Province of Quebec fines JW’s for showing a video at convention for not getting a classification on it’s content

[Lance]

We just had a country wide streaming of the zone visit to Canada branch. 
They mentioned during the program that in 2019 the Quebec Film board which is charged with classifying all films shown to the public..  so they have taken us to court twice now on this issue.

The article is on Radio Canada but all in French 

 

https://ici.radio-canada.ca/rci/fr/nouvelle/1989856/temoins-jehovah-loi-cinema-quebec?utm_source=copilot.com

Here is an AI translated synopsis..

Quebec attempted to prosecute Jehovah’s Witnesses for showing a religious video at their 2019 convention without submitting it to the province’s film‑classification authority.
The province argued that all films shown publicly—religious or not—must be classified first.

Jehovah’s Witnesses argued that this requirement violated their constitutional freedoms, since the videos were part of worship and religious instruction, not entertainment.

A Quebec court agreed with Jehovah’s Witnesses, ruling that the law unconstitutionally restricted freedom of religion, freedom of expression, and parental rights.
 

---

 Why Quebec Took Them to Court

The Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions charged the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Canada for:

• Showing The Story of Josiah at the 2019 Quebec City convention
• Without submitting it for age classification, as required by the Loi sur le cinéma (Quebec’s Cinema Act)

Penalties could have been up to $2,800 for a first offence and $14,000 for subsequent offences.

 

What the Court Decided

On May 30, 2023, the Court of Quebec ruled:

 The law did technically apply

Jehovah’s Witnesses had shown an unclassified film, so the offence occurred.

 But the law itself was unconstitutional as applied

The judge found that forcing a religious group to submit worship materials for government review:

• Imposes a “regime of censorship”
• Violates freedom of religion
• Violates freedom of expression
• Violates parental freedom to choose religious instruction for their children
Radio-Canada

Therefore, the law could not be enforced against them, and the charges were dismissed.

 

The government may appeal the last decision we shall see. 

Edited 15 hours ago by Lance

[Doug]

1 hour ago, Lance said:

in 2019 the Quebec Film board which is charged with classifying all films shown to the public..  so they have taken us to court twice now on this issue.

The Director of Criminal and Penal Prosecutions charged the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Canada for:

Showing The Story of Josiah at the 2019 Quebec City convention

On May 30, 2023, the Court of Quebec ruled:

The government may appeal the last decision we shall see. 

 

Lance , maybe you can clarify.  Have they taken us to court twice over the same "violation",  or have they taken us to court for two different "violations" ?

[Lance]

Yes twice over same violation.. it was appealed and the government lost twice.

[MJ1]

another chapter in Quebecs oppostion to the truth

[Sheep]

I remember seeing this story a couple of years ago. It must have been one of the earlier trials, which I suppose was appealed. It looks like the government didn't take the loss very well. 

 

6 hours ago, MJ1 said:

another chapter in Quebecs oppostion to the truth

 

It could be interpreted that way. When I first came to Quebec in 1987, there were still people alive at that time who had seen the persecution against Jehovah's Witnesses in the 1950s. Those opposers lost in The Supreme Court of Canada, and the Premier of Quebec was fined for trying to target us. I guess those ones left over in the 1980s wanted to continue where the others left off.

 

Since then though, I think all that generation of opposers died off. But yes, this is another chapter. Not the same opposers, but the same persecution.