“I want to limit debate on the Senate's changes to this hate crime bill to five hours. After that, the House must vote on them right away.”

“moved: That, in relation to Bill C-9, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda, hate crime and access to religious or cultural places), not more than five further hours shall be allotted to the stage of consideration of the Senate amendment to the Bill; and That, at the expiry of the five hours provided for the consideration of the said stage of the said Bill, any proceedings before the House shall be interrupted, if required for the purpose of this Order, and, in turn, every question necessary for the disposal of the said stage of the Bill then under consideration shall be put forthwith and successively without further debate or amendment.”

“We have over 150 years of parliamentary history on our side. Past ministers have moved this motion many times.”

“Mr. Speaker, the good thing is that we have over 150 years of precedent on our side on this. If members go back and look at the precedents, I am sure they will find many examples where ministers of state have moved this motion.”

“I want us to end debate and pass this bill. It will keep Canadians safe in their places of worship.”

“Mr. Speaker, this is a platform promise that our newly elected government made last May. This bill was introduced on September 19, and it has gone through all the democratic channels through this legislative process. I believe it is now time for us to end debate on the bill so that Canadians can be safe in their places of worship.”

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“This bill only punishes people who clearly intend to spread hate. It follows our constitution and protects people of all religions. Its goal is to keep Canadians safe and stop hate crimes.”

“Mr. Speaker, this bill is very targeted and would address hate crime with the mens rea, the intent, to wilfully promote hate. I believe that is constitutional and is within the means. It would protect all faiths in this country. The intention of the bill is to protect Canadians and to make sure that people are deterred from committing hate crimes in Canada.”

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“We made sure this bill still lets people talk about religion, politics, or science. They just cannot spread hatred against any group or treat Jewish people badly.”

“Mr. Speaker, I would agree. In addition to that, we included, for greater certainty, a clause to clarify that nothing prevents a person from communicating statements on matters of public interest, such as religious, political or scientific matters, if they do not wilfully promote hatred against an identifiable group or wilfully promote anti-Semitism.”

“We have debated this bill for many hours. People are spreading false information about it. It does not ban peaceful protests or free speech.”

“Mr. Speaker, this bill has had an unprecedented number of hours of debate, whether in the House or at committee. Like I said previously, it was tabled in the House September 19. Let me be clear, because there is a lot of misinformation about the bill. I too have been receiving a lot of calls, but I have been trying to correct the narrative, because many people misunderstand and have misinterpreted the bill. The intimidation and obstruction offence in the bill would not criminalize expression or peaceful assembly, including lawful protests or other forms of public communication.”

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“I want this bill passed quickly. Jewish people in my community support it because it protects their synagogues and gathering places. Can the secretary of state speak about the talks that led to this bill and why we must pass it right away?”

“Mr. Speaker, I really appreciate the hon. secretary of state bringing forth closure on this very important legislation, it being a key campaign promise. I happen to represent the majority of the Hamilton Jewish community, who are extremely supportive of the bill and the protections it would offer for their places of worship, their synagogues, and the places where they gather and deserve to be safe. I was wondering if the hon. secretary of state could talk about the consultation that has gone into this legislation and the need for it to be passed as quickly as possible.”

“Hate crimes against religious groups, racial minorities, and LGBTQ people are going up. I want this bill passed so people who commit hate crimes face harsher punishments.”

“Mr. Speaker, many community groups have been asking for the government to take action, as we have seen a rise in hate crimes against many people of different ethnic backgrounds, religions and races. This is important. The LGBTQ community has also faced a rise in hate in this country. This is part of a larger set of initiatives that we as a government are taking. There is the Canada community security program, which we have heavily invested in. There is Canada’s action plan on combatting hate. We are doing work to collect data. However, it is important to also deter and punish those who take part in hate crimes. Those who commit them will face harsher penalties after the bill is passed.”

