Canadian authorities have begun arriving at private homes to question and in some cases charge citizens over social media posts written MONTHS even YEARS before the law under which they are now being pursued ever existed.

Under Prime Minister Mark Carney’s government, Bill C-9, formally known as the Combatting Hate Act, received royal assent on June 18 and took effect on July 18. - Kari Bundy - Health Activist

The new legislation substantially widens the reach of existing hate-speech provisions by:

• creating additional standalone offences
• raising maximum penalties from two years to five for lesser offences
• raising them from five years to ten for more serious crimes
• allowing life imprisonment for the most severe hate-motivated crimes

At the same time it removes two important safeguards that previously limited how readily such charges could be brought...