Bill C-9: Joint Statement by Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, B'nai Brith Canada, Alliance of Canadians Combatting Antisemitism, Canadian Women Against Antisemitism and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs

For more than two years, Jewish Canadians have faced a level of hate and intimidation unlike anything in recent memory.

Week after week, families walking into synagogue, parents dropping their kids off at school, and seniors attending community programs have been harassed, threatened, and targeted by extremists.

In September, the federal government introduced Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, to respond to the surge in hate-motivated acts and violence.

Our organizations welcomed the bill’s intention to contribute to a safer Canada and supported in principle the legislation's attempt to achieve that outcome:

· New intimidation and obstruction offences protecting people entering schools, places of worship, and community centres.

· A new standalone hate-crime offence to ensure meaningful accountability for offenders.

· Removal of a barrier requiring Attorney General consent to prosecute police-laid (not private) charges.

· A new hate propaganda offence on the display of hate.

We also recommended targeted amendments to strengthen the bill and encourage multi-party consensus – including the creation of a new offence of willful promotion of terrorism – because broad-based agreement would send a powerful message about the importance of protecting our community.

As the bill has moved through Parliament, discussions have become contentious.

One of the most debated items is a new addition to the bill proposed by the Bloc Québécois to remove the religious exemption defence for willful promotion of hatred. While opinions differ on this amendment, fundamentally freedom of religion would remain protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and by the high threshold established by the courts when considering whether conduct constitutes the willful promotion of hatred. Moreover, we believe the incitement to violence against Canadians we have witnessed since October 7 by some radical groups and individuals must be addressed – without undermining religious freedoms.

Regardless of how Parliament resolves any one suggested amendment, the serious threats to the Jewish community remain the same and our expectations for government action have not changed.

This starts with enforcement of the criminal laws already in place. And the advancement of core provisions in Bill C-9 that would enhance the existing laws and provide additional tools for law enforcement and prosecutors to utilize to keep our communities safe.

We continue to call on Parliamentarians to build consensus and move forward with urgency.

Join us on Thursday, December 11 at 7 p.m. for a virtual Community Town Hall to learn more about Bill C-9, hear from legal experts, and for the opportunity to ask questions.

Register Here

Mark Sandler, Chair, Alliance of Canadians Combatting Antisemitism

Michael Levitt, President and CEO, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center

Noah Shack, CEO, Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs

Revi Mula, Co-Founder and Vice President, Canadian Women Against Antisemitism 

Simon Wolle, CEO, B'nai Brith Canada

‍