# An Act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda)

An Act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda), (French: Loi modifiant le Code criminel (propagande haineuse), also known as Bill C-250 during the second and third sessions of the 37th Canadian parliament) is an Act of the Parliament of Canada to amend the Criminal Code. It added penalties for publicly inciting hatred against or encouraging the genocide of people on the basis of sexual orientation and added a defence for the expression of good-faith opinions based on religious texts. It originated in a Private Member's Bill introduced by Svend Robinson, a member of the opposition.

## Content

Prior to this amendment, the Criminal Code prohibited the promotion of genocide and the public incitement of hatred against groups identifiable by colour, race, religion, and ethnic origin. The Act expanded coverage of these existing provisions to include groups identifiable on the basis of sexual orientation. The Act also expanded one of the defences available to persons charged with the incitement of hatred, allowing for the expression of good-faith opinions based on religious texts, in addition to the preexisting defence allowing the good-faith expression of opinions on religious subjects.
As with all Canadian legislation, this act has equal force in French in which it is called La Loi modifiant le Code criminel (propagande haineuse).

## Religious freedom concerns

Critics of the bill claimed that it would prohibit reciting various scripture condemning homosexuality, while supporters pointed out that the bill added an explicit defence against any charge of incitement of hatred for opinions expressed in good faith based on religious texts. Critics of the law however, have expressed concern the courts will abrogate the religious loophole because "good faith" is not clearly defined.

