The heads of two Canadian organizations promoting secularism will ask the Department of Justice to abolish a section of the criminal code that makes blasphemy illegal, following Wednesday’s attacks on Charlie Hebdo.
Section 296 of the Criminal Code makes “blasphemous libel” punishable by up to two years in jail in Canada.
No one been prosecuted under the law since 1935. As late as 1980, the law was used to charge the Canadian distributor of Monty Python’s film Life of Brian; the charges were later dropped.
Only last month, the heads of Humanist Canada and the Centre for Inquiry, a national organization that promotes “skeptical, secular rational and humanistic inquiry,” met with Ambassador Andrew Bennett, head of the federal government’s Office of Religious Freedom, to note the law’s inconsistency with Canada’s policy of supporting religious freedom abroad.
On Mr. Bennett’s advice, said Eric Adriaans, national executive director of the Centre for Inquiry, the two organizations will lobby the Department of Justice to remove the law. Mr. Bennett’s office did not respond to calls for comment.
“These murders cause us so much grief but also further convince us that no remnants of these ancient attitudes can be allowed to continue,” Mr. Adriaans said.
Meanwhile, Canada’s law has expanded in application beyond Christianity, to religion in general. The Canadian law was first used in 1892 and was originally intended to protect Christianity from blasphemy. Case law since then has broadened its application.
In wake of Charlie Hebdo attacks, secularist groups to seek end of Canada’s blasphemy law | National Post
To promote the separation of religion from public policy and foster the development of reason, compassion and critical thinking for all Canadians through secular education and community support.
Humanism 101 - Humanist Canada
Centre for Inquiry Canada
While there were already humanist, skeptical and freethought organizations in Canada, the emergence of the Centre for Inquiry Canada provides something new and different: an educational organization that embraces humanism, skepticism, freethought and atheism. Bigger than any one accomplishment, CFI Canada is characterized by an attitude of optimism and growth, a desire to continually work to expand the movement’s reach into new cities and new projects (view CFI Canada’s Statement of Values). -
Section 296 of the Criminal Code makes “blasphemous libel” punishable by up to two years in jail in Canada.
No one been prosecuted under the law since 1935. As late as 1980, the law was used to charge the Canadian distributor of Monty Python’s film Life of Brian; the charges were later dropped.
Only last month, the heads of Humanist Canada and the Centre for Inquiry, a national organization that promotes “skeptical, secular rational and humanistic inquiry,” met with Ambassador Andrew Bennett, head of the federal government’s Office of Religious Freedom, to note the law’s inconsistency with Canada’s policy of supporting religious freedom abroad.
On Mr. Bennett’s advice, said Eric Adriaans, national executive director of the Centre for Inquiry, the two organizations will lobby the Department of Justice to remove the law. Mr. Bennett’s office did not respond to calls for comment.
“These murders cause us so much grief but also further convince us that no remnants of these ancient attitudes can be allowed to continue,” Mr. Adriaans said.
Meanwhile, Canada’s law has expanded in application beyond Christianity, to religion in general. The Canadian law was first used in 1892 and was originally intended to protect Christianity from blasphemy. Case law since then has broadened its application.
In wake of Charlie Hebdo attacks, secularist groups to seek end of Canada’s blasphemy law | National Post
To promote the separation of religion from public policy and foster the development of reason, compassion and critical thinking for all Canadians through secular education and community support.
Humanism 101 - Humanist Canada
Centre for Inquiry Canada
While there were already humanist, skeptical and freethought organizations in Canada, the emergence of the Centre for Inquiry Canada provides something new and different: an educational organization that embraces humanism, skepticism, freethought and atheism. Bigger than any one accomplishment, CFI Canada is characterized by an attitude of optimism and growth, a desire to continually work to expand the movement’s reach into new cities and new projects (view CFI Canada’s Statement of Values). -
