Clearing the Air on Bill C-9
the Combatting Hate Act

For more than two years, Jewish Canadians have faced a level of hate and intimidation unlike anything in recent memory.  
CIJA joined four other Jewish organizations – B’nai Brith Canada, Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center, Alliance of Canadians Combatting Antisemitism, and Canadian Women Against Antisemitism – in welcoming the bill’s intention to contribute to a safer Canada and supported in principle the legislation’s attempt to protect Canadians from hateful extremism. 

The purpose of this page is to both inform and provide the tools for community members to speak out.

Moderated by Richard Marceau, CIJA’s Senior Vice President and Legal Counsel, the panel of legal experts walked through what is and is not in the legislation and what it means for our community.

Not sure where to start? Use the key messages below to help frame your conversation.

#1 Stress the importance of government action on the serious threats to the Jewish community. As your constituent, I’m deeply worried about the threats post by extremists across Canada demand serious action. The core provisions of Bill C-9 are about protecting Canadians: Nobody should be targeted when dropping their kids off at school, visiting an elderly parent, or attending religious services.  

#2 Our community is asking you to help move this forward. Regardless of different views on amendments, the Jewish community is united: the threats to our people remain unchanged and require serious action. What we need now is meaningful enforcement of the laws that already exist, and progress on the core provisions of Bill C-9 to give law enforcement and prosecutors the tools they need to confront hateful extremism.  

#3 Clear the air on religious defence. The removal of the religious defence should not be viewed as a barrier to strengthening the tools available to law enforcement and prosecutors to protect communities against hateful extremism. Religious freedom remains fully protected under the Charter and the Criminal Code’s definition of hate promotion already carries a high legal threshold.

#4 There is an urgent need for targeted amendments and multi-party support. Targeted amendments – such as creating a new offence for the willful promotion of terrorism – would strengthen the bill and improve its impact. Broad, multi-party agreement would also send a powerful message about the importance of protecting our community. Our security cannot wait.