An Act to amend the Criminal Code and the Canadian Human Rights Act and to make related amendments to another Act (hate propaganda, hate crimes and hate speech)
Bill C-261 (44-1) was a Private Member's Bill from Independent MP Kevin Vuong (Spadina-Fort York) to amend the Criminal Code with new tools against hate. It would have created a recognizance, a peace bond a court can impose where there is a fear someone will commit a hate-propaganda or hate-motivated offence, and would have written a definition of 'hatred' into the two main hate-propaganda offences (sections 318 and 319). The bill came amid a sharp rise in reported hate crimes after 2020. It did not pass second reading; the federal government later proposed its own definition of hatred and related tools in the 2024 Online Harms Act (Bill C-63).
Status
Quick learn
Would create a peace bond a court can impose when someone is feared likely to commit a hate crime, and would write a definition of 'hatred' into the Criminal Code's hate-propaganda offences. An Independent MP's bill (Kevin Vuong) during the post-2020 rise in hate crimes; it did not pass second reading.
Issues this bill touches
- Crime & Public Safety
Criminal Code and CHRA hate-motivated activity changes.
Legislative history
- First reading
First reading in the House of Commons.
View source
Official source
Read full text on Parliament of Canada