Bart Swarts

"If all mankind minus one, were of one opinion, and only one person were of the contrary opinion, mankind would be no more justified in silencing that one person, than he, if he had the power, would be justified in silencing mankind." John Stuart Mill (On Liberty)

@LJB_OceanSide @DanMazierMP @AndrewLawton You may think the courts will protect us from over zealous prosecutors. That is clearly naive. We are going down the wrong path and should be looking at the Australian approach to hate speech. Civil not criminal. 2/2

@LJB_OceanSide @DanMazierMP @AndrewLawton There is speech that reaches a line where it is unacceptable. That line is hard to define. It's subjective. When a new bill is introduced that makes it easier to prosecute for something that is subjective, we all have reason to be concerned. It's dumb not to be concerned. 1/2

Last night, over 250 people gathered in the small town of MacGregor, MB to stand up for religious freedom. We had an important conversation about Bill C-9, with special guest @AndrewLawton, one of the loudest voices in Parliament fighting this bill. Religious freedoms are under attack in Canada. The Liberals struck a backroom deal with the Bloc Québécois to strip a 50-year-old protection from our Criminal Code that protects people of faith who are simply quoting their sacred texts and expressing what they believe. Then, just days ago, they voted to shut down debate so Canadians couldn’t have their voices heard on legislation that impacts every faith community in this country. I will be voting against Bill C-9.

@BrandenCPC @AndrewLawton I have concerns with C-9 but not with the removal of the religious text defense. That defense should not be required. If it is, C-9 has much bigger issues. Incitement of a violent or criminal act should be illegal and it already is. Hate, is an emotion and should not be illegal.

More than 400 people turned out in Winkler today for our town hall on Bill C-9 with MP @AndrewLawton. At a time when the Liberals and Bloc are seeking to remove the long-standing safeguard in the Criminal Code that protects Canadians’ ability to express good-faith opinions based on religious texts, it’s more important than ever that people speak up. Today’s strong turnout shows just how much folks in our region and beyond care about protecting freedom of religion and freedom of expression. A massive THANK YOU to everyone who came out to ask questions and share their concerns. Together, we will keep fighting to ensure these fundamental freedoms are upheld.

@KalebZen @LeslynLewis Are you conflating beliefs with actions? I am free to believe whatever I want. I personally think I should be able to express those beliefs with impunity. The action most Canadians don't accept is the incitement of violence. So, no, she is not alone.

@LeslynLewis "Canadians should never fear persecution for sincerely held beliefs." You on your fucking own with this one.

Canadians should never fear persecution for sincerely held beliefs. This is why I have fought Bill C-9 from the beginning. While the Liberals claim it provides protection, people of faith across Canada are reaching out by the thousands with deep concern about how this bill will impact their ability to practice their faith freely. The government is elected by the people, and it's time that they listen to the people who will be impacted by this legislation, instead they have taken every action to limit debate. As we approach the stage of the final vote, I will not support Bill C-9, because freedom is foundational to our democracy.

@annwmac @lildrag86367388 @LifelibertyLisa Hmmm...."All atheists want is for all you folks to just piss off and stop ruining the world for everyone else" sounds like hate speech to me. Naughty, naughty, naughty!

@lildrag86367388 @LifelibertyLisa That is bullshit. The Old Testament is a history book of religious violence and is the foundation of the three Abrahamic religions (Christianity, Judaism, Islam). All atheists want is for all you folks to just piss off and stop ruining the world for everyone else.

Bill C-9 has passed. Buckle up Canada - this changes the landscape.

@Tinker07235497 @Keith_Edwards @cvangeyn Too bad that wasn't the purpose of the EA legislation. Perhaps you should read it. If you think about why the EA has guardrails, you'd realize it's to prevent gov't abuse. Top, amongst things to guardrail, would be the use of the EA to stop protests against their policies.

@BartSwarts @Keith_Edwards @cvangeyn No PM in his right mind would have met with that group. Would have set a very bad precedent. The EA was enacted to get the police off their asses and clear the idiots out, which they should have done the first Tuesday.

I recapped everything that happened yesterday in the Federal Court of Appeal in the Emergencies Act case. Check it out here 👇

@Tinker07235497 @Keith_Edwards @cvangeyn Of course it was. The majority of the citizens of Ottawa were only upset because they didn't like the protest or protestors. Trudeau let his disdain for the protestors be known before they arrived in Ottawa. Don't you think he would have met with them ASAP if he liked them?

@BartSwarts @Keith_Edwards @cvangeyn You believe the EA was enacted because the government didn’t like the protest? Sure.

