Parliamentarians’ freedom of speech should be monitored to prevent anti-Muslim sentiment, the Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council said in a Senate submission. The group claimed MPs and senators have used their protection from libel suits to “spread hate.”.“Parliamentary immunity should not be abused to spread hate,” the Council wrote in a submission to the Senate human rights committee. The panel is conducting hearings on Islamophobia..“Under parliamentary immunity individuals associated with spreading misinformation and anti-Muslim discourse have attacked Muslim charities and organizations as well as Muslim activists by making unsubstantiated allegations of connections to terrorism and extremism,” it said. “These remarks in turn have been relied upon by government, whether the Canada Revenue Agency or the Canada Border Services Agency, as evidence for actions against organizations or individuals.”.According to Blacklock's Reporter, Parliamentary privilege dating from 1867 states no legislator can be sued for libel when speaking in legislative proceedings, according to the House of Commons Procedure And Practice guide. Privilege guarantees “freedom of speech,” “freedom from arrest in civil actions” and “freedom from obstruction,” it said..“The privilege of freedom of speech is secured to Members not for their personal benefit but to enable them to discharge their functions of representing their constituents without fear of civil or criminal prosecution for what might be said,” said Procedure And Practice. The same protection applies to witnesses testifying at parliamentary hearings..The Muslim Public Affairs Council said that “Islamophobic allegations are now part of the parliamentary record, unchecked and unchallenged, courtesy of parliamentary privilege.” It quoted with approval the research of Professor Jasmin Zine of Wilfrid Laurier University in documenting “an ecosystem that comprises media outlets and Islamophobia influencers, white nationalist groups, fringe-right, pro-Zionist self professed ‘Muslim dissidents,’ think tanks and their designated security experts and the donors who fund their campaigns.”.Professor Zine in the 2019 election campaign published a Muslim Voting Guide that criticized opposition MPs for activities that “foment the kind of fear and moral panic that leads to violence and hate.” The Guide published three days before Election Day was later found to breach the Canada Elections Act..The Guide gave then-Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer and People’s Party leader Maxime Bernier “fail” marks on immigration, refugees and Islamophobia while Liberal and New Democratic leaders were given passing grades. “Scheer’s well-documented association with controversial far-right and Islamophobic public figures makes him complicit,” said the Guide; “Bernier indicates little concern for the plight of oppressed people.”