“This bill has been debated and changed by both the House and the Senate. Conservatives are spreading false claims about it, so people are worried about things that are not in the bill. It is short, it follows the Charter of Rights, and it does not stop anyone from practicing their religion.”

“Mr. Speaker, this legislation has been considered in the House. It has been considered in the other place. Amendments have been made in both Houses of Parliament, and the bill has come back for genuine debate. I know the Conservative Party of Canada has been busy for many months spreading a misinformation campaign, so we have been getting a lot of calls from people thinking stuff is in the bill that is not. It is a short bill. It is very targeted, and it is in compliance of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. It would not limit anyone’s ability to practise their faith in this country.”

“I want the House to pass this bill to protect Canadians. It clearly defines hatred based on court rulings, and it has safeguards to make sure it is used properly.”

“Mr. Speaker, through the committee process, a lot of good ideas came forward. In this bill, we have a clear definition of what hatred means. It was taken from Supreme Court precedents and those from other levels of court as well. The definition of “hatred” has been well established in this country, so it is very clear. Considering the fact that the Attorney General’s consent would also be required in this bill, there would be an additional safeguard provided. Work has been done on the bill, and I thank all parties for contributing, but it is time to get this passed so we can protect Canadians.”

“This bill does not stop peaceful protests. It will only punish people who spread hate on purpose. We brought this bill forward because violent hate crimes are rising and we want to stop them.”

“Mr. Speaker, protesting is a fundamental right in this country, and this bill would not limit the right of peaceful protest, but it should be recognized that under section 1 of the charter, rights and freedoms may be subject to reasonable limits if those limits are prescribed by law and demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society. Those who are not wilfully participating in hate would not end up being charged under any provision of the bill. There has been a lot of misinformation. I want to reassure Canadians that the bill was brought forward with good intentions after lots of consultation and demand from communities, because we have seen these acts of violence increase in this country and we want to make sure that the government sets the precedent that we will not tolerate hate in our country.”

“We brought this bill forward because many Canadians feel unsafe practising their religion. It protects people from hate and protects their right to practise their faith.”

“Mr. Speaker, this bill was brought forward after listening to the concerns of Canadians. The fear, intimidation and hate that they have been facing are why we have brought forward the bill. It is in order to protect Canadians and to protect the rights of freedom of expression. There are many Canadians who do not feel that it is safe to be able to practise their faith in this country, so the bill is about protecting religion in Canada and making sure that everyone understands that people have a right to their beliefs. That is what the bill is about.”

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“The Charter protects religious freedom. Conservatives are sending emails that falsely claim our bill will criminalize people of faith just so they can raise money. I want the secretary of state to respond to this false information.”

“Mr. Speaker, freedom of religion is guaranteed under the Charter of Rights. I will ask the secretary of state to provide her thoughts on a Conservative Party of Canada email that I received. The email says, “the Liberals are waging a war on religious freedom. Their goal is to expose people of faith to criminal prosecution for a simple act of quoting their own sacred texts.” At the end of the email, it says, “Donate now”, referring to donating to the Conservative Party. I wonder if the member could provide her thoughts on the misinformation that stems from the chamber, all the way out to the public from the Conservative Party of Canada and how it is using this as a tool to raise money. Raising money is more important to Conservatives than having good, sound public policy. Our freedoms are guaranteed in the Charter of Rights.”

“I want Canadians to know that this bill protects people from intimidation while still respecting their rights to free speech and peaceful protest. The government is sure it follows the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”

“Mr. Speaker, I have had many conversations in which people state and read out Conservative talking points, exact emails that were sent out by the Conservative Party of Canada. I want to reassure Canadians today that the proposed intimidation and obstruction offences in the bill have been carefully designed to target criminal conduct while respecting charter rights on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. The government is confident that the legislation is consistent with the protections of the charter and, if challenged, it can be defended before the courts.”

