’s a tactic by the radical left to censor any dissent to their agenda worldwide. By changing the definition of what free speech means, they’ll strike a blow on our freedom to defend our opinions and beliefs… We are on the brink of being unplugged!
The debates are still going on, but the vote is inexorably coming. The next meeting of the Justice and Home Affairs Council will be in Luxembourg on 9 – 10 June 2022. We plan to persuade some delegates of the EU Member States to vote against the new hate speech laws and make them derail… But I need your help NOW!
If freedom of expression is suppressed, the system of government turns into totalitarian tyranny.
We are increasingly seeing how hate speech laws can be misused for persecuting people of different opinions. Biden administration in the US has announced its intent to establish a Disinformation Governance Board (DGB) to label information it does not like as disinformation. The Finnish pro-gender prosecutor persecuted the Christian politician Päivi Räsänen for her biblical views on marriage, family, and sexuality.
We must stop it until it is too late!
The new hate speech laws proposed by the Commission to be added to Article 83(1) of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union (TFEU) are very loosely worded and might be arbitrarily misused by some powerful groups e.g. pro-abortion and pro-gender politicians, judges, and activists.
Another problem is that we have no clear definition of what hate speech and hate crimes are.
The radical left want to have free hands to shut you down and censor the pro-life and pro-family voices! If they get away with this in the EU, they’ll feel entitled to impose the same censorship in the rest of the western countries, including Canada.
We are mobilizing thousands of citizens around the world to prevent the radical left in the EU from converting you into a criminal… But we have to move fast to convince the delegates since the vote session is expected on 9-10 June.
For the introduction of the new hate speech laws, the delegates of the Justice and Home Affairs Council in Luxembourg must unanimously vote.
It means that if we manage to persuade some delegates of the EU Member States to vote against the new hate speech laws, we can win and defend our freedom of speech.
However, if we fail, it might very easily and quickly happen that we will face judicial trials for our pro-life, pro-family, and pro-Christian opinions presented in public. Then, free Europe will be over.
I hope that this is not what you and I want. Let’s act NOW to avoid it.
Therefore, we need to speak up and defend freedom of speech until it is too late!
It’s the Cultural Marxist Canadian Way — The Big Smear of “Racism” & “Hate Speech”, Then Condemnation but No Specifics
Read the CBC report below. It tells the story of Fort McMurray Ward 1 councillor Shafiq Dogar. At some point in the past he is alleged to have made comments critical of native people, during a February budget meeting, Critics said the comments were “hateful” or “hate speech”. There were calls for him to resign. Recently, Council voted to censure him, restrict his powers and send him off to indoctrination school.
“The sanctions include removing Dogar from council committees and from representing council, including travelling on council business, until he has completed training on Indigenous awareness and respectful interactions at the municipality. Council also voted to issue Dogar a motion of censure and demand that he provide a public apology directed to the community and Indigenous communities.”
Nowhere in the article will you learn what Dogar actually said. All too often the false news media leads the charge. It smears the victim with loaded words — “hate speech” — but denies readers specifics on which to form their own opinion.
Some research gets us a little closer to specifics. Fort McMurray Today (February 3, 2022), the local free handout, reported: “Mayor Sandy Bowman and Indigenous leaders in the Fort McMurray Wood Buffalo region are demanding Councillor Shafiq Dogar resign and are accusing him of saying Indigenous people come to Fort McMurray to get drunk, fight or cause legal problems.”
Notice, Dogar’s critics do not say his remarks are false, just that he shouldn’t have said anything negative about a privileged minority. Locals will tell you that many Indians descend on Fort McMurray from reserves in the area and some, not all, get involved in heavy drinking or other legal problems.
In a functioning democracy, Ward 1 voters should decide Dogar’s fate. An elected official should be free to express his opinion to represent his constituents without fear of censure, reduced powers or a trip to indoctrination camp.
Paul Fromm
Director
Canadian Association for Free Expression
Wood Buffalo councillor reprimanded for comments about Indigenous people
6 complaints were filed about Coun. Shafiq Dogar’s conduct and comments
5
Politicians, leaders and residents called for Coun. Shafiq Dogar’s resignation after comments he made about Indigenous people in the region. (VoteDogarShafiq.com)
A Fort McMurray councillor for the Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo has been reprimanded for his conduct, including comments he made about Indigenous people at a February budget meeting.
Chief legislative officer Jade Brown detailed reports from the municipality’s integrity commissioner about Coun. Shafiq Dogar at a council meeting Tuesday.
Brown said formal complaints were made against Dogar for incidents in 2021 — in one instance about his interactions with a municipal employee and in another instance relating to Facebook posts he made.
