June 19 2026 – The undersigned civil liberties, human rights, faith based and community organizations are deeply troubled by the Carney government ending discussion on Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, and pushing it to a final vote and passing the bill, disregarding the many serious concerns voiced through formal submissions, parliamentary hearings, campaigns, and media interviews. It is important to note that the undersigned organizations recognize the obvious need to address hate-motivated violence and discrimination across Canada and support effective measures that protect targeted communities from harm. Legislative responses to hate, however, must be carefully tailored to ensure that they are consistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and do not create unintended consequences for the civil liberties they seek to protect.

Bill C-9 introduces several provisions that raise significant concerns regarding freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, and the potential for arbitrary or disproportionate enforcement. While the objective of combatting hate is both legitimate and necessary, legislative measures should be precise, evidence-based, and accompanied by appropriate safeguards to minimize risks of overbreadth and inconsistent application.

In particular, the creation of new offences relating to symbols associated with listed terrorist entities, including symbols that “closely resemble” them, introduces significant legal uncertainty and risks capturing lawful political or cultural expression. The reliance on the Terrorist Entities List as a basis for criminal liability further raises concerns regarding transparency, procedural fairness, and the breadth of executive discretion.

The Act’s new offences relating to obstruction and intimidation near places of worship, schools, and community spaces also threaten fundamental civil liberties. While protecting individuals from threatening conduct is an important public objective, these provisions should have been more narrowly defined in the Act to allow for enforcement in a manner that preserves the constitutional right to peaceful protest and avoids creating a chilling effect on lawful public demonstrations.

The Government of Canada has affirmed that Bill C-9 will be implemented in a manner consistent with the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It indeed has an obligation to ensure that the legislation’s enforcement fully respects constitutionally protected rights and freedoms, including freedom of expression, freedom of peaceful assembly, and freedom of religion. The undersigned organizations call for clear prosecutorial and policing guidance, transparency, and continued oversight to ensure these commitments are upheld in practice. Canadians, affected communities, and civil liberties organizations will be closely monitoring the implementation of the Act to assess its real-world impact and to ensure that efforts to combat hate do not come at the expense of the fundamental rights and freedoms the Charter exists to protect.