OTTAWA — The Liberal government has announced a new bill that would add four hate-related crimes to Canada’s Criminal Code.
Justice Minister Sean Fraser said the bill is designed to better protect people and religious institutions. It would create new crimes for blocking or threatening religious groups and make it illegal to promote hate using certain symbols.
The ban would cover two Nazi symbols — the swastika and the SS bolts — as well as symbols linked to recognized terrorist groups.
Fraser also said the bill would create a new type of hate crime charge. This charge could be added to existing crimes if the offence was motivated by hate toward the victim.
He shared details of the bill at a press conference before the full text was released to reporters.
