Senate committee amends C-9 to criminalize residential school denialism
indigenous / draft
The Canadian Senate recently decided not to make it a crime to deny the harms of residential schools, despite an amendment passed by a committee and strongly supported by Indigenous leaders. This proposed change was part of Bill C-9, which aims to combat hate, originally through protecting places of worship. The Senate did approve an amendment to ban hate symbols like nooses. Supporters of criminalizing denialism say it's vital for reconciliation, while critics worry it could limit free speech and public discussion. The bill now goes back to the House of Commons, and Indigenous groups are very disappointed, vowing to push for similar protections in the future.
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Jargon, Translated
- Bill C-9
- A proposed law in Canada aimed at creating new penalties for hate crimes, particularly harassment obstructing access to places of worship.
- Residential school denialism
- The act of condoning, denying, downplaying, or justifying the Indian residential school system in Canada or misrepresenting facts surrounding it, which caused immense harm to Indigenous peoples.
- Clause-by-clause study
- A detailed review of a bill in a legislative committee, where individual clauses or sections are examined, debated, and amended.
- Indictable offence
- A serious criminal offence in Canada that generally carries higher penalties and a more formal legal process than a summary conviction.
- Private members' bill
- A bill introduced in a legislature by a member of parliament who is not a cabinet minister, often reflecting individual concerns rather than government policy.
- Filibuster
- A tactic used in a legislature to delay or obstruct proceedings, often by making long speeches or proposing numerous procedural motions.
- Third reading
- The final stage in the legislative process where a bill is debated and voted on by the full chamber (e.g., Senate or House of Commons) before potentially moving to the other chamber or receiving royal assent.
- UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP)
- An international human rights instrument that establishes a universal framework of minimum standards for the survival, dignity and well-being of the Indigenous peoples of the world.
Original Reporting
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Fact Spine
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Confirmed Facts
- Senators on the human rights committee amended Bill C-9 to criminalize residential school denialism.Reported by: iPolitics, APTN News
- The amendment was proposed by Nunavut Sen. Nancy Karetak-Lindell.Reported by: iPolitics, APTN News
- The Senate, as a whole, later voted against the amendment during third reading.Reported by: iPolitics, National Post, APTN News
- The vote against the amendment for residential school denialism was 32 for and 41 against.Reported by: APTN News
- Bill C-9's original intent was to create new penalties to criminalize efforts to harass or obstruct access to places of worship.Reported by: iPolitics, iPolitics
- The bill originated from a Liberal campaign promise in response to concerns about anti-Israel protesters.Reported by: iPolitics, iPolitics
- An amendment proposed by Sen. Wanda Thomas Bernard to criminalize public displays of nooses (and initially white pointed hoods) passed in the Senate.Reported by: iPolitics, iPolitics
- Bill C-9 will now return to the House for decision on the accepted Senate amendments.Reported by: iPolitics, iPolitics
- The residential school denialism amendment would create a new provision in the Criminal Code making it illegal to 'wilfully promote hatred against Indigenous peoples by condoning, denying, downplaying or justifying the Indian residential school system in Canada or by misrepresenting facts relating to it.'Reported by: iPolitics, APTN News
- The maximum penalty for this, if treated as an indictable offence, would be a prison term of less than two years.Reported by: iPolitics, APTN News
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