Padlock Law
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In Quebec, on March 24, 1937, the Union Nationale government of Maurice Duplessis passed the Padlock Law, which permitted closing any premises suspected of producing or distributing communist propaganda.
The law was ill-defined, denied the presumption of innocence, and clearly denied the right of freedom of speech to individuals. While it was applied frequently against a range of radical leftist groups, allegations that Duplessis used it against political opponents and groups considered undesirable, such as the Jehovah's Witnesses are incorrect. The authorities used a different regulation to attack Jehovah's Witnesses. In 1957, the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the law as unconstitutional.
External links
- Documents on the Padlock Law from Marianopolis College (http://www2.marianopolis.edu/quebechistory/docs/LoiduCadenas-PadlockLaw-MauriceDuplessis-QuebecHistory.htm)