A human rights lawyer says Canada’s Online Harms Act (Bill C-36) and B.C.’s Health Professions and Occupations Act (Bill 36) are heavy-handed efforts by government to undermine dissent.On Sunday, Umar Sheikh told the Reclaiming Canada Conference in Victoria that C-36 was touted by the Liberal government as protecting children from online sexual exploitation, but this was only a small part of its scope. “What we're moving to, as soon as this act passes, is a basis where the government controls the internet service providers and those who provide the platforms for speech,” he explained.“One of the things that the government can now do is appoint essentially an autocratic body which is the office of the Ombudsman and the Superintendent of the Digital Safety Office. These are government appointees who will determine what is hate speech.”Sheikh said criminal code violations for inciting violence have very narrow applications. C-36 adds hate speech to it, as well as two new offices to decide what hate is.“We're not adding any definitions of what that hate speech is,” he warned.“They're criminalizing speech. They're not defining what that speech is. Warrants are being thrown out the window, and people are going to be thrown in jail, for sure,” he said.“There's going to be test cases and we're certainly ready to take those cases.”Sheikh, who mounted a successful ten-year challenge to overturn mandatory flu vaccines for nurses, says legal challenges are necessary, whether courts are “corrupt” or not.“A lot of people that are angry with these laws, but are unwilling to put their name out there and willing to fund these litigations. We go up against opponents every day with unlimited money, with unlimited resources. Can we stand relatively alone to try and fight back?” he asked.“Come together around these issues, get that litigation going and fight back and stand for everyone's right to free speech, whether you agree with it or not.”Sheikh cast the federal legislation as a component of wider efforts of recent years to undermine dissent with heavy government-imposed penalties, including Bill 36 in B.C., which is already law.“What this says is we no longer need a public health emergency. We don't need a public health order. We can now take over the regulation of your profession.“The government…will control who goes on your board, who will control what those rules are, and who will control what you have to comply with.”The “slippery slope” of incremental government control is rolling out internationally, Sheikh said.“Fear is that tool that helps those totalitarian governments rise and I'm not just talking about a domestic government. There's a ruling class behind a lot of this stuff in a lot of that, because for a ruling class to have subjects–you have to have subjugation,” he said.“These [common] people can't have those rights to speak.”Sheikh said division is a key tool used to ensure a divided citizenry never unites in democratic efforts to hold back government control.“It's, hate each other. Eliminate compassion from your hearts and demonize people. Then advocate for the suppression of free speech so that you feel safe. It's all in the name of safety. You will feel better,” he said.“All of this has happened before and all of this will happen again. If you look past in history, the rise and falls of democracy, the rise and falls of civilizations and governments, you've had this exact cyclical cycle taking place.”
A human rights lawyer says Canada’s Online Harms Act (Bill C-36) and B.C.’s Health Professions and Occupations Act (Bill 36) are heavy-handed efforts by government to undermine dissent.On Sunday, Umar Sheikh told the Reclaiming Canada Conference in Victoria that C-36 was touted by the Liberal government as protecting children from online sexual exploitation, but this was only a small part of its scope. “What we're moving to, as soon as this act passes, is a basis where the government controls the internet service providers and those who provide the platforms for speech,” he explained.“One of the things that the government can now do is appoint essentially an autocratic body which is the office of the Ombudsman and the Superintendent of the Digital Safety Office. These are government appointees who will determine what is hate speech.”Sheikh said criminal code violations for inciting violence have very narrow applications. C-36 adds hate speech to it, as well as two new offices to decide what hate is.“We're not adding any definitions of what that hate speech is,” he warned.“They're criminalizing speech. They're not defining what that speech is. Warrants are being thrown out the window, and people are going to be thrown in jail, for sure,” he said.“There's going to be test cases and we're certainly ready to take those cases.”Sheikh, who mounted a successful ten-year challenge to overturn mandatory flu vaccines for nurses, says legal challenges are necessary, whether courts are “corrupt” or not.“A lot of people that are angry with these laws, but are unwilling to put their name out there and willing to fund these litigations. We go up against opponents every day with unlimited money, with unlimited resources. Can we stand relatively alone to try and fight back?” he asked.“Come together around these issues, get that litigation going and fight back and stand for everyone's right to free speech, whether you agree with it or not.”Sheikh cast the federal legislation as a component of wider efforts of recent years to undermine dissent with heavy government-imposed penalties, including Bill 36 in B.C., which is already law.“What this says is we no longer need a public health emergency. We don't need a public health order. We can now take over the regulation of your profession.“The government…will control who goes on your board, who will control what those rules are, and who will control what you have to comply with.”The “slippery slope” of incremental government control is rolling out internationally, Sheikh said.“Fear is that tool that helps those totalitarian governments rise and I'm not just talking about a domestic government. There's a ruling class behind a lot of this stuff in a lot of that, because for a ruling class to have subjects–you have to have subjugation,” he said.“These [common] people can't have those rights to speak.”Sheikh said division is a key tool used to ensure a divided citizenry never unites in democratic efforts to hold back government control.“It's, hate each other. Eliminate compassion from your hearts and demonize people. Then advocate for the suppression of free speech so that you feel safe. It's all in the name of safety. You will feel better,” he said.“All of this has happened before and all of this will happen again. If you look past in history, the rise and falls of democracy, the rise and falls of civilizations and governments, you've had this exact cyclical cycle taking place.”
