Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is now considering unspecified actions to hamper free speech and silence hateful criticism, says the Liberal-friendly Toronto Star. According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) the Liberal government is prepared to “tackle any form of hate or threat” directed at Members of Parliament (MP). The hatred in question is the criticism being leveled at many Liberal MPs for supporting Motion M-103, which targets what the motion’s author sees as an epidemic of “Islamophobia” in Canada. The motion has been debated in Parliament and is expected to easily pass with the Liberal government’s majority in the House of Commons. The PMO cagily refused “to confirm or deny” the anticipated actions now being considered by the Trudeau cabinet but did acknowledge that the government is working on a plan to make an MP’s workplace safe from angry constituents.

“Every member of Parliament — and indeed, every Canadian — is entitled to work and live in an environment that is free of hate speech and the threat of violence,” PMO spokesman Cameron Ahmad wrote.

The concept of “hate speech” remains a controversial one in criminal law because it is subject to broad interpretation. “As always, we remain eager to work alongside MPs, including opposition members, to tackle any form of hate or threat to ensure all MPs and their staff are guaranteed a safe working environment,” Ahmad said.

Iqra Khalid, the Toronto-area Muslim MP who introduced the divisive “Islamophobia” motion without defining “Islamophobia,” told reporters last month that she received a lot of angry emails over her potential legislation. Someone even called her an “idiot” and “scumbag,” she reported. Another writer apparently promised not to shoot Khalid but said he was “going to be there to film you on the ground crying.”

Omar Alghabra, another Toronto-area MP who expressed enthusiasm for Khalid’s motion, suggested the government needs to stop hateful critics for the sake of staffers who have to read the noxious material.

“I’m the political candidate and I’m the representative, and I expect people will be saying sometimes tough things towards me, but I want to make sure that my staff who has maybe never seen this before . . . are protected, and know that everything is OK,” Alghabra said.

Alghabra dismissed criticism of Khalid’s motion as the work of people influenced by “misinformation and ignorance.”