B.C. MLA launches private prosecution of Samidoun organizer, alleging terrorism
Police arrested Charlotte Kates and recommended she be charged with willful promotion of hatred and public incitement of hatred for an April 29, 2024, speech at the Vancouver Art Gallery in which she praised the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel as 'heroic and brave' and led a crowd in a chant of 'Long live Oct. 7.'
Kates is the international director of the Samidoun Palestinian Prisoner Solidarity Network, which was listed as a terrorist entity last October, after it held a rally where people chanted 'death to Canada' and burned the Canadian flag in Vancouver.
With nearly a year and a half after Kates' initial comments, Jewish groups have been asking why it has taken so long for the BC Prosecution Service to decide whether to proceed with charges.
Story continues below advertisement
2:14
Questions about no decision on hate related charges against Charlotte Kates
On Wednesday, OneBC party Leader Dallas Brodie announced she would file a private prosecution against Kates.
'This is a citizen's right. I will be laying the information in the courthouse behind me, setting out the reasonable grounds on which I believe the Charlotte Kates ought to be prosecuted for terrorism, offences against our Criminal Code,' Brodie said outside the Vancouver Provincial Court.
Get daily National news
Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
Kates' legal counsel could not be reached for comment on Brodie's action.
'I do believe it'll be successful because the government, I believe, the justice system will work this time, just nobody's done it. This needs to come forward and I believe with all my heart it will be successful,' Brodie said.
One legal expert, however, disagrees.
Story continues below advertisement
Former Crown prosecutor Rob Dhanu, K.C., who is not involved with the case, said the right to lay a private prosecution is a critical safeguard in the legal system, and that anyone can file one if they believe there are reasonable grounds to believe a crime has occurred.
1:58
Police raid Vancouver home of international coordinator of declared terrorist group
But he said the process comes with several key hurdles that Brodie's attempt is unlikely to clear.
'Ultimately at the end of the day, this is political theatre, and it has even less chance of succeeding than a snowball's chance in hell,' he said.
Brodie's first challenge will come when she appears before a judge for an initial hearing detailing her case, Dhanu said, which would include the fact that there has already been a police investigation and that the question of charges is currently sitting before prosecutors.
Story continues below advertisement
'Most likely when the judge hears that the Crown is investigating at this stage and has not made a decision, she would fail at that first step,' he said.
Even if the case cleared that hurdle, he said it would unlikely clear a subsequent and more thorough hearing, or the third step at which point the Crown can take over the case and drop it if it wishes.
2:20
Iran gives human rights award to B.C. activist
But while he said the case may be 'political theatre,' Brodie may fail in the actual prosecution while succeeding in her larger goal.
'The one benefit here in terms of Ms. Brodie's perspective is that it will at least shine a spotlight on the government's inaction and then maybe that will spur them to take the next step,' he said.
B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma was not made available for an interview on Wednesday.
Story continues below advertisement
In a statement, she said that the terrorism charges Brodie was proposing appear to fall under federal jurisdiction.
On the matter of VPD's recommended hate crime charges, her ministry deferred questions to the BC Prosecution Service 'to ensure prosecutorial and judicial independence from the Ministry.'
The BC Prosecution Service would only say the 'matter remains under charge assessment' and would not provide a timeline for completion.
It acknowledged it had received a copy of Brodie's private action and was 'reviewing the document.'
