Partrick on Blasphemy in Early Canada

Jeremy J. Patrick, a Ph.D. candidate at Osgoode Hall Law School, has posted Blasphemy in Pre-Criminal Code Canada: Two Sketches. Here is the abstract:

This article briefly explores the history of legal prohibitions on blasphemy in Pre-Criminal Code Canada by researching the documentary record of two specific time-periods: Quebec in the New France era and rural Ontario during the early 1800s. The article suggests that blasphemy prosecutions were relatively rare and that blasphemers were treated relatively leniently in light of the harsh punishments available.