Bill C-63 Unpacked: Criminal Code and Human Rights Act Hate Speech Amendments 

Does Bill C-63 propose criminalizing thoughts? Life in prison for hate crimes? What is the value and risk of reintroducing hate speech to the remit of a human rights tribunal? What does hate speech even mean in law? “Those provisions” of the Online Harms Bill, which comprise approximately 10% of the bill, have generated most of the controversy. It is time to unpack them, dispel myths from reality, and identify crucial points of concern.
In this second roundtable of our series on the Bill, we discuss Bill C-63’s proposed amendments to the Criminal Code and Canadian Human Rights Act. Our panel unpacks what the amendments mean in practice, the risks and benefits. With a wide range of opinions and perspectives, our conversation reveals the nuances of ongoing debates around the Bill.
The roundtable is hosted by Taylor Owen, Director of The Centre for Media, Technology and Democracy, and Emily Laidlaw, Canada Research Chair in Cybersecurity Law and Associate Professor of Law at the University of Calgary.
They are joined by panelists:
- Sandy Garossino, National Affairs Columnist, Canada’s National Observer
- Kenneth Grad, Adjunct Professor & Ph.D. Candidate, Osgoode Hall Law School
- Sunil Gurmukh, Assistant Professor and Assistant Dean, Faculty of Law, Western University
- Richard Moon, Law Professor, University of Windsor