Six other complaints were filed against Dogar about comments he made at a budget meeting in February of this year.
At the February budget meeting, Dogar made comments that Indigenous leaders and politicians said were hateful against Indigenous people.
The following day, the Athabasca Tribal Council called for Dogar to resign over his “hate speech.” Wood Buffalo Mayor Sandy Bowman issued a statement calling Dogar’s comments “unacceptable, incorrect and difficult to comprehend.”
Integrity commissioner Jim Peacock investigated the complaints against Dogar.
Peacock found that Dogar violated council’s code of conduct. Among other things, the code prohibits councillors from speaking in a discriminatory way, using abusive language or disclosing confidential information.
Council voted unanimously Tuesday to support a list of recommendations from Peacock. Dogar left the room for the vote.
The sanctions include removing Dogar from council committees and from representing council, including travelling on council business, until he has completed training on Indigenous awareness and respectful interactions at the municipality.
Council also voted to issue Dogar a motion of censure and demand that he provide a public apology directed to the community and Indigenous communities.
A governance expert will be enlisted to help in Dogar’s training. The expert will provide a report to council before the councillor is permitted resume his duties.
After the vote, Dogar was given an opportunity to speak. He started by defending himself against the first two complaints.
He then moved on to the incident in February. Dogar said other councillors and the mayor didn’t bat an eye when he made the comments, and that it was only afterward — when the Athabasca Tribal Council issued a news release — that they raised issue with his comments.
But he said he was ready to apologize during council.
Dogar then started talking about a meeting about extending the chief administrative officer’s contract. Coun. Keith McGrath called a point of order.
“Sir, let me speak today,” Dogar said before his microphone was turned off.
The mayor upheld the point of order and Dogar was allowed to continue.
Councillor apologizes during meeting
Dogar said that over the past few months he has opted to take training as he realized his English “leads to some misunderstanding at times … I apologize to anyone whom I have neglected with my current speech.”
He added: “We have a lot of good work to do in the community. Let’s do it. Let’s not waste time on unnecessary things.”
McGrath said he felt the apology was sincere. He said Dogar should be commended for his apology.
Coun. Funky Banjoko said she applauded Dogar’s apology.
“And on behalf of the entire immigrants in the region, I also want to join him and apologize,” Banjoko said.
But Coun. Kendrick Cardinal wanted more.
“I still think that you could do better. You didn’t specifically acknowledge the Indigenous people,” said Cardinal. “I think you should.”
Dogar then said he “always loved Indigenous people.”
“We should acknowledge that this land we have to … we owe loyalties to the First Nation,” he said.
Cardinal said Dogar’s additional words mean a lot to Indigenous communities and he acknowledged the apology. (CBC, May 25, 2022)
At this time, it cannot be forgotten that the COVID-19 Communist takeover scam continues. Criminals in our gov’ts appear to have given us a break – all the while admitting that they will be back in the fall.
This break has not prohibited these Gov’ts from continuing to falsify charges against and prosecute innocent people who simply refuse to comply. These criminals continue to promote masks/vaccinations at various locations such as hospitals as well. Our goal for the absolute return of our rights and freedoms, will and must continue. Do not be led to believe that it is all over. It is not – far from it.
We urge everyone to obtain a copy of the book, “The Politics of Obedience” by Etienne de la Boetie, written over 400 years ago to obtain an excellent understanding of the power we have by simply exercising our Constitutional right/power to peaceful civil disobedience.
This Constitutional right/power originates from the breach of the Coronation Oath contract with the Monarch.
Remember…
The majority of the world’s population remains unvaccinated!
Bonnie Henry’s stats are lies!
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As noted below for our Rallies updates, there is a Canadian “Ocean2Ocean” rally this coming June 4, 2022.
Speakers will be announced.
CLEAR will be partnering with Ocean2Ocean, featuring our CLEAR MEGA Rally on this date, including our MEGA March in downtown Kelowna.
Please join us on June 4, 2022 for our national opposition to the entire COVID-19 restrictions and lockdowns, Federal and Provincial.
See below for details and speakers!
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“Trucker Freedom
Convoy and the
Collapse of
Liberalism in
Canada”
This is one of the best overviews I have seen in relation to the trucker convoy. Discussing over 24 issues and exposing the documented lies from our Governments, all supported with excellent research and documentation, this work is a must read for everyone who simply could not keep up with the daily Government lies to us in relation to the trucker rally.
Unanswered Questions: What the September Eleventh Families Asked and the 9/11 Commission Ignored.
