Canada’s federal government has unveiled sweeping new legislation aimed at tackling the persistent and, by many accounts, rising tide of hate crimes across the country. On September 19, 2025, Justice Minister Sean Fraser stood before reporters in Ottawa to introduce the Combatting Hate Act, marking the first major legislative initiative of the fall parliamentary session. The bill seeks to amend the Criminal Code in several significant ways, including outlawing the promotion of hateful symbols, strengthening protections for religious and community spaces, and streamlining the prosecution of hate-related offences.
“One of the great promises of Canada is the ability of our citizens to live freely in their communities, regardless of the colour of their skin, the god they pray to, or the person that they love,” Fraser told reporters, as quoted by Global News. “Sadly, too many Canadians are robbed of these freedoms that so many of us take for granted. Frankly, the prevalence of hate crimes in this country that steal those freedoms are something that should shock the conscience of every Canadian.”
The announcement comes at a time when hate-motivated incidents are a growing concern for law enforcement and communities alike. According to Statistics Canada, police reported 4,882 hate crimes in 2024, up slightly from 4,828 the previous year. Of these, attacks against Jewish people made up the largest share of crimes targeting religious groups, with 920 incidents reported. The data also shows that hate crimes targeting Muslim populations accounted for 17% of religion-based hate crimes, while Black Canadians have been the most frequently targeted group for hate crimes motivated by race or ethnicity since 2020, representing 37% of such incidents in 2024.
The new legislation proposes four distinct criminal offences. Chief among them is the creation of a specific hate crime offence—applied when a crime is committed due to hatred toward the victim’s identity. This charge could result in offenders facing the maximum sentence for the underlying crime, including life imprisonment in the most severe cases. Fraser likened this new charge to an “aggravating factor” that amplifies the seriousness of an offence when motivated by hate. “If a person robs a store because the owner comes from a particular group, or if a person commits harassment against someone who is seeking to attend university classes merely because they belong to a particular community of faith or race, this behavior is not just morally culpable,” Fraser explained. “The impact has reverberations through the entirety of a community, and I would argue tears at the seams of the social fabric of the nation.”
The bill also introduces separate offences for intimidating or obstructing access to places of worship, schools, community centres, and certain cemeteries—spaces identified as primarily serving identifiable groups. Conviction on these charges could result in up to 10 years in prison. Notably, the legislation does not establish “bubble zones” (protest-free areas) around these institutions, leaving those decisions to provinces and municipalities. “Bubble zone” laws, as the Department of Justice Canada points out, are already in place in some provinces and municipalities to protect access to abortion clinics and certain community facilities.
Another headline provision of the bill is its prohibition on the willful promotion of hatred by publicly displaying certain hateful or terrorist symbols. The Nazi swastika is specifically named, along with symbols associated with listed terrorist organizations and any symbols likely to be confused with them. Offenders could face up to two years in prison for violating this section. However, the legislation is careful to carve out exceptions for legitimate uses in journalism, education, art, or good faith displays intended to raise awareness of the harm such symbols can cause. “It’s not a blanket ban on particular symbols,” Fraser clarified. “It is a new offense that deals with the willful promotion of hate through the use of those symbols.”
Questions have already arisen about how law enforcement and prosecutors will draw the line between legitimate protest or expression and criminal promotion of hate. Fraser acknowledged the challenge, admitting, “It’s not lost on me that we are in new territory, and sometimes there may be a learning curve with the adoption of these new laws.” He promised collaboration with provincial counterparts and additional training for law enforcement to ensure the law is applied appropriately. The minister was also quick to state, “This is not about the Palestinian flag,” responding to concerns raised by some Jewish organizations about symbols seen at recent protests. “Canadians have the right to free expression,” Fraser said. “This bill goes to great lengths to specifically protect the ability of Canadians to take part in peaceful protests and to freely express themselves in a nonviolent way.”
To further clarify the boundaries of hate crime, the legislation codifies a definition of “hatred” in the Criminal Code. It also removes the requirement for the attorney general’s sign-off before hate propaganda charges can be laid, a step that—according to the Department of Justice Canada—will allow law enforcement to act more swiftly in countering hate speech and protecting communities. This means the onus now falls directly on Crown prosecutors and police, raising questions about oversight and safeguards for free expression.
Reactions to the bill have been mixed. Many Canadian Jewish groups have welcomed the move, seeing it as a much-needed measure to protect vulnerable communities. The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs (CIJA) expressed cautious optimism, with vice president Richard Marceau telling Global News, “Parents are afraid for their kids when they drop them off at school. We’ve seen houses of worship, synagogues being targeted. … So to have a bill that would prohibit the obstruction of access to those institutions, as well as the intimidation of people accessing those institutions, is the right thing to do.” However, Marceau also suggested the legislation could go further by criminalizing even the peaceful display of terrorist symbols, not just their use to promote hate.
On the other hand, civil liberties advocates are sounding alarms about the potential for the law to inadvertently criminalize peaceful protest and legitimate expression. Anaïs Bussières McNicoll, director of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association’s Fundamental Freedoms Program, argued, “I believe the minister was not able to answer that question, and neither are we, so it’s definitely a risk that this type of conduct will be criminalized.” She also criticized the bill’s broad definition of protected buildings and the removal of attorney general oversight, stating, “I think whenever we’re talking about what is criminal in our society, utmost transparency is needed. To the extent that there are some kind of thresholds or parameters that the minister has in mind, but that are not explicit within the bill, they should be made explicit within the bill.”
Political reaction is still developing, with the federal Conservatives—who have advocated for tougher hate crime measures—declining to comment immediately as they review the bill’s details. Prime Minister Mark Carney, meanwhile, took to social media to declare, “Those who spread hate and violence in our communities will have no safe harbour in Canada.”
As the Combatting Hate Act begins its journey through Parliament, it enters a landscape where the balance between protecting free expression and safeguarding communities from hate is fiercely debated. While the bill’s supporters argue it is a crucial step toward a safer, more inclusive Canada, critics warn of unintended consequences for civil liberties. How lawmakers, law enforcement, and the courts navigate these new rules will likely shape the country’s approach to hate crimes for years to come.
