Historic Bill C-304 passes 2nd Reading
On February 15, 2012, the House of Commons voted on second reading of MP Brian Storseth's, private member's bill C-304. Thankfully, the bill passed, primarily along party lines. The Conservatives voted in favour. The NDP opposition voted against. Only one lonely Liberal supported the bill, Scott Sims, member for Bonavista-Gander-Grand Falls-Windsor.
To view the list of MPs who voted in favour of protecting free speech and liberty, click here. If your MP is on this list, please send him/her a note of thanks.
To view the list of MPs who voted against protecting free speech and liberty, click here. If your MP is on this list, please send him/her a note expressing your disappointment and urging them to change their vote when this bill comes up for 3rd and final reading.
To view the list of MPs who were absent (or abstained) from the vote, click here. If your MP is on this list, please send them a note urging them to vote in favour of protecting free speech upon 3rd reading of the bill.
Background on Bill C-304
Brian Storseth's historic bill if passed on 3rd reading, this will repeal the oppressive censorship provision of the Canadian Human Rights Act, called Section 13. The censorship provision purports to deal with "hate speech" but in fact, has created a category of "thought crimes" in which no hate need be present, but merely the accusation that someone's "feelings" were "hurt". It really amounts to a vehicle for cultural elites on the left to censor politically incorrect opinions they don't like.
In practice, this censorship provision has been used by kangaroo courts (aka Human Rights Commissions) to persecute Christians who dare to publicly profess their religious beliefs about human sexuality. It has also been used to silence conservative writers and journalists.