Removal of Religious Exemption to Hate Speech Laws Would Lead to ‘Open Season on Christians,’ Professor Tells Senators

Removal of Religious Exemption to Hate Speech Laws Would Lead to ‘Open Season on Christians,’ Professor Tells Senators
The Senate Chamber in Ottawa in a file photo. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick
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Wilfrid Laurier University professor David Haskell says proposed legislation that removes religious exemption to hate speech laws would be detrimental to the rights of Christians in Canada, which he argues are already under sustained attack.

Haskell’s comments came during a recent hearing on Bill C-9 before the Senate committee on human rights, and were joined by criticisms from several other expert witnesses who said the bill is too vague to effectively counter hateful incidents or so open to interpretation that it risks infringing on basic civil liberties.