Witchcraft to be Legalized in Canada

Though historical moments like the Salem Witch Trials would suggest that witches (and any related witchcraft) are inherently evil, the fact remains that many people engage with the practice for the opposite reason: to try and gain some control over their surroundings — particularly those who may not have much control in the first place. One need look no further than cult-classic ’90s film The Craft to see that, as much as witchcraft can be used to incite harm, it can equally be used as a restorative channel for bonding. [1]

For better or worse, practicing witchcraft will no longer be considered a criminal offense in Canada, thanks to a new bill which seeks to update the country’s outdated Criminal Code. Section 365 mandated that it was illegal to “tell fortunes” or to “pretend to exercise or to use any kind of witchcraft, sorcery, enchantment or conjuration.” [6] However, after a 2012 National Post article referred to the section as a “distant descendant of Medieval English laws that sentenced accused witches to burn at the stake,” Canadian Prime Minister (and all-around internet bae) Justin Trudeau & Co. have brought the Criminal Code into the 21st century — effectively letting witches live their lives without fear of persecution. [1] Speaking to Broadly, Omar Ha-Redeye, a Toronto-based lawyer, said, “”The witchcraft provisions in the Criminal Code reflect a culture, perspective, and legal system of an entirely different era. They are reminiscent of a time when women who did not conform to societal norms were not only shunned, but penalized.” Thank god we’re moving past that. Bill C-51 will remove 20 criminal offenses, such as duelling, fraudulently practicing witchcraft, telling fortunes and publishing crime comics from Canada’s Criminal Code.­ [3] [4]

Several people in Canada have actually been charged under Section 365. However, the cases have all been for alleged instances of major fraud. In 2009, Vishwantee Persaud was charged with “pretending” to practice witchcraft when she was accused of defrauding a lawyer out of $27,000 by posing as the spirit of his dead sister. And in 2012, a man named Gustavo Valencia Gomez was arrested and charged for convincing a woman that she was cursed and charging her $14,000 to remove the curse. The witchcraft charges were dropped after Gomez agreed to pay restitution to the victim. [3]

The Canadian pagan community has spent time trying to get the law repealed. According to some blogs, people have feared that any valid practitioner could be risking arrest for simply doing tarot readings as long as the law is on the books. Now that the law is set to be repealed, witches can rest (on a bed of crystals) a little easier. [3]