@Tinker07235497 @Keith_Edwards @cvangeyn Well, the lower court doesn't seem to agree with you. We'll see in 8 months about this appeal. You might also want to do a 180 and realize you don't invoke an EA just because you don't agree with a protest. Think about Trump freezing bank accounts when they protest his antics.

@BartSwarts @Keith_Edwards @cvangeyn No. They were funding illegal activity. The laws don’t change simply because you agree with the cause.

@Tinker07235497 @Keith_Edwards @cvangeyn You do see some major differences, I hope!

@Keith_Edwards @cvangeyn Freezing the assets of people funding illegal activity has long been part of the police playbook.

@disast3rpi3c3 @Brandon93Smith That's a tough one. If you really are interested in friendship with the guy, suggest meeting with him with a small group of friends instead of one on one. If he insists on being alone, he isn't interested in just being friends, so don't go.

@Brandon93Smith Also, if you’re just coming in to shit on me, I’m not going to respond. I’m looking for productive dialogue.

Bartending a first date. Both late 30’s. She’s very sweet, but clearly just giving the nice guy a chance. He’s so excited he can’t sit still. The date ends. She excuses herself to the bathroom, & hugs him bye. On her way out, she drops her number to another guy sitting at the end of the bar. Brutal scene out there. Poor dumbass is probably going to tell his mom about the big date.

@tjmussett @KeithDunneNL Why would society want to send a birthday card from Nfld to BC for a buck? How does that benefit society? If a physical card is that important, Grandma can pay for the true cost of delivery and save little Johnny some future taxes.

@KeithDunneNL It’s a service. A public service. The private for/profit sector cannot and will not send a birthday card from. Nfld to BC for about a buck. Better management is needed.

@DustyGrimmer @JBradshaw01 Now you're arguing some actual policy. I have no problem with that. It was your ridiculous statement that since they were somewhat conservative, they must have been poor students with a vendetta. It's that type of ridiculous statement that is repugnant and ineffective.

@BartSwarts @JBradshaw01 Also I assume that you don’t mind that they wasted $13M fighting the teachers in court for 11 years - it’s only money, right? Who cares. (They lost of course).

I get it, sick days should not be abused in any work place, but is this seriously the best approach to take while experiencing poor teacher recruitment and retention? #OntEd

@DustyGrimmer @JBradshaw01 Or... perhaps their more conservative nature thinks there needs to be more accountability and some fiscal responsibility. Perhaps they went through the public school system and realized that many teachers are simply unfit to teach. Perhaps they think they work for tax payers.

@JBradshaw01 When the BCLibs were in power here they waged a war on education. They called themselves Libs but were conservatives. Conservatives fight education at every opportunity. IMHO they did poorly in school & wreak revenge on teachers when they have the power.

@Helenreflects I agree with the concern. However, even those educated in the humanities fail to ask the vital question. Why is there an apparent revolt against intellectuals? Hubris is rampant. Agendas appear to trump science. I wonder if it isn't time for many people to look into a mirror.

@JeffCavanagh1 @cancivlib Interesting. I'm advocating no custody for repeat offenders of minor offenses. I'm advocating quick due process and better remand conditions for repeat offenders of serious crimes. Seems pretty reasonable to me. How is that a hate policy?

A charge is not a conviction. This proposal would send innocent people to jail for years for crimes they did not commit.

@wishfind @verymoisturized Hopefully, one day, you'll look back at that sentiment and realize you were wrong.

@verymoisturized You’re going to be really mad when you find out that sex is always transactional at some level

@PBisaillion Honorable mention must go to the Rose family. Pete had ten 200 hit seasons. Unfortunately, Jr. maxed out at one season played with 2 big hits.

@PBisaillion That is really impressive. I thought the Griffey's or Bond's may have done it. Griffey Sr's best was 189 and Jr's was 185. Bobby Bond had one 200 hit year, but Barry maxed at 181. That shows how hard that 200 hit mark really is.

@cancivlib I would include in that debate the issue of sentencing for violations that occur within a protest. Should the fact that an offense occurred in the act of protesting be a mitigating factor in sentencing?

@cancivlib The problem we all have is an agreement of what a "peaceful protest" is. Unfortunately, our personal interpretations seem to change based on whether or not we support the cause. Canadians need to debate and clarify this issue outside of the context of any particular protest.

Universities’ policies on protests should give an expansive and meaningful consideration to students’ fundamental rights and freedoms. This starts with presuming that peaceful protests are welcomed on campus and do not require preauthorization. 🔗👇 ccla.org/fundamental-fr…