Action Centre

On May 29, 2017, MPP Yasir Naqvi, the previous Attorney General of Ontario, announced that he would table a bill in the fall to transform public sidewalks into “No Free Speech Zones” outside every abortion facility in the province. The bill was passed in October later that year, and has been put into force since February 1, 2018.

These bubble zones within which pro-life speech and expression are banned, prevent pro-lifers from demonstrating or counselling within a certain radius of an abortion facility where children are killed by abortion. That includes hospitals and clinics where abortions are committed, and pharmacies are now able to apply as well. These bubble zones are expected to resemble British Columbia's and Newfoundland and Labrador’s, which have bubble zone laws “not exceeding 50 metres” around abortion facilities.

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Ottawa’s Mayor, Jim Watson, kicked off a campaign to transform Ontario’s public sidewalks into “no free speech zones”, where constitutional rights are null and void.

He sent a letter to the previous Attorney General of Ontario, Yasir Naqvi, asking for an “Access to Abortion Services Act” that would effectively ban pro-life speech and the right to assemble peacefully, on every public sidewalk in Ontario that falls within a certain radius of abortion facilities.

The pro-abortion Mayor suggested that peaceful pro-life demonstrators outside an Ottawa abortion facility were intimidating and violent to women and to abortion staff.

In a clearly orchestrated reaction, Naqvi announced that he would table a bill to create “no free speech bubble zones” in the fall, covering all facilities in the province.

In October of 2017, the bill was passed, and on February 1, 2018, the bubble zones came into effect.

According to the previous Attorney General, the bubble zones would help ensure the “safety” and “rights” of women and abortionists travelling to and from these facilities. This is a specious argument given that pro-life demonstrators are peaceful and often pray in silence on the public sidewalk. Pro-lifers who regularly attend vigils at Ottawa’s Morgentaler abortion flatly deny they are unruly or that they block anybody’s ability to enter the abortion centre.

It stood out that in Naqvi’s announcement, he made no mention of the impact this law would have on the “safety” of the child in the womb, nor on the rights of Canadians to assemble peacefully on public property and to engage in free speech as protected by the constitution.

These bubble zones are expected to resemble British Columbia’s and Newfoundland and Labrador’s, which have bubble zones “not exceeding 50 metres” around abortion facilities. A first offence can result in a fine of up to $5,000 and six months’ imprisonment, and repeat offences can result in a fine of up to $10,000 and a year’s imprisonment. Quebec’s legislation is somewhat different, but their bubble zones are also 50 metres.

Due to this law, the ability of pro-lifers to provide crisis pregnancy help, to save the lives of unborn children, and to connect post-abortive women to counselling is greatly inhibited. Pro-life demonstrators and sidewalk counselors are denied their constitutional right to freedom of expression and freedom of peaceful assembly. It is imperative that this bill be withdrawn.

Use the automated tool below to quickly send your local MPP a pre-written message. You can add to the pre-written message with your own, personalized note. To view and select an alternate pre-written message, refresh your browser screen. After sending your email, a blind copy will also be sent to your inbox.