MIL OSI Translation. Canadian French to English –
Source: Government of Canada – in French 1
Press release
OTTAWA, September 24, 2024
In recent years, Canada, like other countries, has seen an alarming rise in hate both in neighbourhoods and online. The federal government is committed to doing everything it can to protect all people living in Canada, as well as resilient and diverse communities across the country, and to ensuring that everyone can thrive while being themselves.
The increase in hate incidents has disproportionately impacted Indigenous peoples; Black, racialized, religious minority and 2SLGBTQI communities; women; and persons with disabilities. Hateful behaviour not only harms those targeted, but also impacts Canadian society as a whole, undermining social cohesion and posing a threat to national security.
That’s why today, the Honourable Kamal Khera, Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, unveiled Canada’s Action Plan to Combat Hate. This action plan represents Canada’s first-ever whole-of-government effort to combat hate. It brings together 20 key federal programs under three pillars.
Providing the means communities to detect and prevent hate. Support victims, survivors and protect communities. Build community trust, partnerships and institutional capacity.
Through the Action Plan, the Government of Canada is investing $273.6 million over six years, and $29.3 million per year ongoing, to address hate from a variety of perspectives. The funding will increase support for victims and survivors; help communities prevent and respond to hate, and protect their members from it; improve research and data collection; provide more resources to law enforcement; and increase public awareness.
Every person has the right to be safe and treated with dignity. We will work with provincial, territorial and international governments; First Nations, Inuit and Métis partners; and cities and communities across Canada to make this happen. Canada’s Action Plan to Combat Hate will help us continue to build a safer, more inclusive Canada where people can succeed, no matter who they are, who they love or what they believe.
Quotes
“Everyone has the right to feel safe, no matter who they are, what they look like or what they believe. We are all alarmed by the tragic consequences of hate, both in Canada and abroad. Hate has no place in Canada, whether in person or online, in schools or places of worship. Our government is committed to keeping every community safe across the country, because when one person is subjected to hateful behaviour, everyone suffers the consequences. Canada’s first-ever Action Plan to Combat Hate represents an unprecedented whole-of-government effort to combat hate while providing increased support to victims of hate and communities at risk. As we navigate these challenging and difficult times, we must stand up for who we are as a country – a country that is strong in its diversity and where people can be themselves and pursue their dreams without fear.”
– The Honourable Kamal Khera, Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities
“Hate, in all its forms, has no place in Canada. Every person has the right to feel and be safe in their homes and communities. We all have a role to play in combating discrimination and promoting a fairer, safer and more inclusive Canada. The Diversity of Voices Fund is part of Canada’s Action Plan to Combat Hate. It will help break down systemic barriers and elevate diverse voices in the arts, culture and media sectors. The Fund will also ensure that their experiences and perspectives are better represented and advance the fight against racism, equity, diversity and inclusion in the culture and media sectors.”
– The Honourable Pascale St-Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage
“In response to the increase in hate crimes, our government is taking action to ensure that at-risk communities receive financial support to protect their institutions. Canada’s new Community Safety Program is designed to be simpler, more flexible and more generous, in response to requests from community organizations across the country.”
– The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
“Everyone should be able to bring their true selves to life without fear of reprisal, but we know that discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression remains a reality in Canada. This is unacceptable and must end. Canada’s Action Plan to Combat Hate complements the measures we have taken to protect and support Canadians since 2015, including the Federal 2SLGBTQI Action Plan . These measures have all been implemented with the stories and experiences of individuals and communities across Canada in mind. As always, we stand in solidarity with all communities who have experienced hate and will not hesitate to use all means at our disposal to protect and support them.”
– The Honourable Marci Ien, Minister of Women and Gender Equality and Youth
“We expect to feel safe in our homes, neighbourhoods and communities. That is why we introduced Bill C-63, an important part of Canada’s Action Plan to Combat Hate. We know that online harm can have tragic and even fatal consequences in the real world. This bill aims to ensure the safety of all Canadians in an online world that seems increasingly dangerous and toxic by the day. This means that women, racialized people, transgender people and people of diverse faiths and backgrounds will be able to go to their places of worship, community centres, schools and offices without fearing that threats in the online world will translate into real-world danger.”
– The Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
“Canada is as innovative as it is diverse, and it does best when everyone has a fair chance to reach their full potential, free from hate and discrimination. Through Canada’s Action Plan to Combat Hate, we are standing up to hate and protecting Canadians. And Statistics Canada will play a key role in researching and collecting the data needed to build a safer, more resilient society.”
– The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
– Sameer Zuberi, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities
Quick Facts
In Budget 2022, the Government of Canada committed $85 million over 4 years, starting in 2022–23, to Canadian Heritage to launch and implement the new Anti-Racism Strategy and a National Action Plan to Combat Hate. Budget 2024 provides an additional $273.6 million over 6 years, starting in 2024–25, and $29.3 million per year ongoing to support Canada’s Action Plan to Combat Hate. The Action Plan brings together major programs delivered by federal departments and agencies, including Canadian Heritage, Public Safety Canada, Justice Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Women and Gender Equality Canada, Statistics Canada and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation.
According to the Statistics Canada July 2024 data release, the number of police-reported hate crimes increased from 3,612 in 2022 to 4,777 in 2023 (a 32% increase), and some victims may not have reported a hate crime. This follows an 8% increase in 2022 and a 72% increase between 2019 and 2021. Overall, the number of police-reported hate crimes has more than doubled since 2019 (a 145% increase).
Canada’s Action Plan to Combat Hate includes the work of the Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combating Anti-Semitism and Canada’s first Special Representative on Combating Islamophobia
Public Safety Canada’s new Community Safety Program (CSPP) (formerly the Communities at Risk Security Infrastructure Program) is also part of Canada’s Action Plan to Combat Hate. The CSPP makes it easier and more effective for communities and organizations at risk of hate crime to access security support when they need it.
The Action Plan is part of efforts to further reduce the risk of exposure to harmful content online through Bill C-63, which proposes to create a new Online Harms Act to strengthen protections for the most vulnerable groups. To this end, the Government of Canada tabled in the House of Commons the Bill C-63, An Act to enact the Online Harms Act, to amend the Criminal Code, the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Act respecting the mandatory reporting of Internet child pornography by persons who provide an Internet service and to make consequential and related amendments to other Acts.
Canada is a signatory to theChristchurch Call to Eliminate Violent Extremism and Terrorism on the Internet (Christchurch Call to Action). This is an agreement signed by 56 governments, as well as online service providers and civil society organizations, to coordinate efforts to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online. The Government of Canada reiterates its commitment to advance the Christchurch Call to Action as part of Canada’s Action Plan to Combat Hate.
Canada’s Anti-Hate Action Plan complements Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2024–28: Changing Systems to Transform Lives. Through these two initiatives, the government is implementing a comprehensive and intersectional approach to combating hate, racism and discrimination.
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Contact persons
For further information (media only), please contact:
Waleed Saleem Press SecretaryOffice of the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilitieswaleed.saleem@hrsdc-rhdcc.gc.ca
Media RelationsCanadian Heritage819-994-91011-866-569-6155media@pch.gc.ca
EDITOR’S NOTE: This article is a translation. Apologies should the grammar and/or sentence structure not be perfect.