#Arif Virani

[babakca]

One person Ace the Tax Protest at MP office. Toronto. May 2024.

[eretzyisrael]

by Dexter Van Zile

Somebody needs to tell the National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent nonprofit in the Great White North, that if you live by the witch-hunt, you die by the witch-hunt. Two years after the NCCM helped oust Collin May, a well-regarded lawyer and scholar, from his post as director of Alberta's Human Rights Commission on trumped-up charges of "Islamophobia," the organization was helpless to stop the ouster of Birju Dattani—a Muslim activist with a troubling history of promoting anti-Zionist propaganda on the internet—from his post on Canada's Human Rights Commission.

The controversy over Dattani's anti-Israel messaging began soon after the Trudeau government appointed Dattani director of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, a body charged with, among other things, investigating and sanctioning people who post mean and scary things on the internet. Soon after his appointment, which took place in late June, Dattani was accused of using X, then called Twitter, to promote an article comparing Israel to Nazi Germany and another equating the Palestinians to the Jews during the Holocaust.

Soon after the allegations came to light, Dattani apologized to Jewish organizations for the harm caused by the posts in question. It was to no avail. The revelations prompted a review of Dattani's background, announced by Canadian Justice Minister Arif Virani on July 24. Virani initiated the investigation after it became apparent that the Privy Council, the body charged with vetting Dattani's background, dropped the ball.

The National Council of Canadian Muslims (NCCM), a prominent Islamist organization, jumped to Dattani's defense, declaring that he was the victim of a witch-hunt "based on misinformation and poorly sourced allegations."

Unfortunately for the NCCM, the allegations against Dattani were largely confirmed by outside investigators, whose findings were released in mid-August. While speaking with investigators, Dattani claimed he promoted the offensive articles not because he agreed with them, but because he wanted his Twitter followers to see them.

The investigative report stated: "Mr. Dattani advised that the reason for this was that his understanding of 'Twitter ethics' were that one didn't 'comment' on the links that one was tweeting. A tweet, for him, was the equivalent of saying 'look at this' without comment."

But the tweets were only part of the problem, with Dattani admitting to investigators that, in early 2015, he unwittingly appeared on a panel in London that included a speaker from Hizb ut-Tahrir (HT). It's a troubling admission given that HT is a South Asian Islamist organization that seeks Israel's destruction as part of a larger campaign to establish a global caliphate.

To make matters worse, Dattani admitted to appearing on a panel with Moazzam Begg, a former detainee at Guantanamo Bay who was once "a confirmed member of Al-Qaeda" and, according to the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, "penned a book in which he freely admitted that he was a jihadist." Dattani appeared on these panels while using the pseudonym of Mujahid, which in some contexts, describes someone committed to a holy war, or jihad, on behalf of Islam.

[agp]

The federal government unveiled its long-awaited online harms bill, creating a new hate-crime offence that carries a penalty of life imprisonment in the most egregious cases, and requirements for tech platforms to remove child pornography within 24 hours.

The sweeping legislation, introduced in the Commons by Justice Minister Arif Virani, would make online platforms swiftly take down child-sexual-abuse material, as well as content that bullies or sexually victimizes children or induces a child to harm themselves. The platforms would also have to remove any sexual content posted without consent.

good thing so many people believe trans women are safe to show children and dont induce children to harm themselves by giving them big ideas just for existing around them

[allthecanadianpolitics]

Many in Canada’s legal community are expressing concern about how the overloaded court system could be affected by a Liberal bill that would make bail harder to access for some people facing criminal charges. Senators on a committee probing the legislation will enter the final phase of their study next week by going over the legislation clause by clause and suggesting amendments. Federal Justice Minister Arif Virani has encouraged the Senate to pass the bill quickly, saying the fact that all provincial and territorial governments pushed for the measures underlines their urgency. Police leaders also support the bill, saying these are much-needed reforms after a spate of high-profile killings by repeat violent offenders, who in some cases had been released on bail. But civil society groups and legal advocates representing people who are Black, Indigenous or otherwise marginalized say its measures could worsen the overrepresentation of such groups behind bars — something Liberals have promised to address — while failing to make communities any safer.

Continue Reading.

Tagging: @politicsofcanada

[sutrala]

(NaturalNews) The Canadian Conservative Party is set to introduce a new online harms bill designed to counter the Liberal government's existing legislation that...

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ICJP Legal Working Group for Canadian Accountability (ICJP LWGCA) has written a notice of intention to seek prosecution of Canadian government officials, for aiding and abetting war crimes in Gaza.

Prime Minister Trudeau is one of four Canadian politicians who have been issued with the notice.

