Question Period Note: Chiefs of Police National Roundtable Hate Crime Task Force

A Hate Crime Task Force co-chaired by the RCMP and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation has been established by the Chiefs of Police National Roundtable.

• Hate crimes, which have widespread negative impacts on individuals and communities, are on the rise in Canada.

• We know that more can and should be done to combat hate crimes, and this includes across the policing community.

• That is why the Chiefs of Police National Roundtable has established a Hate Crime Task Force with policing and government representatives from across Canada.

• Co-chaired by the RCMP and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, the Hate Crime Task Force will work together to increase the awareness of the scope, nature and impact of hate crimes and to create national standards to better support impacted communities across the country.

• It will concentrate on topics such as improving communication to the public, creating a network of hate crime units, enhancing hate crime reporting, reviewing police training, and supporting hate crime prosecutions.

As reported in the Globe and Mail, the RCMP and Canadian Race Relations Foundation will co-chair a Hate Crimes Task Force established by the Chiefs of Police National Roundtable.

Hate crimes are reportedly on the rise in Canada, and have widespread impacts, not only on individual victims, but also on communities that can lead to feelings of exclusion, and low confidence levels in police resulting in an under-reporting of these crimes.

Police in Canada recognize that low confidence levels are compounded by historical discrimination practices, feelings that community members who report instances of hate crime will not be investigated, and community members feeling safer approaching a community group rather than the police. This contributes to diminished trust and confidence in policing. The Hate Crime Task Force will focus its efforts on interpersonal hate crimes impacting communities across Canada.

The task force will be focused on increasing awareness of the scope, nature and impact of hate crimes across Canada and to create national standards to better support targeted communities across the country. This will include police training, effective engagement with victims and communities, and supporting hate crime units across the country.

Task force participants currently represent 11 police services, across Canada with a range of experience and expertise, including working in front line policing, outreach and engagement, hate crime units, victims’ services, and training and education. It is anticipated that additional police services will join the task force over time. Statistics Canada will also participate in the task force.

The Hate Crimes Task Force will convene throughout the year, over the course of 2022 and 2023, with the possibility of additional extensions.

The purpose of the Chiefs of Police National Roundtable is to advance discussions on issues of systemic racism and discrimination, which includes engagement on a range of health and social services topics to better define policing in the 21st century and serve the diverse needs of Canadian communities, and strengthen trust in policing. This is achieved by leveraging the diverse experiences and knowledge of Roundtable members.

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