There is a horrifying rise in hate crimes in our communities, and Canada will not tolerate anyone being made to feel afraid because of who they are, how they worship, or where they gather. Rising antisemitism, Islamophobia, homophobia and transphobia have left too many people feeling unsafe in their own communities.
To address this rise in hate, the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, the Honourable Sean Fraser, today introduced the Combatting Hate Act. The legislation would amend the Criminal Code to:
- Make it a crime to intimidate and obstruct people from accessing places of worship, as well as schools, community centres and other places primarily used by an identifiable group;
- Make hate motivated crime a specific offence, ensuring such conduct is more clearly denounced and that offenders are held accountable; and
- Make it a crime to wilfully promote hatred against an identifiable group by displaying certain terrorism or hate symbols in public.
The proposed changes respect Canadians' Charter freedoms of expression and peaceful assembly, and would not unreasonably impact the freedom to protest, or voice concerns peacefully. It targets criminal behaviour that intimidates or obstructs access to community spaces, making clear where the line is drawn.
In addition, changes to the Criminal Code would codify a definition of "hatred" to clarify when conduct constitutes a hate crime. Finally, the law would streamline the process to lay hate propaganda charges by removing the requirement to obtain the Attorney General's consent. By removing this step, law enforcement would be able to act quickly to counter hate speech and protect communities.
A strong Canada means strong protections for our communities and a Criminal Code that responds to emerging threats, protects victims of crime, and keeps our kids safe. This is the next in a series of crime and justice reforms the Government of Canada will bring forward in the weeks and months ahead to strengthen community safety and Canada's justice system.
