Question Period Note: Combatting Hate

• Over the last five years, hate-motivated crimes and incidents have been on the rise in Canada, taking many forms (i.e. hate crimes, organized hate groups, online hate, and hate speech).
• In Canada, the number of police-reported hate crimes has risen significantly, more than doubling since 2019. In 2024, there were 4,722 police-reported hate crimes – a 31% increase from 2022 but stable from 2023 (-1%, from 4,777).
• Hate crimes targeting a race or ethnicity made up the largest proportion of police-reported hate crimes (47%), followed by those targeting a religion (26%) and those targeting a sexual orientation (13%).
• In 2024, there was a 4% increase of hate crimes targeting a race or ethnicity. The number of hate crimes targeting the Black population (825) remained the highest (37% of race or ethnicity motivated).
• Compared to 2023, hate crimes targeting a religion slightly declined (-6%, from 1,284 incidents to 1,211). This was largely the result of slightly fewer hate crimes targeting Jewish (from 900 to 816) and Muslim (from 211 to 204) populations.
• However, both still exhibited a significant increase since 2019: 167% and 149% increases targeting the Jewish and Muslim communities, respectively.
• Despite the overall slight decline, the number of reported hate crimes is unacceptable. It is also anecdotally conveyed that many communities underreport.

• The Government of Canada is taking concrete action to combat all forms of hate because no one should feel afraid because of who they are or how they worship.

• Through Canada's first Action Plan on Combatting Hate, we are taking a whole-of-government approach to prevention, response, and support.

• Public Safety Canada is investing to improve access to hate crimes training for police, to prevent and counter extremism, and to assist vulnerable communities to protect their gathering spaces through the Canada Community Security Program.

• At the recent National Forum on Combatting Antisemitism, partners affirmed a shared responsibility to address hate crimes and we committed to further action against crimes targeting the Jewish community.

• Hate crime is unacceptable and our government will continue to take concrete action to ensure all Canadians can feel safe to be who they are without the threat of violence.

Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate (CAPCH):
• To confront hate in all of its forms, the Government launched Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate on September 24, 2024, investing $273.6 million over six years, starting in 2024-25, with $29.3 million ongoing. This includes:
o $32 million over six years, starting in 2024-25, and $11 million ongoing, to enhance the Security Infrastructure Program (SIP) – now referred to as the Canada Community Security Program;
o $19.5 million over three years, starting in 2024-25, allocated to Public Safety’s Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence to increase financial support for frontline prevention programs through the Community Resilience Fund, strengthen Canada’s commitments to the Christchurch Call to Action, and increase understanding of radicalization to violence in Canada through a new open-source data analytics capability;
o $20.2 million over six years, starting in 2024-25, and $3.2 million ongoing, to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police and the Canadian Police College to enhance their anti-hate work with the Canadian Race Relations Foundation and policing partners through the Hate Crimes Task Force;
o $26.8 million over four years, starting in 2024-25, to Public Safety Canada to support police colleges to increase training on handling hate crimes.

Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence (Canada Centre)
• The Canada Centre, housed in Public Safety Canada, leads the National Strategy on Countering Radicalization to Violence (National Strategy). The Canada Centre’s aim is to prevent extreme, grievance-fueled violence that is linked to an ideology or belief system justifying the use of violence to advance a cause. As outlined in the National Strategy, the Canada Centre’s activities complement national security and criminal justice efforts by supporting programs that divert individuals at risk of radicalization away from pathways to violent extremism or help individuals involved leave violent extremism behind.
• To this end, the Canada Centre’s Community Resilience Fund (CRF) supports research initiatives, early prevention efforts, and interventions programs that strengthen local, frontline capacity to prevent and counter violent extremism. Specialized intervention programs are often led by health or social service professionals who address the needs and vulnerabilities of individuals in order to build protective factors and divert them from pathways towards violent extremism, engaging fields such as social work, mental health, employment, housing, policing, probation and parole, education, and child welfare services. Since its launch in 2017, the CRF has provided more than $85.4 million in funding to 81 projects.