Brodie, meanwhile, said she was expecting a call in 60 days to set a date for a hearing with a judge.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Toronto Sun
an hour ago
- Toronto Sun
Saskatchewan Premier Moe, federal minister to meet on China canola tariff
Published Aug 21, 2025 • 1 minute read Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe holds a press conference after the first ministers' meeting at TCU Place in Saskatoon, Sask. on Monday, June 2, 2025. Photo by Michelle Berg / Postmedia Network SASKATOON — Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe is set to meet today with federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald, along with industry groups, to discuss the steep Chinese tariff on Canadian canola seed. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. SUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Subscribe now to read the latest news in your city and across Canada. Unlimited online access to articles from across Canada with one account. Get exclusive access to the Toronto Sun ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment on. Enjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalists. Support local journalists and the next generation of journalists. Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword. REGISTER / SIGN IN TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account. Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments. Enjoy additional articles per month. Get email updates from your favourite authors. THIS ARTICLE IS FREE TO READ REGISTER TO UNLOCK. Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience. Access articles from across Canada with one account Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments Enjoy additional articles per month Get email updates from your favourite authors Don't have an account? Create Account Kody Blois, the parliamentary secretary for Prime Minister Mark Carney, and Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Daryl Harrison are also to attend the meeting in Saskatoon. A press conference is scheduled following the discussion. China imposed the tariff of nearly 76 per cent last week, causing the price of one of Canada's most valuable crops to fall and wiping out millions of dollars in its value. It comes one year after China launched an anti-dumping investigation into Canadian canola, a move in response to Canada's 100 per cent tariff on Chinese electric vehicles. Farmers and Ottawa have rejected the dumping claim, saying exporters have followed rules-based trade. Read More Sunshine Girls Sunshine Girls Columnists Toronto Maple Leafs Toronto & GTA
Calgary Herald
an hour ago
- Calgary Herald
Varcoe: Alberta premier says Canada's EV tariff should be 'reconsidered' amid canola trade dispute with China
As Canada's agriculture minister is set to talk Thursday with canola industry leaders and Saskatchewan's premier about tariffs from China, Alberta Premier Danielle Smith says farmers sideswiped by the growing trade dispute will need federal help. Article content Smith also thinks the root cause of China's anti-dumping duties imposed on Canadian canola seed last week — Ottawa placing a 100 per cent tariff on Chinese-made electric vehicles last year — needs to be reassessed. Article content Article content Article content 'We will have to see the same kind of measures for canola and maybe even pork that we've seen for steel and aluminum workers . . . that there's some kind of transition allowance to be able to assist them with their income, but also potentially assist in finding new markets,' Smith said in an interview. Article content Article content 'With canola in particular, we also know that it's retaliation for the 100 per cent EV tax. And it seems to me that the federal government needs to work on that.' Article content Prime Minister Mark Carney said last week on social media that he's spoken with Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe about options to support canola growers facing tariffs from China. Article content Moe is expected to host a meeting, both virtually and in person in Saskatoon, with federal Agriculture Minister Heath MacDonald, canola sector leaders, and Kody Blois, parliamentary secretary to the prime minister, to discuss Canada's response to the tariffs. Article content The federal government announced last August it was placing a 100 per cent surcharge on Chinese-made electric vehicles, following a similar move by the United States, and imposed a 25 per cent levy on aluminum and steel imports from China. Article content Earlier this spring, China responded by putting a 100 per cent tariff on Canadian canola meal, canola oil and peas, and smaller tariffs on pork and seafood imports. Article content Last week, China began imposing preliminary anti-dumping duties of 75.8 per cent on canola seed imported from Canada, although the federal government and industry groups reject the accusation that the product is being dumped into China. Article content Canadian canola producers feel like they're caught up in the crossfire of a trade conflict that they've got no control over, saying they require federal assistance. Article content 'They need to stand behind us. We can't be the front-line warriors on this,' said Alberta Canola Producers Commission chair Andre Harpe, who farms northwest of Grande Prairie. Article content Last year, China was the second-largest market for Canadian canola, trailing only the United States, with exports reaching $4.9 billion, according to the Canola Council of Canada. Article content Smith said the Carney government needs to work 'just as hard on trying to find a pathway to some kind of restored trade ties with China' as it is with the United States. Article content 'It makes no sense to have a punitive