As New Hate Legislation Looms, MP Cites Real-Life Example of How It Could ‘Chill Speech Preemptively’ 

As New Hate Legislation Looms, MP Cites Real-Life Example of How It Could ‘Chill Speech Preemptively’ 
Journalist Andrew Lawton speaks at an event in Ottawa on April 12, 2024, a year prior to being elected as an MP in 2025. The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby
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A Conservative MP says the case of a gender transition critic who was told by a co-panellist her remarks could constitute “hate” speech shows how codifying such definitions into law is creating an atmosphere that could lead to censorship.
“This is one of the many problems with codifying murky definitions of ‘hate’ in law. Not only does it give the state wider latitude to prosecute people for their thoughts and expressions, but it also is used by bad actors to chill speech preemptively,” Andrew Lawton said on Oct. 20.