Toronto, 16 November 2023 – The ICJP’s Legal Working Group for Canadian Accountability (ICJP LWGCA) has issued a notice to the Government of Canada of its intention to prosecute Canadian officials for their role in aiding and abetting Israel’s perpetration of war crimes.

The notice was issued to leading members of the Liberal government, including Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mélanie Joly, Minister of National Revenue Marie-Claude Bibeau, and Minister of Justice (Attorney General) Arif Virani.

The notice included a stark warning that Canadian government officials could be individually liable and face before the International Criminal Court if there is evidence they have aided and abetted Israeli war crimes and crimes against humanity (a violation of Article 25(3)(c) and (d) of the Rome Statute).

The initiative has been supported by numerous leading domestic and international organizations dedicated human rights, international law, peace and foreign policy.

To date over 11,000 people in Gaza have been killed by Israel’s military. Israel’s alleged international crimes include the withholding of humanitarian aide and safe passage, indiscriminately bombing civilians, and ethnic cleansing through a campaign of forced displacement of 1.5 million people. All of this has occurred while Israel has issued ominous statements indicative of a significant risk of genocide.

Despite this, the Canadian government has continued to pledge its steadfast support for Israel. It has also refused to halt arms exports, refused to take action to prevent the illegal recruitment of Canadian volunteers to assist Israel’s military, and refused to stop millions of dollars from being unlawfully sent by some Canadian organizations with charitable status to benefit Israel’s military.

ICJP LWGCA calls on the Government of Canada to end its complicity in war crimes by calling for a ceasefire, canceling all arms exports permits to Israel, prosecute those recruiting Canadian volunteers for Israel’s armed forces, and prevent Canadian charities from using donations to benefit Israel’s armed forces.

ICJP LWGCA continues to gather evidence in relation to the conduct of Canadian officials and intends to pursue all appropriate courses of action to ensure that those responsible for aiding and abetting war crimes are held accountable before the International Criminal Court and in other appropriate legal forums.

[terriwriting]

OTTAWA – With Conservative Premiers now freely using S. 33 to overrule any court ruling getting in the way of their agenda the federal government has announced plans to rename The Charter Of Rights & Freedoms to The Charter Of Long-Term Goals & General Guidelines “Now that the landmark Charter we have been celebrating and teaching students about for 30 years is basically a napkin with the words ‘please don’t’ written on it this seemed like the most appropriate course of action,” said Justice Minister Arif Virani. “At least this way people won’t get their hopes up that they still have rights that can’t be taken away at a moment’s notice.” ... “We look forward to rolling out The Charter Of Long-Term Goals and General Guidelines this fall, and we think law school students are going to have a lot of fun debating whether S. 7’s protections of life, liberty and security of the person is a goal or a guideline,” added Virani.

[catradioonline]

Transformative Change Ahead: Canada’s Black Justice Strategy Unveiled

Toronto – The Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada, has heralded a landmark moment in Canadian justice with the release of the external Steering Group’s Report: A Roadmap for Transformative Change: Canada’s Black Justice Strategy. This significant document outlines a comprehensive plan to combat systemic racism and discrimination within the country’s criminal…

[mgeist]

Virani’s Failed Human Rights Commission Choice: Why the Dattani Appointment Irreparably Harms both the Commission and Bill C-63

Justice Minister Arif Virani and the federal government spent years crafting Bill C-63, the Online Harms Act. After facing widespread criticism on the initial plans in 2021, the government consulted extensively before tabling a revised bill in February 2024 that ditched much of its previous thinking in favour of a more flexible “duty to act responsibly” for Internet platforms. Like many, I’ve…

[babakca]

Food Rent GAs up ! MP Office protest Toronto May 2024.

[cavenewstimes]

As Poilievre floats notwithstanding clause for bail reform, Virani critical

Justice Minister Arif Virani is coming out against Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre for suggesting he would use the notwithstanding clause for the first time at the federal level to get around court decisions on bail. Poilievre also said in that speech that he wants to bring in more consecutive instead of concurrent sentences — stacking sentences on top of each other rather than serving them…

[college-girl199328]

Federal Justice Minister Arif Virani said Thursday he has reservations about a suite of measures Alberta Premier Danielle Smith is about to introduce to curb access to certain transgender health services for kids and ban gender-diverse people from some sporting events. Speaking to reporters on Parliament Hill, Virani said Smith's promised measures amount to "targeting and demonizing" trans children.

Asked if he plans to pursue a legal challenge, Virani pointed out that the province hasn't enacted the measures yet. Health Minister Mark Holland said he's "deeply disturbed" by the province's plan, which he said will put children at risk.

