Canada banning Christian demonstrations? How a private member's bill sprouted fake news

[TomSea]

Canada banning Christian demonstrations? How a private member's bill sprouted fake news
Disinformation is often based on nugget of truth that gets buried under emotionally-charged language, opinion
Kaleigh Rogers · CBC News · Posted: Sep 19, 2019

Imagine scrolling through Facebook when you come across this headline: "Canada Moves to Ban Christians from Demonstrating in Public Under New Anti-Hate Proposal." If you think it reads too shocking and absurd to be true, that's because it is.

But this exact headline appeared atop a story that was shared more than 16,000 times online since it was published in May, according to social media tool CrowdTangle. The federal government and Justin Trudeau, who is pictured in the story, are not seeking to ban Christians from demonstrating. In fact, the bill the story is based on was introduced in the Ontario legislature, by a Conservative MPP, and never made it past a second reading.

Incorrect and misleading content is common on social media, but it's not always obvious where it originates. To learn more, CBC News tracked this particular example back through time on social media to uncover where it came from and how it evolved over time.

Read more at: https://www.cbc.ca/news/technology/canada-banning-christians-fake-news-1.5261564

[PeteS in CA]

Here's the actual bill:

https://www.ola.org/en/legislative-business/bills/parliament-42/session-1/bill-84

Bill 84, Prohibiting Hate-Promoting Demonstrations at Queen's Park Act, 2019

Bill 84 2019
An
 Act to amend the Legislative Assembly Act respecting demonstrations

 that promote hatred on legislative precinct grounds
Her
 Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Legislative Assembly of the
 Province of Ontario, enacts as follows:

1
 The Legislative Assembly Act is amended by adding
 the following section:

Prohibited
 demonstrations, etc., on legislative precinct grounds

75
 (1)  No
 demonstration, rally or other activity that, in the opinion of the Speaker, is
 likely to promote hatred against any identifiable group shall be permitted on legislative
 precinct grounds.

Definition

(2)  In
 this section,

“legislative
 precinct grounds” means the area of land in the City of Toronto bounded on the
 east, south and west by Queen’s Park Crescent and on the north by Wellesley
 Street West.

Commencement

2
 This Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

It does not call out any specific group. And it is limited to a specific location. BUT "in the opinion of the Speaker, is likely to promote hatred against any identifiable group" is so broad that, frankly, no government official can be trusted with that kind of power. BUT while one specific location was called out as being covered, how many others - or how much of Canada - could this act be expanded to cover. BUT while no specific group is called out, theologically conservative Christians, groups, and institutions in Canada have been the targets of homosexual activists for several decades.

I think it would be very appropriate for Canadians to ask whether what look like limitations and breadth are simply smokescreens for how and where it would ultimately be applied against whom. If this bill is resurrected.