Subscribe to RSS Feed
e-4002 (Foreign affairs)
- Keywords
- Graphic symbols
- Hate propaganda
- Russia
- Ukraine
- War
Original language of petition: English
Petition to the Government of Canada
- The Russian Federation has invaded Ukraine, this is unprovoked attacked and illegal war;
- This war has taken lives of thousands of peaceful Ukrainian civilians;
- The systematic and barbaric evil that is being inflicted on the people of Ukraine leaves no doubt that Russia seeks the annihilation of the Ukrainian people and the destruction of the Ukrainian nation;
- Russian soldiers destroy infrastructure, attack civilians, bomb residential areas, drop illegal cluster munitions and have bombed children's shelters and maternity hospitals;
- While committing those war crimes, while going against all moral norms of humanity, Russian army uses several symbols, like "Z" which has turned into a symbols of hate towards Ukrainian nation; and
- These symbols represent oppression, propaganda, killing of innocent people – which is contrary to Canadian values. That's why those symbols have no place in Canada.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Parliamentary Secretary Gary Anandasangaree
The Government of Canada condemns in the strongest possible terms Russia’s egregious attack on Ukraine. Russia’s unprovoked actions are a clear violation of Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. They also violate Russia’s obligations under international law and the Charter of the United Nations.
There are four hate propaganda offences in the Criminal Code designed to address hateful conduct: advocating or promoting genocide against an identifiable group (subsection 318(1)); inciting hatred in a public place against an identifiable group that is likely to lead to a breach of the peace (subsection 319(1)); wilfully promoting hatred against an identifiable group other than in private conversation (subsection 319(2)), and wilfully promoting antisemitism by denying, condoning or downplaying the Holocaust other than in private conversation (subsection 319 (2.1)).
The Government remains committed to strengthening our law’s response to hate crime and the prevention of hateful propaganda including by reintroducing the amendments contained in former Bill C-36, 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). This bill proposed to amend the Criminal Code in order to strengthen its response to hate crimes by codifying a definition of “hatred” for two of the three hate propaganda offences based on Supreme Court of Canada jurisprudence, and creating a new peace bond to prevent the commission of a hate propaganda offence or hate crime.
The Government also continues its work to develop legislation to combat serious forms of harmful online content – including content that incites violence, hate speech and terrorist content. Such legislation would seek to protect Canadians and hold social media platforms and other online services accountable for the content they host.
The Government of Canada stands with Ukraine, its people, and the Ukrainian Canadian community in Canada, and will continue to take necessary actions to support Ukraine and Ukrainians in this crisis.
- Open for signature
- May 30, 2022, at 3:50 p.m. (EDT)
- Closed for signature
- August 28, 2022, at 3:50 p.m. (EDT)
- Presented to the House of Commons
-
Hedy Fry
(Vancouver Centre)
October 3, 2022 (Petition No. 441-00725) - Government response tabled
- November 16, 2022