A spokesperson for Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre told CBC News the party has no comment on what Smith is doing in Alberta. A majority of Conservative Party delegates at a recent policy convention endorsed adding similar measures to their policy book.

Most of the federal Tories (69 percent) at the Quebec City meeting agreed that young people should be barred from gender-affirming care.

Delegates also supported a policy that calls for single-sex spaces that are open only to women, along with other trans-related initiatives that have been called discriminatory by some.

The Liberals' reaction comes a day after Smith took to social media to announce her plan to "preserve for our children the right to grow and develop into mature adults" and block them from making "permanent and irreversible decisions regarding one's biological sex."

The proposed policies include banning so-called "top" and "bottom" surgeries for minors aged 17 and under and restricting puberty blockers and hormone therapy for children 15 and under. The sorts of surgeries Smith is promising to ban are rarely available to children in Canada.

According to the World Professional Association of Transgender Health (WPATH)'s standards of care — which are followed by clinics like Montreal's GrS, where many such surgeries are performed — a person must reach the age of majority (18 in most provinces) before being allowed to undergo gender reassignment surgery. Some exceptions are made for top surgery (mastectomy) for kids 16 and over. Puberty blockers are hormone-suppressing agents that pause the progression of puberty for as long as people are on them. They are sometimes prescribed for younger children after consulting with a doctor. They may be combined with hormone therapies, some of which could have long-term, irreversible effects.

Smith said teachers will need to get third-party instruction material on gender identity, sexual orientation, and human sexuality approved by the province before using them in the classroom, and parents will have to opt students into every classroom discussion of sex education, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Parents are allowed to opt out of such classroom discussions now. Minors aged 15 and under will also need parental consent to change the names and pronouns they use at school.

Kids aged 16 and 17 will need to notify their parents of such a change, but they don't need their consent to use the names or pronouns they choose. The new policy also bans transgender women from competing in women's sports leagues. Smith suggested these trans athletes could instead be accommodated in "coed" or "gender neutral" sports divisions.

While the new policies would restrict what transgender children can do, Smith said she cares "deeply" about gender diversity and supports the right of adults to pursue transgender care.

She also vowed to recruit at least one medical professional who specializes in transgender surgery to practice in Alberta so people don't have to travel to other jurisdictions like Quebec. Holland said Smith's moves are "dangerous" and accused her of "playing politics with children's lives."

Women and Gender Equality Minister Marci Ien called the Alberta measures "reprehensible." She said she was disturbed by Smith's video, in which she featured the premier speaking in soft tones over "spa-like" background music as she announced a plan to restrict rights.

Ien sought to tie the measures to Smith's recent meeting with conservative TV personality Tucker Carlson, who visited Alberta last week and made a homophobic joke about the prime minister.

Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault, a gay man who represents Edmonton in the House of Commons, said he spent the night on the phone consoling trans kids who are worried about what these changes could mean for them. He said there's a pervasive fear among some trans kids that their classmates will "out" them to teachers and parents before they're comfortable with revealing their sexual identity.

Boissonault also raised the possibility of clawing back federal health transfers to Alberta to send a message that the changes won't fly.

While Smith's plan was condemned by Liberals in Ottawa, it earned the praise of the Campaign Life Coalition, a social conservative group that has derided same-sex marriage and has campaigned to limit abortion access.

Egale Canada and the Stepping Stone Foundation, two LGBTQ groups, issued a joint statement vowing legal action if the policies are enacted.

They accused Smith of playing politics with "some of the most vulnerable members of our society: trans and gender diverse youth."

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association (CCLA), which is challenging New Brunswick's trans-related measures in the courts, called the policies "a clear and blatant attack on freedom" and promised to fight them.

[vondehnvisuals]

A Letter to Canada's Minister of Justice and Attorney General, Arif Virani Regarding Criminal Conduct of Court Judge, Marc E. Smith

Yeah, just another day at the office for Canada’s corrupt State Actors. Here’s My Letter to Arif Virani regarding Marc E. Smith’s decision to aid and abet insurance fraud, theft of Estate property, and trespass upon a Testamentary Instrument on Record with Canada’s Minister of Justice. Clown Courts suggesting they represent the CROWN? Wonder what King Charles is thing King of all this – I’m sure…

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“We express our deep regret towards the non-constructive position of Canada against the rights of the Palestinian people,” Ahmed Moharam, the Egyptian delegate, told Justice Minister Arif Virani. “[We recommend] that Canada strengthen the policies to support the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.”

