In a move aimed at curbing the spread of what it terms “online hate,” the Liberal government of Canada has revealed its plan, including hefty fines for online speech and stringent punishment including up to life imprisonment for hate crimes.

The centrepiece of this initiative is the proposed Online Harms Act, details of which were unveiled during a technical briefing released to reporters on Monday.

[…]The bill will include amendments to the Criminal Code aimed at addressing hate crimes more effectively.

[…]These amendments include the introduction of a standalone hate crime offence applicable across all criminal offences, with penalties extending up to life imprisonment.

Maximum punishments for existing hate propaganda offences are also set to be increased substantially.

[…]Also, the bill would add a definition of “hatred” based on the past decision of the Supreme Court of Canada to the Criminal Code.

The text of the bill defines “content that foments hatred” as any content “content that expresses detestation or vilification of an individual or group of individuals on the basis of a prohibited ground of discrimination, within the meaning of the Canadian Human Rights Act, and that, given the context in which it is communicated, is likely to foment detestation or vilification of an individual or group of individuals on the basis of such a prohibited ground.‍”

“For greater certainty and for the purposes of the definition content that foments hatred, content does not express detestation or vilification solely because it expresses disdain or dislike or it discredits, humiliates, hurts or offends,” adds the government.

Keep in mind that in Canada, people who disagree with policies favored by the Liberal party are routinely prosecuted by the state. People get prosecuted for posting Bible verses in Canada, because they offend people.

Your fellow citizens can report you to the government for “hate speech”:

Anybody will also be able to file complaints against others for “posting hate speech online” that is discriminatory against protected categories such as gender, race, disability and others.

Amendments to the Canadian Human Rights Act will let anybody file complaints against persons posting so-called hate speech with the Canadian Human Rights Commission. If found guilty, the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal can order those found to violate the government’s definition of hatred with fines up to $70,000 and takedown orders for content.

According to the text of the bill, the Tribunal has the power to order payments of up to $20,000 for victims of so-called online hate, as well as an order to pay the government $50,000 “if the member panel considers it appropriate.”

You may recall, if you follow Canadian law, that the Human Rights Commissions are kangaroo courts that are only ever used to punish Christians and conservatives. They are never used against the Liberal Party or groups that support the Liberal Party. Human Rights Commissions are like social media “fact checkers”. On paper, they’re unbiased. In practice, they only censor speech critical of the regime, and the regime’s supporters. Famous Canadians like Ezra Levant and Mark Steyn have been dragged in front of these Human Rights Commissions. And citizens almost never win their cases. These are kangaroo courts.

You don’t have to speak words directly to a person in order to be guilty of hate speech. Your speech online can be reported as “hate speech”:

“It is a discriminatory practice to communicate or cause to be communicated hate speech by means of the Internet or any other means of telecommunication in a context in which the hate speech is likely to foment detestation or vilification of an individual or group of individuals based on a prohibited ground of discrimination,” Bill C-63’s text reads.

You may never know the identity of your accuser. And if you do know, then you cannot name them publicly:

The Tribunal will also have powers to hide the identity of those who bring complaints against anybody whom they deem to have posted online hate speech. Additionally, it can compel those who face complaints to not reveal the identity of those involved upon discovery.

It goes without saying that if you cannot expose them publicly, then you have no recourse to counter them.

The government will be monitoring speech online:

The government plans to establish a new organization. This body, comprising the Digital Safety Commission, the Digital Safety Ombudsperson, and the Digital Safety Office, will work to ensure compliance with regulations and protect users from online harm.

Naturally, the Conservative Party leader opposes the bill:

Prior to the bill’s unveiling, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre said he would oppose the law, accusing the government of using the issue to legislate censorship and infringe Canadians’ free speech.

“We will oppose Justin Trudeau’s latest attack on freedom of expression,” Poilievre responded to a question from True North’s Andrew Lawton last week.

“What does Justin Trudeau mean when he says the worst hate speech? He means speech he hates.”

Will there ever be another election in Canada? It’s hard to say. Trudeau may not allow another election, especially when he is losing in the polls:

If you’re in Canada right now, and you have the education and/or skills to get out, then get out. Yes, the Conservatives are leading in the polls. But until they win, that country is not safe.

Let’s hear from some Canadians, courtesy of Rebel News:

Americans – you must never travel to this country. The bill doesn’t just undermine freedom of speech, it destroys it. It would be like going to North Korea or Iran. They freeze the bank accounts of peaceful protestors, while letting Hamas supporters run wild in their streets. It is not a free country.