Ottawa open to amending hate crime bill to cover other groups: minister
Global News
Bill C-9 criminalizes the wilful display of symbols associated with listed foreign terrorist organizations, which senators noted does not cover other hate groups.
Justice Minister Sean Fraser said he would be open to amending federal hate crime legislation to outlaw other “hateful” displays of symbols by groups not currently covered by the bill, including the Ku Klux Klan.
Bill C-9, introduced in the House of Commons in September, makes it a crime to publicly display symbols associated with listed foreign terrorist organizations as well as the Nazi swastika and SS bolts, for the purpose of wilfully promoting hate. The new penalty would carry a maximum sentence of two years in prison.
During an appearance by Fraser at Wednesday’s Senate question period, independent Sen. Paula Simons noted the list of terrorist entities does not include notable hate groups like the KKK, “which would mean that displaying a burning cross or a noose would not be captured by” the bill.
The senator said the terrorist list — which includes anti-Israel groups like Hamas and Hezbollah — was being used as a “proxy” for hate groups in the legislation while ignoring other hateful organizations.
Fraser said the government opted to limit the definition of a hateful symbol in the new bill to “certain objective criteria” like the foreign terrorism entity list “to ensure this is not subject to the political whims of the government of the day.”
If additional groups are added to the terrorism list by independent decisions from the public safety minister, those changes would be reflected in the hate crime bill, he added.
“This is something that I don’t intend to be dogmatic about,” the minister told the senators.
“Should parliamentarians determine that there is a better path forward, please know that I would accept those recommendations in good faith.”
In a post on his LinkedIn account, Simon Donner says he resigned on Tuesday and he is grateful for the opportunity to help shape climate policy in Canada.
The development charges can vary greatly from city to city, the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation report found.
The three leaders will be in Washington, D.C., for the FIFA World Cup draw, marking the first time they will be in the same room together.
Flu season has arrived early, with CHEO reporting eight times more cases than last year as hospitals warn of rising infections among children and seniors.
Nova Scotia’s largest utility is responding to a stinging letter from Premier Tim Houston by insisting it hasn't broken any laws.
A British Columbia Liberal MP said Prime Minister Mark Carney "will have to answer" questions on why he reversed a budget commitment on tax credits in Alberta energy deal.
AFN Chief Cindy Woodhouse Nepinak has said Budget 2025 failed First Nations because it did not include more infrastructure funding and educational resources for their communities.
Conservation officers in B.C. say they've captured four more grizzly bears that are being tested to determine if they were involved in an attack on a school group last month.
Joshua Wright says a yellow cedar tree he photographed last year was "incredible," the largest he'd ever seen in a decade of hiking around Vancouver Island.
Canadians could face grocery bills up to $1,000 higher in 2026 as food prices rise 4-6 per cent, with restaurants and meat seeing the biggest jumps.
Despite a growing homelessness problem in the South Okanagan city, council voted 4-2 against the project and the millions of provincial dollars that would come along with it.
Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon told a House of Commons committee the updated strategy will come next year, after saying in the fall it would come this year.
Reports emerged this week of U.S. government procurement plans to order 20 Senator vehicles for its ICE officers, a move worth roughly $10 million.