[shahananasrin-blog]

[ad_1] A "blunt instrument" like the notwithstanding clause has no place in the debate over what parents are entitled to know from schools about their child's gender identity, Canada's justice minister said Thursday. Justice Minister Arif Virani said as a father of two, he understands the desire for parents to be involved in the big decisions their children make. "What I don't appreciate is having the insertion of a blunt instrument like the notwithstanding clause into that equation," he said Thursday in a brief interview while at the Liberal caucus retreat in London, Ont. "I don't think that is appropriate." Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe said in an interview Wednesday that he is ready to use the notwithstanding clause to protect a new education rule in his province. The policy, which took effect when the school year began, requires teachers to get parental permission in order for transgender and nonbinary students under 16 to use different names or pronouns at school. After a court challenge was launched against the new rule, the Saskatchewan Party government announced a plan to enshrine it in legislation to be introduced this fall. Moe confirmed on Wednesday that he is considering using the notwithstanding clause -- the provision in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms that allows federal, provincial and territorial governments to pass laws that override certain Charter rights for up to five years -- to do so. Moe said the notwithstanding clause is "but one of the tools" his government could use to keep the policy in place. "But you can have the assurance that the government will utilize any and all tools available, up to and including the notwithstanding clause, should it be necessary to ensure this policy is in place for the foreseeable future in Saskatchewan," Moe said. Virani said he joins others in the Liberal government in being concerned about premiers invoking the clause pre-emptively, as was done in recent years by premiers in Quebec and Ontario, effectively cutting off any Charter challenges. "We just have a policy that hasn't even been codified into law," he said of Saskatchewan's case. "Let's let those processes run their course." The UR Pride Centre for Sexuality and Gender Diversity at the University of Regina, which offers services to gender-diverse individuals around the provincial capital, is the group challenging Saskatchewan's policy in court. Egale Canada, a national organization that advocates for LGBTQ+ rights, is co-counsel in the case. A judge recently granted the government's request for more time to prepare to argue the constitutionality of the policy but said an injunction hearing will proceed next week as scheduled. Bennett Jensen, the legal director at Egale, has said he hopes no province invokes the notwithstanding clause for such a policy. "That would require a government saying that they are using the notwithstanding clause in order to intentionally, knowingly violate the Charter rights of children, which strikes me as wholly unconscionable for a government to do," Jensen said in a recent interview, before Moe confirmed the notwithstanding clause is being considered. Jensen said Egale Canada may seek intervener status in the case against the similar policy brought in by New Brunswick Progressive Conservative Premier Blaine Higgs. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association is spearheading that legal challenge. Jensen argues the Saskatchewan government is violating the Charter rights to equality as well as the "right to life, liberty and security of the person." He said the main reason his organization got involved is due to the degree of harm a young student could face if they were "outed" to their parents, "no matter the consequences." A landmark 2018 study published in the Journal of Adolescent Health found transgender youth who are able to use their preferred names and pronouns reported a 34 per cent drop in suicidal thoughts and a 65 per cent decrease in suicide attempts. "It's really important that we get clear court direction about how the rights of gender-diverse students operate in this context, and my hope is that this guidance can then be brought to premiers of other provinces … who are seeking to pursue similar policies," Jensen said. Moe has said the change was made at the request of parents in the province and the government is leaving it up to its 27 school divisions to develop implementation plans. He also said he believes that will address the concerns that some students may not feel safe having their parents informed of their gender identity. "The notwithstanding clause is present for a reason -- so that duly elected governments can represent their constituents when necessary," he said. Manitoba Progressive Conservative Leader Heather Stefanson has promised that if re-elected, her government would enhance "parental rights" when it comes to the curriculum and presentations by outside groups at schools. Ontario has stopped short of introducing any policy changes but Premier Doug Ford told a crowd last week that school boards and teachers should not be "indoctrinating" students, language that has been used by anti-LGBTQ+ groups. University of New Brunswick law professor Kerri Froc said discrimination against transgender people is well-documented. She believes that courts dealing with these cases will have to decide whether limiting someone's equality rights is justified by the intent behind the policies. "The court likes to see some safeguards built in, a carefully tailored policy that is cognizant of the various rights that are at issue and make some allowances," she said. She said there has been a "sea change" in the country, with provincial leaders using the notwithstanding clause more frequently, even though it was designed to be a measure of last resort. "There seems to be a real -- by populist governments -- a real kind of hostility to the Charter in terms of setting up courts as the bad guys that are appointed, not elected." The last time Saskatchewan invoked the notwithstanding clause was in 2017 in response to a court ruling that said it was unconstitutional for the province to keep paying for non-Catholic students to attend Catholic schools. [ad_2]