tax to protect an industry that doesn't yet exist in Canada, which is the EV vehicle industry, at the same time as we're getting punished on canola and pork, which are products the world wants and needs, including China. So I think that that approach has to be reconsidered,' the premier said this week. Article content 'This particular problem has a very particular solution. It's reassessing whether that 100 per cent electric vehicle tax makes sense. And if it doesn't, if there are other things that we can do to show alignment with the United States, then let's do it.' Article content Article content The federal government has faced pointed criticism for its trade approach and lack of response to helping farmers deal with the trade action by China. Article content Speaking to reporters Wednesday, Saskatchewan's premier noted the canola sector employs over 200,000 Canadians and said he intends to invite the prime minister to travel with him to China in the coming weeks to seek ways to resolve the dispute. Article content Article content Moe will host a round table meeting with canola industry leaders, exporters and the federal agriculture minister Thursday to discuss next steps. Article content 'The prime minister has been engaged on this file,' Moe said. 'What we're asking for is (the prime minister) to up the priority and up the intensity of that engagement, not only from his ministers, but from him as well.' Article content Talking with Beijing to find a way out of this mess is an obvious step, but Canada has to ensure its trade policies retain critical access to the large U.S. market. Article content Ottawa also needs to come up with a plan to compensate producers and others in the canola industry hammered by a loss of income, similar to aid its provided other sectors. For example, earlier this month the federal government announced $700 million in loan guarantees and $500 million for market diversification efforts for the lumber sector. Article content 'We need the federal government to intensify their efforts and levels of engagement with China to work to resolve these trade issues,' said Canola Council of Canada CEO Chris Davison, whose group will be at Thursday's meeting. Article content 'There is, and likely will be, a need for support for the industry, starting across the value chain — and that starts at the farm gate.' Article content Harpe said it's unclear what the financial impact will be from losing access to the massive Chinese market, as it will depend on duration of the dispute.
Globe and Mail
2 hours ago
- Globe and Mail
Israel bombards Gaza City overnight ahead of planned offensive
The Israeli military maintained its pressure on Gaza City with heavy bombardments overnight, residents said, ahead of a Thursday meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his ministers on plans to seize the enclave's largest city. The military a day earlier called up 60,000 reservists in a sign that the government was pressing ahead with the plan, despite international condemnation. However, one military official said that most reservists would not serve in combat and that the strategy to take Gaza City had not yet been finalized. Calling up tens of thousands of reservists is also likely to take weeks, giving time for mediators to attempt to bridge gaps over a new temporary ceasefire proposal that Hamas has accepted, but the Israeli government is yet to officially respond to. The proposal calls for a 60-day ceasefire and the release of 10 living hostages being held in Gaza by Hamas militants and of 18 bodies. In turn, Israel would release about 200 long-serving Palestinian prisoners held by Israel. As Israel orders evacuations in Gaza City, Palestinians have nowhere safe to go What to know about Israel's Gaza offensive as 60,000 reservists set to be mobilized The Israeli government has restated that all of the remaining 50 hostages held by militants in Gaza must be released at once. Israeli officials believe that around 20 of them are still alive. Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with some cabinet ministers on Thursday to discuss his plan to seize Gaza City, according to Haaretz and other Israeli media, without giving more details. The plan was approved this month by the security cabinet, which he chairs, even though many of Israel's closest allies have urged the government to reconsider. Netanyahu is under pressure from some far-right members of his coalition to reject a temporary ceasefire and instead to continue the war and pursue the annexation of the territory. In Gaza City, thousands of Palestinians have left their homes as Israeli forces have escalated shelling on the Sabra and Tuffah neighbourhoods. Some families have left for shelters along the coast, while others have moved to central and southern parts of the enclave, according to residents there. 'We are facing a bitter-bitter situation, to die at home or leave and die somewhere else, as long as this war continues, survival is uncertain,' said Rabah Abu Elias, 67, a father of seven. 'In the news, they speak about a possible truce, on the ground, we only hear explosions and see deaths. To leave Gaza City or not isn't an easy decision to make,' he told Reuters by phone. Israeli tanks have been edging closer to densely populated Gaza City over the past ten days. Israeli officials have said evacuation notices would be issued to Palestinians there before the military moves in. Two more people have died of starvation and malnutrition in Gaza in the past 24 hours, the territory's health ministry said on Thursday. The new deaths raised the number of Palestinians who have died from such causes to 271, including 112 children, since the war began. Israel disputes malnutrition and starvation figures posted by the Gaza health ministry.
