May 25, 2010

Canada’s surprising anti-witchcraft and anti-sorcery law

At times, Canada can be properly regarded as a bastion of leftish, “progressive” political correctness. However, at other times, it remains stubbornly traditional and even “Tory”. For example, these days there is a campaign led by alternative religious groups to repeal the country’s anti-witchcraft law, one of the few left on the books in any Western nation.

Section 365 of the Criminal Code of Canada makes it an “offence punishable on summary conviction” to pretend “to exercise or to use any kind of witchcraft, sorcery, enchantment or conjuration”. In effect, the “occult or crafty science” (words from the statute) is banned. Needless to say, there are few if any prosecutions, and some claim the law is an unenforceable dead letter.

Canada’s Criminal Code also continues to make blasphemous libel a crime, and indeed a vast (and unknown) number of ancient English statutes also remain in force in the country — even if they have been repealed in the UK in recent decades. Contrary to popular opinion, Canada is not an officially secular state, and even the Constitution Act, 1982 begins with the words “Whereas Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God and the rule of law”…

Anyway, if you’re up to anything “occult or crafty” in the dark of night, don’t be surprised if a stern but polite Mountie knocks at your door to arrest you.