By Canadian Press

Experts question Tory MP’s bill to protect political beliefs in Human Rights Act

Mar 8, 2022 | 2:49 PM

OTTAWA — Legal experts are questioning the necessity of a Conservative MP’s bill to add political beliefs and activity to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination in the Canadian Human Rights Act.

Conservative MP Garnett Genuis tabled the private member’s bill last week, saying at a news conference that political affiliation had been a factor in the freezing of bank accounts linked to the recent convoy protest.

The RCMP has said banks froze about 257 accounts after it passed on names of people directly involved in the Ottawa protest, which blockaded streets, shuttered businesses and plagued residents with near-constant honking for weeks.

Wayne MacKay, a professor emeritus of law at Dalhousie University, says discrimination based on political affiliation is much less prevalent today.

MacKay adds that barriers such as socioeconomic status are more deserving of the time and money necessary for addition to the Canadian Human Rights Act.

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A private member’s bill, especially when put forward by an opposition MP, has a far lower chance of surviving the legislative steps to become law than a government bill.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 8, 2022.

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This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council, which is funding a project by Carleton University’s School of Journalism and The Canadian Press.

Tobin Ng, The Canadian Press