Hate speech: Quebec wants Ottawa to end religious exemptions
Posted November 29, 2024 10:33 am.
Quebec Justice Minister Simon Jolin-Barrette is asking Canada’s Attorney General Arif Virani to criminalize hate speech that’s delivered “under the disguise of faith” and is criticizing “the inaction of federal lawmakers” after several demonstrations took place in Montreal recently.
In the Canadian Criminal Code, two sections exempt anyone who makes hateful remarks if they are defending or presenting in relation to a religious point of view.
Le Journal obtained a copy of the letter that Jolin-Barrette sent to Virani on Thursday. According to the letter, the exemptions contribute to a toxic climate, creates loopholes, and protects hate speech that can no longer be tolerated.
Since Oct. 7, 2023, and the start of the Israel-Hamas war, Montreal police (SPVM) have reported 310 hate crimes with 230 against the Jewish community and 80 against the Arab-Muslim community.
According to the RCMP, hate crimes have nearly tripled across Canada since 2015.
The SPVM recently launched an investigation into a protester who was seen giving a Nazi salute during a demonstration in Montreal last Friday.
In Quebec, a motion by the Parti Québécois (PQ) was almost adopted in the National Assembly which demanded that Ottawa withdraw the exemptions in the Canadian Criminal Code, but the Quebec Liberal Party opposed it.
