e-382 (Blasphemous libel)
- Keywords
- 8545-421-127-01 Government Response to petitions concerning blasphemous libel
- Criminal Code
- Criminal law
- Freedom of speech
- Profane language
Original language of petition: English
Petition to the Government of Canada
- It has been eight decades since the last conviction under Section 296, and thirty-five years since the last charge of blasphemous libel was laid;
- Blasphemous libel serves no purpose in Canadian law or modern-day society, and would likely be found to contravene section 2 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which protects freedom of expression;
- In Canada and elsewhere, blasphemy laws have been abused to suppress minorities and stifle inconvenient speech;
- Authoritarian states point to Canada’s blasphemous libel law to defend their own laws criminalizing blasphemy;
- Repealing Canada’s blasphemy law would demonstrate, at home and abroad, Canada’s commitment to the value of free speech for all; and
- Freedom of expression is the foundational human right in our society. Many others, including freedom of assembly and freedom of conscience, are derived from freedom of expression.
- Open for signature
- June 22, 2016, at 4:11 p.m. (EDT)
- Closed for signature
- October 20, 2016, at 4:11 p.m. (EDT)
- Presented to the House of Commons
-
Ali Ehsassi
(Willowdale)
December 9, 2016 (Petition No. 421-01047) - Government response tabled
- January 30, 2017
Only validated signatures are counted towards the total number of signatures.
Province / Territory | Signatures |
---|---|
Alberta | 917 |
British Columbia | 1513 |
Manitoba | 243 |
New Brunswick | 127 |
Newfoundland and Labrador | 79 |
Northwest Territories | 10 |
Nova Scotia | 209 |
Nunavut | 3 |
Ontario | 2662 |
Prince Edward Island | 18 |
Quebec | 1284 |
Saskatchewan | 216 |
Yukon | 10 |