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Kelowna UNITYhas excellent information and statistics opposing the Gov’t narrative on COVID-19, including excellent science on the RAPID tests and associated dangers, and a 38 page Pfizer report on Adverse Events data.
A wonderful brochure is also available on their website providing information and links to other groups and sources of information.
Odessa, at librti.com, provides an informative interview here with Ken Drysdale, author of “Investigation into Criminal Allegations Concerning COVID 19 Pandemic Response”. There is an incredible amount of statistics and information confirming the criminal activity of gov’t officials, and supported by their own statistics!
See Odessa’s interview with Ken Drysdale, one of the authors of this incredible book of statistics in Canada.
Jagmeet Singh, de facto Liberal supporter and Communist, publicly announced on May 20 that he believes that most Canadians support mandatory vaccine passports – and for those who refuse – “…there would be consequences for those who are not able to or not willing to do that and we can look at what those consequences are.”
I think we should look at what the consequences are for breaking your Oath of Allegiance to HMTQ and promoting Communism, and criminal assaults upon people, instead of our Christian common law.
A Vernon B.C. man in hospital, noticed Bonnie the Commie in a video plea that made him feel as if he was back in Communist Chile under Augusto Pinochet, due to prohibition on visitors, leaving him in isolation from his own family.
His comparison of this situation to torture is, sadly, an accurate portrayal of the results of The Commie’s Orders.
Here are some excellent studies and reports in this article, including an interview with Mark Steyn, discussing the statistics confirming the dangers associated with the COVID-19 experimental injection vaccines.
“‘Emergencies’ have always been the pretext on which the safeguards of individual liberty have been eroded—and once they are suspended it is not difficult for anyone who has assumed such emergency powers to see to it that the emergency will persist.”
F. A. Hayek
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Not that I am a supporter of the Catholic Church in any way – however, a recent announcement by an Archbishop has excellent overlap with our common law principles and Coronation Oath of the Monarch, that we cannot let others tell our Governments and Monarch what to do, as we surrender our sovereignty to these bodies that we have no control over. It is a criminal offence to do so and we should immediately withdraw from the UN and WHO.
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DECLARATION
REGARDINGTHEYIELDING OFSOVEREIGNTYTOTHE
WHO FOR THEMANAGEMENTOFHEALTHEMERGENCIES
“In the coming days, the Nations that adhere to the World Health Organization will vote on resolutions regarding the WHO’s management of pandemics. These resolutions will transfer sovereignty regarding the health of citizens to a supranational body that is largely financed by the pharmaceutical industry and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. If these resolutions are approved by a majority, the WHO will have exclusive international authority in the case of a pandemic to impose all the rules, including quarantines, lockdowns, obligatory vaccinations and vaccine passports. It should also be borne in mind that this organization enjoys immunity, and thus its members cannot be either tried or convicted if they commit crimes. Unelected technocrats will paradoxically have more power than that which citizens confer on their representatives by means of their democratic vote.
Given that the yielding of sovereignty is considered the crime of high treason by the laws of every nation, and that Parliaments may not legislate against the interests of the Nation, much less violate the natural liberties and fundamental rights of the citizens whom they represent, I believe that it will not escape anyone’s notice that this attempt by the WHO to appropriate a power that properly belongs to individual Nations is intended to impede any sort of opposition to the Agenda 2030, which in the field of healthcare also aims to accomplish the drastic reduction of medical and hospital services, the privatization of the health industry, and disease prevention by means of vaccines.”
Join the OK Falls freedom activists who are now just beginning their local Freedom Rallies!
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May 28, 2022 12:00 noon
Oliver Freedom Rally
12:00 p.m. Town Hall
Join the Oliver freedom activists who are now just beginning their local Freedom Rallies!
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May 28, 2022 11:00 a.m.
Osoyoos Freedom Gathering
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. Town Hall
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May 29, 2022 1:00 p.m.
Penticton Freedom Rally
1:00 p.m. Warren & Main St. in N.E. lot
Join Mary Lou for the largest rally in the South Okanagan, and growing weekly!
For those who believe and demand that our gov’t hire back the incredible nurses that they terminated for refusing to be vaxxed, we urge you to go to this site and support these nurses get their jobs back!
