If passed, the Trudeau Liberals’ “Online Harms Bill” could mean journalists like Tucker Carlson get life in prison just for sharing their opinions online. 

Introduced on Monday, Bill C-63 seeks to expand the definition of “hate” and increase punishments towards those who speak it. 

The Liberals ironically framed their latest attempt at censorship by claiming it would somehow increase free speech.  

In actuality, the bill would increase penalties for hateful speech “not more than $20,000 to any victim identified in the communication that constituted the discriminatory practice,” and, further, “an order to pay a penalty of not more than $50,000 to the Receiver General, if the member or panel considers it appropriate…” 

But there’s more: anyone who commits an offence under this act of “inciting genocide” would be “guilty of an indictable offence and liable to imprisonment for life.”

The bill would also amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to allow for complaints to be filed to a newly formed regulatory body regarding online content that anyone finds hateful.

What counts as hate?

What constitutes hate, exactly, remains unclear — which makes interpreting this bill a nightmare. Originally framed by the Liberals as an attempt to protect children from harmful content, the bill runs much deeper than that with seven proposed categories of hate.

One of the most ambiguous forms of hate, according to the bill, is anything that “foments hate” towards protected classes. This category is defined as speech that “vilifies” or expresses “detestation” towards an individual or group that’s protected under the Canadian Human Rights Act.

The devil is in the details, of course. Just exactly what speech – or criticism – constitutes “vilification”? 

The Liberals have called Tucker Carlson hateful, critics of trans activists hateful, and Pierre Poilievre hateful — so it’s no wonder critics are worried how this bill could criminalize political dissent. 

It’s also worth remembering that in 2017, the Liberals made “gender identity and expression” a protected class under the Canadian Human Rights Act. 

Ridiculing a biological man who has the audacity to dominate a women’s sports league could lead to jail time. Likewise, shaming the parent who affirms the “gender identity” of their 8-year-old “trans kid” could become hate speech that warrants a $20,000 or $70,000 fine.

Poilievre says Trudeau wants to censor speech

Last week, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre condemned Trudeau’s plan to censor the internet, stating that it limits Canadians’ speech.

“What does Justin Trudeau mean when he says the words ‘hate speech’? He means the speech he hates,” Poilievre said. 

Trudeau later said that the bill is “very specifically focused on protecting kids and not on censoring the internet.”