The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms is warning the City of Hamilton and its police service that efforts to prevent a controversial political conference from being held in the city may violate Charter-protected freedom of expression.Lawyers funded by the Justice Centre sent a warning letter to the city and Hamilton Police Service after Mayor Andrea Horwath and police publicly opposed the Dominion Society of Canada's DomCon conference, scheduled for Saturday.The Dominion Society describes itself as a non-partisan advocacy organization promoting Canadian identity, heritage, nationalism, immigration reform and “remigration.”Horwath said the city would not rent municipal venues to the organization and subsequently wrote to local businesses urging them not to provide space for the conference.The Justice Centre alleges those actions amount to government officials using their positions to suppress political expression they oppose.The dispute has also involved Hamilton Police Service.Darren Murphy, acting inspector in the chief's office, publicly stated that “Dom Con is not welcome in Hamilton.”Police subsequently issued a news release encouraging venues not to rent space to the Dominion Society and asking members of the public to report possible conference bookings.The request attracted criticism on social media, where some users characterized the police contact number as a “snitch line” and questioned why authorities were seeking information about the location of a political event when no criminal activity had been identified..The Justice Centre's letter alleges both the city and police deliberately used government authority and influence to interfere with the conference because officials disagreed with its political message.Lawyers specifically argue Hamilton's refusal to make city-owned venues available constitutes an infringement of freedom of expression.The organization cited a recent Quebec Superior Court decision as a warning to Hamilton officials.In Harvest Ministries International v. Proulx, the court found Quebec's former tourism minister violated freedom of expression by ordering the cancellation of a government venue contract with a Christian organization because she disagreed with views associated with the event.More than $60,000 in compensatory and punitive damages was awarded in that case.The Justice Centre is demanding Hamilton and its police service cease and retract their actions and commit to respecting Charter freedoms.“The City of Hamilton and Hamilton Police are using both direct action and their influence to exclude a viewpoint they disagree with from the entire city,” said constitutional lawyer Hatim Kheir.“This is unconstitutional and fundamentally at odds with the way a free and democratic society operates.”The dispute follows a previous freedom-of-expression controversy involving Horwath.In August 2025, the mayor directed that a billboard reading “Stop medical transitions for minors” be removed from city-leased property after describing its message as “transphobic.”The organization responsible for the billboard subsequently challenged the decision as a violation of freedom of expression.