Canada Community Security Program (CCSP)
• The CCSP provides time-limited funding to enhance security infrastructure for private, not-for-profit organizations at risk of hate-motivated crimes, including places of worship, private provincially and territorially recognized educational institutions, shelters for victims of gender-based violence, community centres, and privately run, not for profit, community-based facilities such as daycares and office spaces. Funding is provided for physical security equipment, minor renovations, security assessments and planning, training, and security personnel.
• In 2025-26, CCSP has $21.8M in funding, a significant increase from funding of $5.8M in 2022-23. Starting in 2026-27, funding will stabilize at $16.8M per year.

Hate Crimes Task Force
• The Hate Crimes Task Force, launched in spring 2022 and chaired by the RCMP and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation, is a network of experts dedicated to enhancing police response to hate-motivated crimes in Canada by exchanging best practices, supporting investigations, and sharing knowledge on complex issues.

The National Forum on Combating Antisemitism
• To help address the growing public safety threat posed by antisemitism, on March 6, 2025, the Government of Canada held a National Forum on Combatting Antisemitism in Ottawa, co-chaired by the Ministers of Public Safety and the Minister of Justice.
• At the Forum, broad themes emerged during the discussions including: enhanced law enforcement and prosecution; legislative reform (bubble legislation, online harms, clear and accessible legislation); education and awareness (Jewish history, media literacy, the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition); government coordination and leadership (intergovernmental cooperation, centralized implementation, federal leadership); addressing online hate; funding accountability; protecting public figures; addressing root causes; consistent messaging and definitions; and community engagement.
• At the Forum, the Government of Canada also announced several commitments to combatting hate and supporting communities at risk of hate-motivated crimes, including:
1. Working collaboratively with provinces and territories and other partners to develop comprehensive National Action Commitments to combat antisemitism.
2. Up to $10 million in immediate new funding to support grassroots organizations and work done on the ground to help address all forms of hate, including antisemitism through the Community Resilience Fund (CRF).
3. Investing $26.8 million over four years to support police colleges to provide training on all hate crimes to provincial and municipal police forces and exploring ways to accelerate implementation of this work.
4. Greater transparency in tracking the progress of our collective efforts in addressing the public safety threat of antisemitism.
5. Working with Statistics Canada to better recognize and report on the existence of hate crimes, to improve data consistency and awareness in order to help everyone to better understand the extent of hate crimes in Canada, including antisemitism.
6. Recognizing the Jewish community’s dedication to building and maintaining its own security networks, the Government of Canada is committing to working in partnership with these community-led efforts to build and maintain their own security networks.
7. In consultation with provinces and territories, examining potential amendments to the Criminal Code to strengthen tools for law enforcement and prosecutors to address hate crimes, including those motivated by antisemitism.
8. Working with provinces and territories to share promising practices in provincial/territorial legislation and other approaches that address hate-related conduct, including conduct motivated by antisemitism.
9. Working with provinces and territories to identify ways to improve the criminal justice system responses to hate crimes, including those motivated by antisemitism.
10. Delivering $1.4 million in new funding for 7 new initiatives through the National Holocaust Remembrance Program.
11. Ensuring that transfer payments are designed, delivered and managed with integrity, accountability and transparency, and that recipients of government funding respect the values underlying the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
12. Working with partners across all orders of government to increase awareness of the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) definition and all elements contained within the Canadian Handbook on the IHRA Working Definition of Antisemitism.

If Pressed
Q1 - Islamophobia and Antisemitism
• We respect the right of Canadians to freedom of expression and to engage in peaceful protest activities, but violence and hate speech of any kind will not be tolerated.
• Canadians deserve to live, work, and practice their faith without fear of being attacked. Antisemitism, Islamophobia, and all forms of hate, are completely unacceptable.
• Public Safety is working with the RCMP and CSIS, as well as with the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia and the Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Anti-Semitism, in order to combat violent rhetoric and keep communities safe.

