Ford closes all mosques and temples in Ontario due to Covid
(toronto.ctvnews.ca)
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This is an infringement on religious freedom. I am an atheist. I grew up Catholic and am a very bad Catholic. I don't have a positive opinion of Christianity, Judaism, Islam, Hinduism, etc. But I support the freedom to congregate with like-minded people to worship your deity. My girlfriend is Catholic and goes to church every week so she's going to be upset about this news.
We're literally ripping up the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. And the Charter itself isn't enough good enough to wipe my ass to begin with. Because Pierre Trudeau wrote it. And I believe there's a section that criminalizes hate speech in there. And it's way too easy to get sued for defamation in Canada compared to the United States. The defamation law gets abused here.
The hate crimes are in the criminal code, not the charter. But your point re the uselessness of the Charter, with its section 1 limitations and the notwithstanding clause, is well taken.
Libel laws in the US are not a good example to follow. Ever since NY Times v Sullivan it is too onerous for a plaintiff to prove a case. Canada’s laws may be a little lax but the US legal regime for libel is terrible, especially for public figures.