A Vindictive Crown Thwarted in Attempt to Revoke Tamara Lich’s Bail for Accepting Free Speech Award
Chalk up a small but important victory for free speech. Bail is supposed to help ensure that the accused will appear for trial and will not commit the alleged offence prior to trial. All too often in Canada, it is used as a way to gag a dissident prior to trial, which might be many months away. After initially being denied bail for a non-violent offence (counselling mischief), Lich was granted bail in March, but on condition that she leave Ontario (be out of Dodge by sunset) and not access social media. When the Crown learned she was to receive the George Jonas Freedom Award from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom, it was outraged. Canada’s increasingly politicized justice system was furious that a person they\d condemned to be a pariah and non-person was to receive a public honour and award. They sought to have her thrown back in prison — but we support democracy in the Ukraine, right? Her lawyers sought to amend her bail conditions. Today, Tamara Lich escaped prison and has some of her freedoms back. Nevertheless, she still is gagged and banned from the social media.
Paul Fromm
Director,
Canadian Association for Free Expression
‘The courts are not a thought police,’ judge says in Tamara Lich bail review decision
The ‘Freedom Convoy’ organizer is again allowed to enter Ontario, but remains restricted from using social media. Author of the article: Aedan Helmer Publishing date:
A judge’s ruling has kept in place a ban on Tamara Lich using social media while she awaits trial. Photo by Errol McGihon /Postmedia
Tamara Lich will not be sent back to jail as a judge lifted her ban from entering Ontario, but ruled to reinforce her ban from social media in a bail review decision Wednesday.
“The courts are not a thought police,” Superior Court Justice Kevin Phillips said as he rejected the Crown’s arguments that Lich should have her bail revoked over alleged breaches of her release conditions.
“We seek only to control conduct to the extent that certain behaviour will violate, or likely lead to violation of the law,” the judge continued. “Here, the objective was to keep a highly problematic street protest from reviving or reoccurring … No court would ever seek to control the possession or manifestation of political views.”
The Crown had argued that Lich breached the condition that bars her from supporting “anything related” to the “Freedom Convoy” when she accepted the 2022 “George Jonas Freedom Award,” which she is set to receive in a June 16 gala in Toronto hosted by the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms.
Lawrence Greenspon, Lich’s lawyer, said the judge’s ruling would allow his client to travel to Toronto to accept the award in person, and he confirmed she also intended to attend similar gala events in Calgary and Vancouver, where VIP tickets cost $500.
In a phone interview following the decision, Greenspon applauded the judge for “soundly rejecting” the Crown’s efforts to send Lich back to jail.
“From our perspective, this was a clear rejection of the Crown’s attempt to reincarcerate Ms. Lich for agreeing to accept a ‘freedom award,’ and, in light of this decision, she’s going to be able to go to Toronto and accept that award without fear of being reincarcerated.
“That’s a great relief to her,” Greenspon said. “This effort to reincarcerate her … the battle of freedom of expression and freedom of assembly … that battle will be fought at trial.”
The JCCF, a vocal supporter of the demonstration, issued a statement following the decision saying the revised bail conditions “still excessively restrict” Lich’s Charter rights, while saying the Crown went to “troubling” lengths to revoke her bail.
Phillips also lifted Lich’s ban from entering Ontario in his revised bail plan and lifted her ban on entering the city of Ottawa, except for the geographical boundaries of the city’s downtown core.
A publication ban protects the reason Lich is seeking permission to return to Ottawa, and Phillips said he saw no issue with Lich attending a gala in Toronto months after the convoy had ended.
“The right between attendance at that function and problematic support for a demonstration that will, by then, have been long over, is so indirect as to be barely perceptible,” Phillips said.
He decided to uphold Lich’s ban from social media, however, ruling the original March 7 court order was “warranted and appropriate.”
“In a very real way, social media undoubtedly contributed to, and even drove the now-impugned conduct, and Ms. Lich staying away from it is necessary to lower the risk of reoffence to an acceptable level,” Phillips ruled.
“Social media can be a problematic feedback loop where people get egged-on and caught up by group activity they would never perform on their own,” Phillips intoned.
He warned Lich to avoid the temptation posed by social media and cited her “susceptibility to getting caught up in the sort of toxic groupthink that animated the crowd back in February.”
Lich was arrested Feb. 17 and is jointly charged with fellow protest organizer Chris Barber with mischief, obstructing police, counselling others to commit mischief and intimidation.
She was initially denied bail on Feb. 22, though that decision was overturned by Superior Court Justice John Johnston on March 7 and Lich was released from jail with a list of conditions. She was ordered to return home to Medicine Hat, Alta., where she must live under the supervision of a court-approved surety, and she is barred from contacting a list of fellow protest organizers. She remains banned from social media and cannot allow anyone to post on her behalf.
Assistant Crown Attorney Moiz Karimjee presented arguments during last week’s two-day bail review alleging Lich had broken two of her release conditions, first by accepting the “freedom award” and again by accepting a convoy-themed pendant as a gift from a supporter, who then posted a photo of Lich proudly wearing the necklace. The social media post identified Lich as the “brand ambassador” for the pendant.
