Justice minister accuses Conservatives of obstructing hate speech bill

Tory House Leader Signals Party Open to Backing Parts of Liberals’ Anti-Hate Bill

Conservative House Leader Andrew Scheer has suggested his party may be open to supporting a narrower version of the Liberal government’s anti-hate legislation, potentially by splitting the bill into two parts. The House of Commons justice committee is set to meet on Feb. 11 to study Bill C-9, also known as the Combatting Hate Act, which would create new criminal offences related to intimidation and the obstruction of access to places of worship.…

Justice minister accuses Conservatives of obstructing hate speech bill

OTTAWA — Justice Minister Sean Fraser said on Tuesday that the Liberal government is willing to amend its bill targeting hate to address concerns stemming from a change to remove religious defences from the country’s hate speech laws.  Fraser made the comments as the governing party searches for ways to see the bill, known by its legislative title of C-9, passed as part of Prime Minister Mark Carney’s justice agenda. After a meeting of the parl…