A Private Member’s Bill, Bill C-250, is circulating in the House of Commons. If passed, it would make Holocaust denial (or downplaying the Holocaust), punishable by up to 2 years in prison. There is also a provision included that would allow for the forfeiture of assets if they were used in the commission.
This appears to apply to public forums, and not in private conversations.
Criminal Code
1 (1) Section 319 of the Criminal Code is amended by adding the following after subsection (2):
Willful promotion of antisemitism
(2.1) Everyone who, by communicating statements, other than in private conversation, willfully promotes antisemitism by condoning, denying or downplaying the Holocaust is
(a) guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for a term not exceeding two years; or
(b) guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.
(2) The portion of subsection 319(3) of the Act before paragraph (a) is replaced by the following:
Defences
(3) No person shall be convicted of an offence under subsection (2) or (2.1)
(3) Subsections 319(4) to (6) of the Act are replaced by the following:
Forfeiture
(4) If a person is convicted of an offence under section 318 or subsection (1), (2) or (2.1) of this section, anything by means of or in relation to which the offence was committed, on conviction, may, in addition to any other punishment imposed, be ordered by the presiding provincial court judge or judge to be forfeited to Her Majesty in right of the province in which that person is convicted, for disposal as the Attorney General may direct.
Exemption from seizure of communication facilities
(5) Subsections 199(6) and (7) apply with any modifications that end the circumstances require to section 318 or subsection (1), (2) or (2.1) of this section.
Consent
(6) No proceeding for an offence under subsection (2) or (2.1) shall be instituted without the consent of the Attorney General.
(4) Subsection 319(7) of the Act is amended by adding the following in alphabetical order:
Holocaust means the planned and deliberate state-sponsored persecution and annihilation of European Jewry by the Nazis and their collaborators from 1933 to 1945; (Holocauste)
The Bill was introduced by Saskatchewan Conservative MP Kevin Waugh. It will be interesting to see what happens. Historically, Private Member’s Bills typically don’t go anywhere. It’s quite rare to see one that actually receives Royal Assent.
There is also the procedural issue that any prosecution (under the Bill’s current form), would need approval from the Attorney General.
It seems that Waugh has been contacted recently by CIJA. Clamping down on “hate speech” is very high up on their national agenda. They also focus on internet regulation more broadly.
The CPC also proudly brags about this:
Ottawa, ON — Today, Kevin Waugh, Conservative Member of Parliament for Saskatoon-Grasswood, introduced his Private Members’ Bill, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (prohibition – promotion of antisemitism).
Conservatives are committed to ending the scourge of antisemitism in Canada and we believe all Canadians should feel safe and welcome in our communities.
From early 1941 until spring 1945, six million Jewish children, women, and men were murdered in a state-sponsored genocide we now remember as the Holocaust. Holocaust distortion, denial, and antisemitism must be confronted with the strongest opposition and condemnation.
This legislation would make Holocaust denial, one of the main indicators of antisemitism and radicalization, illegal in Canada.
“Ignorance fuels intolerance so we must continue to teach the truths of the past,” said Waugh. “Education is the safeguard of history. We must face history with courage and boldly call out and confront intolerance wherever it exists. Passage of this bill protects the truth.”
Strange that a party that claims to support free speech also is in favour of jailing people for having the wrong viewpoints. (Archive here)
We’ll have to see how things progress in the near future.
(1) https://www.parl.ca/legisinfo/en/bill/44-1/c-250
(2) https://www.ourcommons.ca/Members/en/kevin-waugh(89084)
(3) https://lobbycanada.gc.ca/app/secure/ocl/lrs/do/cmmLgPblcVw?comlogId=521753
(4) https://lobbycanada.gc.ca/app/secure/ocl/lrs/do/vwRg?cno=111®Id=917368&blnk=1
(5) https://www.conservative.ca/mp-waugh-introduces-legislation-to-prohibit-holocaust-denial/
(6) https://archive.ph/fCnNn
Why does that Bill now make me wonder what they don’t want us to know about the Holocaust??? Clearly it’s to cover up something, especially since we are learning more about the funders of WWII and Hitler.
I suggest the first few chapters of the perennial book ” Critical Path” by Buckminster Fuller , for insight into the real reasons for , and the funding of , the WW’s . I gave a photocopy of one of the chapters to a local person for her adults history class at a local college; the professor called her into his office and said ” where did you get this data? I have always suspected….”
maybe they don’t want you to know that the u.s. army didn’t have the right to bomb any strategic targets. All of the strategic targets were “american” industries such as ford, gm, and the rockefeller family. So they bombed the supply lines leading to lots of starvation in germany. forced to choose between feeding soldiers and jewish work camp prisoners, they stopped feeding the prisoners. European census data shows that 275,000 died. They died of starvation. I saw them pushed into ditches by bulldozers in films showed at hebrew school in the 1970s. Gas chambers didn’t exist, proved by people using “science”. “Science” is a thing that used to exist but now is forgotten by all of those who don’t have jobs where they are protected by mercenaries. If you are not being protect by mercenaries, and you think you are a scientist, you are working on something without importance.
le-berger-de-photo: love it! You make sense.
It’s meant to misdirect you from the idea that up to 15 million Germans were likely killed by the Allies who targeted non-military areas. This is the real atrocity that has long been ignored and likely not written into the history books.