MLA Kent Hehr: Mr. Speaker, the lack of any thought into Bill 44, not only with the inclusion of the parental opt-out clause but with the exclusion of extending protection for freedom of speech in this province, and the fact that section 3 of the act, which deals with freedom of speech, is not being amended back to the pre-1996 wording are just other examples of how this government has failed in its attempt to revitalize human rights in Alberta. To the Minister of Culture and Community Spirit: why has this minister chosen not to protect freedom of speech in Alberta?

MLA Lindsay Blackett: Well, Mr. Speaker, I don’t think free speech actually needs to be defended in Alberta. We have free speech every day. We have it in this Legislature. We have it in our schools. We have it in our homes. We have it in our communities. We’re doing nothing different. We have some concerns with respect to the recommendations for section 3 because we feel, our Progressive Conservative government, that we have to make sure that those individuals who are discriminated against, that the Human Rights Commission is supposed to protect, are protected against hate crimes. We’re not convinced that the provisions in the Canadian Criminal Code actually protect those. That’s the opposition’s response. That’s who they forget they should be representing. We represent all Albertans.

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MLA Kent Hehr: Well, thank you very much, Mr. Speaker. It’s kind of nice that the hon. minister did accept our recommendations for including sexual orientation. What the big print giveth, the small print taketh away sometimes, I’ve been warned. Will the minister commit to amending Bill 44 by returning to the pre-1996 wording of section 3, as recommended by the Sheldon Chumir foundation?

MLA Lindsay Blackett: Mr. Speaker, when our caucus is assured that visible minorities or people in our aboriginal communities can walk around freely without the fear of being exposed unduly to discrimination with respect to hate crimes and that the Criminal Code will not have a test that’s so exorbitant that we cannot get a charge laid or a conviction made because of it, then we’ll look at that. It’s our responsibility as a government to make sure that we take care of the less fortunate.