Understanding and addressing hate-motivated crime
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Hate-motivated crimes and incidents are on the rise across the country, as noted by Statistics Canada. We will not tolerate any form of intimidation, harassment, or harmful targeting of communities or individuals in Canada. We continue to maintain situational awareness of suspicious activity or threats to public safety.
The safety and security of Canadians, regardless of their background or beliefs, remains a top priority for us.
Investigating hate-motivated crimes and incidents falls under the mandate of the local police of jurisdiction where the activity takes place. Anyone who sees something suspicious or who feels threatened—in-person or online—should report it.
How to report hate-motivated crimes and incidents
If you or someone you know is in danger, call 9-1-1 or your local police for immediate help.
Canadians are encouraged to report hate-motivated crimes and incidents to their local police. Reporting—no matter how minor something may seem—can help police better target crime prevention efforts in communities. It can help identify trends and, most importantly, prevent a possible escalation towards violence. Together, let's make our communities safer.
National Security Information Network
You may also contact the RCMP National Security Information Network by phone at 1-800-420-5805 or online at www.rcmp.ca/report-it to report a threat to national security.
Hate-motivated crimes
A hate crime is a criminal act against a person or property that is motivated in whole or in part by hate or bias against an identifiable group.
Hate crimes don't just affect victims , but also the larger community. They have consequences that reach far beyond a specific incident and are particularly concerning because they:
- can be violent and assaultive
- cause trauma to victims, family, and friends
- can cause fear of being targeted in future crimes
- can escalate and prompt retaliation
- can create community unrest
- threaten Canada's value of inclusion
Types of hate-motivated crime
There are a number of offences listed as hate-motivated propaganda or crime in the Criminal Code:
- advocating genocide (subsection 318(1))
- public incitement of hatred (subsection 319(1))
- wilful promotion of hatred (subsection 319(2))
- wilful promotion of antisemitism (subsection 319(2.1))
- conversion therapy offences (sections 320.101-104 and subsection 273.3(1))
- mischief motivated by hate in relation to property used by an identifiable group (subsection 430(4.1))
In addition to these offences, there is a key provision found in subparagraph 718.2(a)(i) of the Criminal Code related to sentencing as it relates to hate crimes.
Hate-motivated incidents
Hate-motivated incidents are similar to hate crimes but don't meet the criminal threshold under the Criminal Code. In other words, hate-motivated incidents are non-criminal actions or behaviours that are motivated by hate against an individual or identifiable group. Examples of hate-motivated incidents include:
- sharing discriminatory material in-person or posting it online
- intimidating a person on social media because of their religion
- using racist slurs and language
- insulting someone based on their national or ethnic origin
- making offensive jokes about a person's skin color or sexual orientation
Though hate-motivated incidents don't result in the laying of criminal charges, their impacts and the harms caused to individuals and communities can be just the same as with those of hate crimes.
We recently created a collection of facts, trends and information on hate crimes and incidents in Canada. This information is especially useful for frontline police officers.
Addressing hate-motivated crime in Canada
We have taken steps to help address and prevent hate-motivated crimes and incidents, including:
- working internally and with the Hate Crimes Task Force to develop tools and resources. This will help police across Canada better respond to hate crimes and incidents
- implementing national policy on hate-motivated crime to prompt investigators to become familiar with community resources and better support victims. Community policing, including community outreach and engagement, is an important part of preventing and addressing hate-motivated crimes
- dedicating resources to crime prevention and community outreach. This includes creating assessment tools to prevent and combat radicalization to violence
- maintaining strong relationships with Canada's security and intelligence community, law enforcement agencies, and our Five Eyes This allows for better situational awareness of threats
We are also making a suite of hate crimes training modules and support tools available for frontline officers to provide foundational knowledge and information to support the police response.
Resources
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