Phillips on Wednesday said the Crown failed to prove those breaches.
The judge accepted Lich’s testimony that she saw no “live connection” between accepting the pendant — or accepting the award — and her support for the “Freedom Convoy.”
“I believe Ms. Lich when she says she does not see her acceptance of this award to be any sort of support for the ‘Freedom Convoy,’ because that initiative is over with,” the judge said. “I specifically reject the idea that she is responsible for what someone else did with a photo of her wearing a pendant.”
Lich has lived in her community for a “meaningful stretch” and demonstrated she can follow bail conditions, the judge said.
Political Prisoner Dr. James Sears Released Having Served His Sentence for Satire
On May 1, political prisoner Dr. James Sears was released having served his sentence for writing satire about privileged minorities – Jews & radical feminists. Paul Fromm of CAFE commented: “How ironic Canada jails writers by proclaims support for democracy in the Ukraine!”
Government bill on Holocaust denial ineffective and likely unconstitutional: civil liberties group
‘We don’t think that the criminal law is the way to approach it. We are talking about putting people in prison for things that they said’
May 19, 2022 •
OTTAWA – Civil liberties groups say a proposed law that would make Holocaust denial a criminal offence is likely unconstitutional and unlikely to be effective in dealing with anti-Semitism.
The Liberals have included a proposed change to the criminal law in their budget that would make “condoning, denying or downplaying the Holocaust,” a criminal offence.
Cara Zwibel, director of the fundamental freedoms program at the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, said the bill is more about politics than actually addressing anti-Semitism.
“We are opposed to this, but that’s not because we don’t think Holocaust denial is egregious and terrible and it’s not because we don’t think it’s harmful. It’s because we don’t think that the criminal law is the way to approach it,” she said. “We are talking about putting people in prison for things that they said.”
Zwibel said as popular as the idea might be politically, it is likely to have unintended consequences.
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She points to the case of notorious holocaust denier Ernst Zündel who was charged with wilfully promoting hatred, an existing piece of criminal law. She said he used his trial to argue his hateful views in a public forum.
“He used his trial to basically make an argument that the Holocaust didn’t happen and it was debated in a Canadian courtroom,” she said. We risk giving a very significant platform to these people that are engaged in this kind of hate
Since Canada currently has a provision of the criminal code that prohibits “wilfully promoting hatred,” Zwibel said it’s unclear why another provision is needed. She said the bill also focuses on one particular genocide and leaves out the many others that sadly exist in history.
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“We’re singling out a particular historical genocide and tragedy and protecting it with the criminal law in a way that we’re not doing for others,” she said, adding groups are inevitably going to ask why a similar law doesn’t apply to the Rwandan genocide or even Canada’s residential schools.
She said fighting racism and anti-Semitism is important, but simply criminalizing it doesn’t do that and risks becomes more about political theatre than actual progress.
“If you look at other countries that have Holocaust denial laws, including Germany, big shocker, they still have anti-Semites. They still have problems with racism and anti-Semitism, so this is not an effective way to tackle the problem.”
The new criminal code offence was included in the budget bill, but a near identical piece of legislation was also moving through the House of Commons as a private members’ bill, which was introduced by Conservative MP Kevin Waugh in February.
The budget bill is currently working through the House of Commons. It also includes funding for education programs around racism and anti-Semitism, as well as $20 million toward a Holocaust museum in Montreal
Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center President and CEO Michael Levitt said the new criminal code provision is needed as anti-Semitism is on the rise.
“As Canada and the world continue to witness a rise in anti-Semitism and Holocaust ignorance and trivialization, now more than ever we expect our government leaders to support efforts to combat Jew-hatred, particularly through Holocaust education,” he said in a statement released last month. “Once passed, this funding and amended Criminal Code will have a lasting positive impact in the Jewish community and the fight against anti-Semitism.”
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David Taylor, a spokesperson for Justice Minister David Lametti, said they believe it is time Canada had a law like this.
“Our government takes the fight against anti-Semitism and all hate crimes very seriously. No Jewish Canadian should be subjected to racism and hateful rhetoric that has no place in our country,” he said.
Taylor said they’re confident the bill will stand up to any judicial scrutiny.
“Freedom of expression is a fundamental freedom protected under the Charter. Like all rights and freedoms, it is not absolute and may be subject to reasonable limits under the Charter,” he said.
“This Bill was reviewed for consistency with the Charter. It is our government’s position that the offence is consistent with the Charter, and this proposed new offence mirrors existing hate crime provisions.”
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