Manitoba: Don't censor pro-life speech
Premier Wab Kinew and all Manitoba MLAs:
Whereas you have been elected with the great honour of serving all Manitobans, in the interest of the common good and the flourishing of a prosperous and democratic society;
And whereas the most enlightened societies have always prioritized protecting the most vulnerable individuals in society;
And whereas a child in the womb is the most vulnerable of all members of the human family;
And whereas the most essential ingredient to a strong and vibrant democracy is the freedom of expression, without which every society inevitably falls into repressive tyranny;
And whereas Families Minister Nahanni Fontaine, NDP MLA for the riding of St. Johns, announced on March 7 that the NDP government is introducing legislation that creates a buffer zone around centres that kill preborn children by abortion and that offers special protection to those who provide pregnant mothers with drugs to kill their preborn babies, even though the NDP did not include it in the 2023 election platform;
Therefore, we the undersigned, petition you: Please do not proceed in passing any censorious “bubble zone” legislation. Many Manitobans view such a move as an unconstitutional attack on the Charter right to freedom of expression, as well as divisive, unnecessary and unwelcome.
Note: This petition was created on Oct. 5, 2023 and addressed to then Premier-elect Wab Kinew. It was relaunched on March 11, 2024, in the wake of the Manitoba government announcing bubble zone legislation.