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Freedom of Expression Tag

05 Aug 2021 Cash rewards for identifying hate speech? More restrictions on Canadians’ freedom of expression proposed in Bill C-36

Posted at 13:55h in Blog, Fundamental Freedoms 0 Comments
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  “Freedom is the freedom to say that two plus two make four. If that is granted, all else follows.” – George Orwell, 1984 In George Orwell's famous dystopian novel '1984', the Ministry of Love – a government entity of the fictional country Oceania – controls every aspect of people's lives. They control what citizens are permitted to say, do, and even think. To achieve this level of control, the Ministry pursues practices of intense intelligence gathering and monitors every moment of their citizens' lives. It seems the Canadian federal government has taken...

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28 Jul 2021 A Win for Freedom of Expression in British Columbia

Posted at 12:58h in Fundamental Freedoms 0 Comments
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In December 2017, Grace Chapel booked a venue owned by the city of New Westminster to hold a youth conference. The theme, drawn from Romans 3:14, was “Let God Be True” or “LGBT.” Their posters used this theme surrounded by rainbow colouring and understandably drew the notice of a member of the public who emailed the city concerned that they were hosting an anti-LGBTQ event. The day after receiving the email, the city cancelled just one month prior to the event. In response, Grace Chapel asked the BC courts to review...

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21 May 2021 Freedom of Expression and the Regulation of Social Media through Bill C-10

Posted at 17:49h in Blog, Fundamental Freedoms 0 Comments
6 Likes

Last fall, the federal government introduced Bill C-10, a bill that – if passed – will amend the Broadcasting Act for the first time since 1991 in order to expand the regulatory powers of the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) over the internet. In the last month or so, the number of critics has increased, as has the vociferousness of their opposition to the bill. When Bill C-10 was first introduced, we did an initial analysis and found that, while there were aspects of the bill that concerned us, the...

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19 Mar 2021 BC Supreme Court Upholds COVID-19 Restrictions on Worship Services

Posted at 12:13h in Fundamental Freedoms 0 Comments
8 Likes

In a disappointing ruling released last night, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of British Columbia upheld the prohibition of in-person worship services. These restrictions were first implemented on November 19th, 2020, and continue to this day. Many Christians will be very disappointed, perhaps even angry, with this decision. Reformed Christians have an earnest, deeply-held belief that they must both respect the governing authorities and gather regularly to worship with other believers. The absolute prohibition of in-person worship services placed many Christians in an unfair dilemma, making it very difficult...

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09 Mar 2021 Recap of the Beaudoin v. B.C. Court Hearings on B.C.’s Prohibition of Corporate Worship

Posted at 12:03h in Fundamental Freedoms, Legal Cases 0 Comments
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Last week, the BC Supreme Court spent four days (March 1-3, 5) hearing the case of Beaudoin v. BC, where three BC churches are challenging the Provincial Health Order prohibiting in-person worship services. The case was heard by Chief Justice Hinkson, the Chief Justice of the BC Supreme Court, and now we await his decision. The Chief Justice had rejected an injunction request from the government in mid-February when the province tried to force the closure of churches that continued to hold in-person worship services contrary to the public health orders. The...

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31 Jul 2012 Lord’s Prayer headed to court

Posted at 16:08h in Justice and Freedom 0 Comments
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Toronto Sun, July 30 2012 OWEN SOUND, ONT. - Grey County is facing a court challenge to its long tradition of opening county council meetings with a recital of The Lord’s Prayer. Peter Ferguson of Kimberley, Ont., said he served legal papers on the county Monday in his bid to end what he calls the “illegal” practice. The papers call for a response by the county at a Superior Court of Justice hearing on Oct. 11, Ferguson said. An affidavit sworn Monday by Ferguson states that county council’s “practice of praying at...

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09 Sep 2011 Charting a path to tyranny? Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms was always meant to be revolutionary

Posted at 18:34h in Fundamental Freedoms 0 Comments
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By Michael Wagner, Originally published in the January 2011 issue of Reformed Perspective magazine (www.reformedperspective.ca) pages 8-9. Many Christians are puzzled by the decline of religious freedom in our country. Time after time, in conflicts involving homosexuals or abortion rights activists, Christians seem to lose. For example, we’ve seen people who voice opposition to special status for gays being harassed by "human rights" commissions. And recently we’ve also seen university pro-life groups being prohibited or severely restricted. Why aren't Christians’ religious freedom or freedom of expression protected in these cases?
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12 Jul 2011 Canada’s opposition NDP call for removal of charitable status for ‘ex-gay’ groups

Posted at 15:17h in Gender and Sexuality 0 Comments
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ARPA Action Item: Are we next? The NDP has passed a resolution calling for the government to revoke the charitable status of groups that support those who seek to overcome same-sex attraction. As Don Hutchinson, legal counsel for the EFC writes, "Should religious charities be forbidden from providing support to those who want to converse, seek counselling or change their lifestyle? ...This NDP resolution is a potential attack on the heart of all types of ministries, not just those offering services to gays and lesbians." If your Member of Parliament is a New Democrat, please contact your MP and express your concern about this policy. If your MP is not a New Democrat, please contact the NDP National Office and that of the Leader of the Opposition to express your concern. To read more, see below.
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23 Feb 2011 Pro-Life group sues Carleton University over arrests

Posted at 23:05h in Abortion, Blog, Fundamental Freedoms 0 Comments
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National Post, Feb 23 2011: Members of a campus anti-abortion group, who were arrested in October at Carleton University for displaying graphic signs of aborted fetuses, have filed a lawsuit against Carleton University, claiming the administration broke its own codes of conduct regarding human rights and academic freedom as well as violating the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Four students, all part of Carleton Lifeline, were charged with trespassing and were taken into custody by Ottawa police. A fifth student from Queen’s University...

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