Online harms: Civil liberty, law critics say stiffer hate crime sentences 'troubling'
CTV
The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is voicing concerns over what it calls 'draconian penalties' proposed in the Criminal Code as part of the Liberal government's sweeping plan to target online hate.
The Liberal government is proposing "draconian penalties" in the Criminal Code as part of its sweeping plan to target online hate, the Canadian Civil Liberties Association warns.
Justice Minister Arif Virani tabled the long-awaited bill earlier this week, billed as a way to address dangers that children face online.
It also includes the introduction of stiffer penalties for hate offences.
The bill proposes increasing the maximum punishment for advocating genocide to life imprisonment, and allowing sentences of up to five years in prison for other hate propaganda offences.
The national civil liberties group says higher sentences risk chilling free speech and also undermine "the principles of proportionality and fairness" within the legal system.
Noa Mendelsohn Aviv, its executive director and general counsel, said in a statement Wednesday that the bill needs significant changes, including to the proposed digital safety commission that would be given powers to regulate social-media giants.
University of Windsor law professor Richard Moon, who specializes in freedom of expression, said the sentencing changes are "troubling" because there's no reason to believe they will work as an effective deterrent.
