OTTAWA — The Carney government plans to introduce a new hate-crimes bill on Friday that will ban the intentional display of “hate” and “terror” symbols, according to the Star.
A government source said Wednesday the ban would target symbols of terrorist groups named by the government and other hate images like Nazi symbols. They stressed the law will only apply when someone displays these symbols to show hatred or to insult an identifiable group, such as Jews, Muslims, or LGBTQ+ people.
This bill is the first in a series of criminal justice changes coming this fall. It will also let police lay “hate propaganda” charges without first getting permission from an attorney general. In addition, it will make it illegal to intimidate or block access to places of worship or community spaces, and it will officially define hate in Canada’s Criminal Code.
The government says the bill responds to a rise in hate crimes in recent years, some linked to tensions over Israel’s war in Gaza. While some groups have long pushed for tougher hate-crime laws, civil liberties advocates warn the new rules could harm free speech rights.
Justice Minister Sean Fraser said past Supreme Court decisions will help balance free expression with protection against hate. He hopes the bill will pass quickly but said Parliament should have time to debate it.
“If parliamentarians want meaningful debate, they should have the chance to share their community’s concerns,” Fraser told reporters Wednesday. “But if everyone agrees this is the right move, we shouldn’t delay, especially when hate-related violence is such a serious problem in our communities.”
In the U.K., where glorifying terrorism is illegal, hundreds of activists have been arrested for wearing clothes or showing symbols linked to “Palestine Action,” a group declared a terror organization after members vandalized Royal Air Force planes.
The government source said Canada’s law would not ban that type of protest here, nor would it criminalize art or academic work. But it would make it easier to add hate-crime charges to crimes like the recent vandalism of Ottawa’s National Holocaust Monument.
