Minister of Justice Sean Fraser introduced the Combatting Hate Act today. If passed, it will amend Canada’s criminal code to address rising incidences of hate crimes over the past few years.
Specifically, the proposed legislation will make it a crime to intimidate or obstruct people from accessing places such as schools, community centres, and places of worship that are associated with specifically identifiable groups of people.
The law will also attempt to more clearly define hate as a motivation for crimes and make it criminal to promote symbols of hatred.
These symbols include Nazi symbols and symbols associated with groups the government classifies as terrorists.
“We cannot ignore hate in our communities and expect that it will not fester,” said the minister at a press conference today.
“If we do not take action, we will be responsible for the hate that will continue to impact communities across this country.”
Responding to answers from the press, the minister clarified that “bubble zones,” which cities such as Toronto have codified as areas where protest is banned, will not be addressed by the legislation.
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