e-5160 (Justice)

Petition to the House of Commons

• Bill C-63 as tabled in the House of Commons:
• creates a “Digital Safety Commission” that can, on the basis of anonymous charges, punish alleged wrongdoers of past and even potential future acts with fines, house arrest, electronic tagging or communication bans in contravention of the Charter Section 7 right to life, liberty and security of the person;
• allows for Commission-appointed investigators to conduct warrantless searches in contravention of the Charter Section 8 right to be secure from unreasonable search and seizure;
• obviates any need for the Commission to be bound by rules of evidence in contravention of the Charter Section 1 limitations clause;
• amends the Criminal Code to create a two-tier justice system in which life in prison is imposed for speech violations even as career criminals roam the streets thanks to a malfunctioning bail system in contravention of the Charter’s “rule of law” principle;
• uses subjective and vague definitions of hate speech that will flood the Canadian human rights system with frivolous complaints of offensive, discriminatory speech;
• will aggravate an already heavy state of censorship in Canada that will further chill the speech of citizens and journalists in contravention of the fundamental rights enumerated in Section 2 of the Charter; and
• Bill C-412 provides safeguards for kids, modernizes existing provisions combating criminal harassment online, while preserving the civil liberties of Canadians.