🚀 go-pugleaf

Justin Wells (rjwells@undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca) wrote:

: In response to all you American types who think it's such a great
: idea to break Canadian laws from America via. the net:

: What would happen if Canadians, and other non-Americans, started
: posting death threats to president@whitehouse.gov?  Clearly this is in
: violation of *American* law.. probably an outright death threat is in
: violation of Canadian law.. but there's no doubt some middle ground
: threat which is fine under Canadian law (what's a president?) but
: totally illegal in the U.S.A.?

MASSIVE Wrong-o, there, JW.

Your beloved Canada, I hope you're proud to know, is a more civilized
place that the USA in this particular respect.  They have a law against
threatening their president; we have laws against threatening ANYBODY.

Will all you clowns who love to fill the USENET with long diatribes
about legal matters PLEASE do just ten minutes of homework for ONCE?

Justin, check out the criminal code sections 423(1)b, or 424.
424 is particularly interesting, entitled  "Threats to commit offense
against internationally protected person".  It is normally used in
reference only to aircraft related offenses - its out little way of
nailing people who blow up airliners anywhere but happen to be in
Canada when they're caught, or did any of the dirty work in our borders.

Still, I can't help but wonder if we would choose to regard a friendly
head of state as "internationally protected", since the penalty is
much tougher (14 years) than if charged under 423.

BTW, I am NOT a lawyer, and the above is NOT legal advice.  I know
almost nothing about the law.  But I do have a  copy of the book
on hand, so I know more than you bothered to learn...

Now you know.  Don't threaten people when you're in Canada.  It isn't
nice, and we don't LIKE people who aren't nice.