Watch what you tweet: new election law ‘chills speech,’ say critics | CBC News
Though few Canadians seem to be aware of this, the recent
federal election campaign was fought under a new law that imposes severe
penalties for publishing misleading statements on the internet during
the writ period.
federal election campaign was fought under a new law that imposes severe
penalties for publishing misleading statements on the internet during
the writ period.
The new, amended Section 91 of the Canada
Elections Act, which came into effect on September 11, threatens prison
terms of up to five years and fines up to $50,000 for disseminating
false information about “a candidate, a prospective candidate, the
leader of a political party or a public figure associated with a
political party.”
Though
an earlier version of the law required that the person charged be aware
that the statement is false, the final version removed the word
“knowingly” — and allows a charge to be laid even in a case of someone
sharing a statement they believe to be true.