## Legislative history

C-250 was first introduced in 2001 into the 37th Parliament, 1st Session as Bill C-415 by New Democratic MP Svend Robinson. Following the end of that session, the bill was reintroduced as C-250 in the 37th Parliament, 2nd Session. It passed the House of Commons on September 17, 2003, but was not passed by the Senate before the end of the session. The bill was reintroduced in the 37th Parliament, 3rd Session, passing both the Senate on April 28, 2004. Royal Assent was granted on April 29, 2004.
September 17, 2003 vote in the House of Commons of Canada (3rd Reading) :
| Party | Voted for | Voted against | Present (Speaker of the House) | Absent (Did Not Vote) |
| G Liberal Party of Canada (Parti libéral du Canada) (Grits) | 92 Peter AdamsReg AlcockJean AugustineLarry BagnellSue BarnesGilbert BarretteMauril BélangerCarolyn BennettGérard BinetEthel Blondin-AndrewPaul BonwickDon BoudriaClaudette BradshawBonnie BrownSarmite BulteGerry ByrneCharles CacciaElinor CaplanAileen CarrollMarlene CatterallMartin CauchonYvon CharbonneauDenis CoderreDavid CollenetteRoy CullenRodger CuznerPaul DeVillersStéphane DionStan DromiskyClaude DrouinWayne EasterArt EggletonMark EykingJohn FinlayRaymonde FolcoJoe FontanaLiza FrullaHedy FryJohn GodfreyBill GrahamIvan GroseAlbina GuarnieriJohn HarvardAndré HarveyTony IannoMarlene JenningsChristian JobinJoe JordanStan KeyesDavid KilgourGar KnutsonKaren Kraft SloanRobert LanctôtDominic LeBlancDerek LeeClifford LincolnPaul Harold MacklinSteve MahoneyJohn MaloneyPaul MartinJohn McCallumAnne McLellanMaria MinnaAndy MitchellShawn MurphyRobert NaultAnita NevilleGilbert NormandDenis ParadisCarolyn ParrishBernard PatryJim PetersonBeth PhinneyDavid PriceMarcel ProulxKaren RedmanGeoff ReganLucienne RobillardAllan RockJacques SaadaAndy ScottJudy SgroAlex ShepherdRaymond SimardBrent St. DenisJane StewartDiane St-JacquesAndrew TelegdiRobert ThibaultYolande ThibeaultLyle VancliefSusan Whelan | 41 Sarkis AssadourianRéginald BélairEugène BellemareRobert BertrandRaymond BoninJohn BrydenMurray CalderJohn CannisBrenda ChamberlainJohn EffordCharles HubbardOvid JacksonNancy Karetak-LindellJim KarygiannisWalt LastewkaJudi LongfieldGurbax MalhiDiane MarleauLarry McCormickJoe McGuireJohn McKayDan McTeaguePat O'BrienJohn O'ReillyMassimo PacettiJanko PericJoe PeschisolidoJerry PickardGary PillitteriJulian ReedAndy SavoyBenoît SerréBob SpellerPaul SteckleGuy St-JulienPaul SzaboAlan TonksRose-Marie UrTony ValeriJoseph VolpeTom Wappel | 1 Peter Milliken | 37 Carole-Marie AllardDavid AndersonMark AssadEleni BakopanosColleen BeaumierMaurizio BevilacquaJeannot CastonguayJean ChrétienJoe ComuzziSheila Copps (Paired)Irwin CotlerHerb Dhaliwal (Paired)Nick DiscepolaClaude DuplainGeorges FarrahRoger GallawayRalph Goodale (Paired)Bob KilgerRick LaliberteSophia LeungLawrence MacAulayJohn ManleySerge MarcilBill MatthewsPeter MillikenDennis MillsLynn MyersLawrence D. O'BrienStephen Owen (Paired)Rey PagtakhanPierre Pettigrew (Paired)David PrattCarmen ProvenzanoHélène ScherrerTony TirabassiPaddy TorsneyBryon Wilfert |
| Canadian Alliance (Alliance canadienne) | - | 62 Jim AbbottDiane AblonczyRob AndersDavid AndersonRoy BaileyLeon BenoitGarry BreitkreuzAndy BurtonChuck CadmanRick CassonDavid ChattersJohn CumminsStockwell DayJohn DuncanReed ElleyKen EppBrian FitzpatrickPaul ForsethCheryl GallantPeter GoldringJim GoukGurmant GrewalDeborah GreyArt HangerStephen HarperRichard HarrisGrant HillJay HillHoward HilstromBetty HintonRahim JafferDale JohnstonJason KenneyGary LunnJames LunneyKeith MartinPhilip MayfieldGrant McNallyVal MeredithRob MerrifieldBob MillsDeepak ObhraiBrian PallisterCharlie PensonJames RajotteScott ReidJohn ReynoldsGerry RitzWerner SchmidtCarol SkeltonMonte SolbergKevin SorensonLarry SpencerDarrel StinsonChuck StrahlMyron ThompsonVic ToewsMaurice VellacottRandy WhiteTed WhiteJohn G. WilliamsLynne Yelich | - | 1 James Moore |
| Bloc Québécois (BQ) | 27 Gérard AsselinClaude BachandStéphane BergeronBernard BigrasDiane BourgeoisSerge CardinPaul CrêteMadeleine Dalphond-GuiralGilles DuceppeMarcel GagnonChristiane GagnonSébastien GagnonMichel GauthierJocelyne Girard-BujoldMonique GuayMichel GuimondMario LaframboiseYvan LoubierRichard MarceauRéal MénardPierre PaquettePauline PicardLouis PlamondonYves RocheleauJean-Yves RoyBenoît SauvageauSuzanne Tremblay | - | - | 6 Odina Desrochers (Paired)Ghislain Fournier (Paired)Roger Gaudet (Paired)Francine Lalonde (Paired)Gilles-A. PerronCaroline St-Hilaire (Paired) |
| New Democratic Party (Nouveau Parti démocratique) (NDP) | 14 Bill BlaikieJoe ComartinLibby DaviesBev DesjarlaisYvon GodinWendy LillPat MartinBrian MasseAlexa McDonoughLorne NystromDick ProctorSvend RobinsonPeter StofferJudy Wasylycia-Leis | - | - | - |
| Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (Parti progressiste-conservateur du Canada) (PC) | 7 André BachandRick BorotsikScott BrisonJoe ClarkJohn HerronGerald KeddyPeter MacKay | 7 Rex BarnesBill CaseyNorman E. DoyleInky MarkGary SchellenbergerGreg ThompsonElsie Wayne | - | 1 Loyola Hearn |
| Independent | 1 Jean-Guy Carignan | - | - | 3 Ghislain LebelJim PankiwPierrette Venne |
| Total | 141 | 110 | 1 | 48 (5 Pairs) |
April 28, 2004 vote in the Senate of Canada (3rd Reading) :
| Party | Voted for | Voted against | Abstained | Present (Speaker of the Senate) (chose not to vote) | Absent (Did Not Vote) |
| G Liberal Party of Canada (Parti libéral du Canada) (Grits) | 49 Willie AdamsJack AustinLise BaconTommy BanksMichel BironJohn G. BrydenCatherine CallbeckSharon CarstairsMaria ChaputIone ChristensenJoan CookEymard CorbinJoseph A. DayPercy DowneJoyce FairbairnMarisa Ferretti BarthIsobel FinnertyRoss FitzpatrickJoan FraserGeorge FureyJean-Robert GauthierAurélien GillAlasdair GrahamMac HarbCéline Hervieux-PayetteLibbe HubleyMobina JafferSerge JoyalColin KennyMichael J. L. KirbyRichard KroftJean LapointeRaymond LavigneViola LégerRose-Marie Losier-CoolShirley MaheuFrank MahovlichPaul MassicotteTerry MercerYves MorinJim MunsonLandon PearsonGerard PhalenPierrette RinguetteFernand RobichaudBill RompkeyDavid SmithPeter StolleryCharlie Watt | 3 Anne CoolsPana MerchantNick Sibbeston | - | 1 Lucie Pépin (Speaker pro-tempore) | 12 George BakerMarie Charette-PoulinJane CordyMarilyn Trenholme CounsellPierre De BanéJerry GrafsteinDaniel HaysLaurier LaPierreLorna MilneWilfred MooreVivienne PoyHerbert O. Sparrow |
| Conservative Party of Canada (Parti conservateur du Canada) (Tories) | 5 Raynell AndreychukJanis JohnsonMarjory LeBretonPierre Claude NolinJean-Claude Rivest | 6 W. David AngusEthel CochraneMichael ForrestallGerry St. GermainTerry StrattonDavid Tkachuk | 3 James KelleherJohn Lynch-StauntonMichael Meighen | - | 11 John BuchananPat CarneyGerald ComeauConsiglio Di NinoTrevor EytonLenard GustafsonWilbert KeonNoël KinsellaDonald OliverBrenda RobertsonEileen Rossiter |
| Independent | 2 Marcel Prud'hommeMira Spivak$^a$ | 2 Edward M. LawsonMadeleine Plamondon | - | - | 2 Michael PitfieldDouglas Roche |
| Progressive Conservative Party of Canada (Parti progressiste-conservateur du Canada) (PC)$^a$ | 3 Norman K. AtkinsC. William DoodyLowell Murray | - | - | - | - |
| Total | 59 | 11 | 3 | 1 | 25 |
    a. These senators have decided against joining the Conservative Party of Canada and have chosen to sit in the Senate as 'Progressive Conservatives' (with Mira Spivak briefly joining the Conservative caucus before becoming an Independent).