Carney government’s hate-crimes bill to ban display of terror and hate symbols

Posted on September 22, 2025 in Inclusion Policy Context

— Authors:

Thestar.Com – Politics/Federal
Sept. 19, 2025.   By Mark Ramzy, Ottawa Bureau

The Carney government will introduce a hate-crimes bill Friday that will include a ban on the intentional display of “hate” and “terror” symbols.

OTTAWA — The Carney government will introduce a hate-crimes bill Friday that will include a ban on the intentional display of “hate” and “terror” symbols, the Star has learned.

The ban will target symbols of government-designated terror groups and other hate symbols like Nazi imagery, a government source said Wednesday, although they stressed the law will make clear it only applies to cases where the display is meant to show “detestation” or “vilification” towards an identifiable groups, such as Jews, Muslims or members of the LGBTQ+ community.

The bill, the first in a slew of criminal justice reforms the government is tabling this fall, will also allow police to lay charges for “hate propaganda” without the approval of an attorney general, outlaw the “intimidation” or “obstruction” of places of worship and other community spaces, and codify hate in the Criminal Code, said the source, who requested anonymity to speak freely about the government’s plans.

It comes as the government attempts to respond to an increase in hate crimes in recent years, some of which have been linked to tensions over Israel’s war in Gaza. While some groups have long called for further crackdowns on hate crimes, civil liberties advocates have warned any such legislation could infringe on Canadians’ right to freedom of expression.

Justice Minister Sean Fraser said Supreme Court rulings on the matter will provide the right balance, and that he hopes the bill can be passed quickly, although it’s unclear if the government plans to fast-track it like it did with the contentious major projects’ bill this spring.

“Should parliamentarians wish to engage in a meaningful debate, I think it’s important that they’re given the opportunity to voice the concerns of their community, and I wouldn’t want to shortcut that process,” Fraser told reporters Wednesday morning.

“However, if everyone in the House accepts that this is the right path forward, I don’t see a need to delay unnecessarily when we know hate is such an important issue to address, given the preponderance of hate-oriented violence that we see, not just in our religious institutions but more broadly throughout our communities.”

In the U.K., where it is illegal to glorify terror, hundreds of activists have been arrested for sporting clothing or other symbols in support of “Palestine Action,” a group recently designated by the British government as a “terror group” after its members vandalized Royal Air Force aircraft.

The government source said the law would not outlaw such action in Canada, nor would it criminalize artistic or academic displays. It would, however, make it easier to add a hate-crime charge to an offence such as the recent vandalization of the National Holocaust Monument in Ottawa.

https://www.thestar.com/politics/federal/carney-governments-hate-crimes-bill-to-ban-display-of-terror-and-hate-symbols/article_7a607fb9-b138-4788-b2e8-77cb44483e29.html?source=newsletter&utm_content=a03&utm_source=ts_nl&utm_medium=email&utm_email=0C810E7AE4E7C3CEB3816076F6F9881B&utm_campaign=pol_hl_21507

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