A conservative defence of the Queen and of the priests

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Guillaume St-Pierre

Wednesday, 18 October 2017 19:14

UPDATE
Wednesday, 18 October 2017 19:19

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OTTAWA-A former minister in the conservative is indignant that the offence punishing specifically to physically to the Queen or to a priest is cleared of the criminal Code.

“The Queen has a strong track record in public service. It celebrates its 65th anniversary on the throne this year. What is the purpose of removing the specific offence which protects it ?”, questions the former minister of Justice, conservative Rob Nicholson.

The Trudeau government undertook to purge the criminal Code of canada offences, obsolete or redundant. The standing Committee on justice and human rights, to which office Mr. Nicholson, met Wednesday to discuss changes to come.

Ottawa wants to eliminate the prohibitions deemed far-fetched as those of challenging another person to fight a duel, to publish a comic book, bearing on the organized crime, or to exercise witchcraft.

These offences are most of the time already framed in the criminal Code by virtue of other provisions.

Accusations of assault or misdemeanor, for example, could be brought against an individual who is physically up to the Queen, or threatens to do so.

The same logic applies to the offence punishing the assault of a member of a clergyman, that Ottawa wishes to erase.

“According to the Code, it is specifically stated that it is criminal to interrupt a religious ceremony, or threaten a member of the clergy,” says Mr. Nicholson, who has also been Defence minister in the government of Stephen Harper.

“I think that we all agree to say that it is more serious to disrupt a religious ceremony, business meeting, or a hockey game”, it argues.

The members of the Justice committee quickly rejected the amendments proposed by Mr. Nicholson.