Q2 - Rights of 2SLGBTQI+ persons
• All people in Canada deserve to feel safe to express themselves and their identities freely and without threats of violence. I want to reassure Canadians, especially those in the 2SLGBTQI+ community, that our government takes any threat of violence very seriously.
• As part of this, the government is providing funding to support security needs for Pride festivals this season, as we have done in recent years. This funding, provided by Women and Gender Equality Canada, will help offset rising security and insurance costs for events across the country, amid high levels of 2SLGBTQI+ hate.
• WAGE is also supporting projects to combat hate against 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
• These measures will keep all Canadians safer from hate-motivated violence.

Q3 - Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence
• The Government of Canada is concerned with violent extremism in all forms, including ideologically motivated violent extremism, religiously motivated violent extremism, and politically motivated violent extremism.
• The Canada Centre for Community Engagement and Prevention of Violence leads the federal government’s efforts to prevent and counter all forms of radicalization to violence.
• It’s focus is on addressing the destructive behaviors associated with violent extremism, including their impacts on Canadians and communities.
• Through the Community Resilience Fund, the Canada Centre financially supports grassroots prevention efforts, advancing research to better understand radicalization to violence in Canada, increasing Canada’s capacity to meet its commitments to the Christchurch Call to Action.

Q4 - Canada Community Security Program (CCSP)
• There is no place for hate in this country. All Canadians deserve to be safe where they work, live, and worship.
• The Canada Community Security Program provides vital support to communities at risk of hate-motivated crime by helping to enhance the security of community gathering spaces.
• The CCSP replaces and enhances the work undertaken through the Security Infrastructure Program.
• We consulted with stakeholders and made enhancements to be more responsive to community needs and to provide more flexibility to organizations seeking financial support, including that they can now apply at any time throughout the year.

Q5 - RCMP efforts to Combat Hate
• The RCMP is committed to investigating all hate reported incidents in the communities it polices.
• The RCMP also plays an important leadership role, bringing together police, community advocates, academics and subject matter experts to exchange best practices and develop tools to help respond to hate crimes.
• For example, the RCMP has partnered with the Canadian Race Relations Foundation to co-chair the Hate Crimes Task Force – an important forum that is developing practical, front-line tools and solutions rooted in prevention, investigation and victim support.
• With additional funding announced under Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate, the RCMP intends to do more to respond to hate crimes in our communities, including developing specialized training and education for police across Canada.

Q6 - CSIS efforts to Combat Hate
• CSIS continues to investigate, advise on, and take measures to reduce all threats to the security of Canada and to Canadians that rise to the threshold set out in the CSIS Act. These threats can include extremist violence motivated by hateful ideologies, such as xenophobia (e.g., white nationalism), misogyny (e.g., involuntary celibacy or incel), anti-2SLGBTQI+, and anti-authority (e.g., violent militia).
• CSIS has also remained heavily engaged with community groups and organizations in Canada, many of whom represent groups that may be targeted by extremist violence. These outreach efforts are meant to support communities’ ability to build awareness and resilience to these threats, equipping them with tools and strategies.

Q7 – National Forum on Combatting Antisemitism
● Hate-motivated crimes targeting Jewish communities remain among the most reported in Canada.
● Threats, harassment, and violent incidents have real impacts; they cause fear and pain to loved ones, friends, neighbours, and communities.
● The Government of Canada recognizes the urgent need for national leadership to ensure Jewish Canadians feel safe in their synagogues, schools and communities.
● Recognizing the urgent need to address the public safety threat of antisemitism, the federal government brought together Jewish community representatives, federal-provincial-territorial-municipal decisionmakers and policymakers, and law enforcement at a National Forum on Combatting Antisemitism.
● At the Forum, partners renewed their collective sense of urgency towards action, and committed to combat antisemitism through decisive, coordinated, and focused actions.