Federal government introduces new Bill to combat hate crimes

Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Sean Fraser has introduced a bill to combat hate crimes.

The Combatting Hate Act 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.

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.