“People are feeling more divided and isolated, and hate has deep roots in our history. Our government is taking action to protect Canadians. The Conservatives are just blocking our work.”

“Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of reasons. Sometimes world events are a reason. Sometimes it is people’s hatred because of the polarization that has happened online over the last little while. Canadians are more isolated than they used to be. They are more staunch in their opinions. In the past, thousands of Black North Americans were lynched. There have been many acts of hate in the past as well. This government did not do that. The government is taking action. All the Conservatives have been doing is trying to obstruct. They do not want us to protect Canadians. The Conservatives reached an all-time low last week when they voted against longer sentences for child predators.”

“We have debated this hate crimes bill enough. The Senate added the noose as a banned hate symbol to fight anti-Black racism, but the opposition is not asking about that. They are wasting time on unrelated things instead of working with us in good faith.”

“Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, much time has been given to debate on this matter in the House and in the other place as well. The Senate came back with one amendment; it was the addition of a hate symbol, the noose, because of the anti-Black racism that we have seen throughout North America, and I would say throughout western countries around the world. That is the issue right now. That was the amendment that was brought forward by the Senate, but it does not seem like anyone has questions on that. I am sad to say that even when debate on this was occurring at the House of Commons committee, a lot of time was wasted talking about frivolous and irrelevant things. I do not believe the opposition party has been acting in good faith.”

“I want this bill to pass. It creates a new hate crime law and makes it illegal to block or scare people going to day camps, religious schools, and places of worship. The current laws are too weak, and Canadians need to feel safe.”

“Mr. Speaker, we are acting. We are changing the Criminal Code of Canada. The offence of mischief that the member is talking about has very low penalties and is added at the sentencing portion of a crime. This is a stand-alone hate crime. This bill would also create a crime of intimidation and of obstruction. We have seen many Canadians not be able to go to their day camps, their religious schools or their places of worship. It is really important that we make sure that all Canadians feel safe living in Canada. This bill is essential. Canadians have asked us to make amendments to the Criminal Code of Canada, and we have done so. We have done so in this bill and in several other bills, because we are a government that believes in protecting Canadians.”

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“Police worked hard to investigate the shooting at the American consulate. They need better tools to stop hate crimes and terrorism, but the Conservatives are blocking the law that gives them those tools.”

“Mr. Speaker, the Conservative argument is so disingenuous. In the hate crime or the shooting that happened at the U.S. consulate, the RCMP and local law enforcement investigated that incident. There were actors who belonged to a terrorist organization. It has been reported and alleged that they were working out of the United States of America and were plotting events here in Canada and in Europe. Our law agencies were investigating and were on top of it, and so I give them a lot of credit for the investigation that they have done. However, they could also use more investigative tools, like those in Bill C-22 respecting lawful access, but the Conservatives have been standing in their way. How many more victims are the Conservatives going to create by their obstruction?”

“Conservatives are falsely telling Canadians that this bill would charge people for reading scripture or sharing their faith. Can the secretary explain why we must pass this bill quickly to fight this false information?”

“Uqaqtittiji, I think that one thing we all agree on is that the Conservatives are really good at spreading misinformation and disinformation. They have Canadians believing that the bill, if introduced the way it is, would make it possible for someone to be charged just for reading scripture or sharing their faith. This is what the Conservatives have done. I wonder if the secretary can tell us why it is urgent to pass this bill so that we could help address some of the disinformation that has been shared by the Conservatives.”

“I want the House to pass this bill. It will protect religious groups, students, and LGBTQ+ people from hate, violence, and intimidation.”

“Mr. Speaker, we have seen many incidents. We have seen 2SLGBTQI+ groups be discriminated against and an extreme rise in violence against them and the transgender community here in Canada. It is important to protect all communities. Whether it is a member of a faith group, a student on campus who wishes to go to a prayer room, or a young kid trying to attend a religious camp or a Jewish school, it is important for them to be able to live their lives. Canada is a place where all people should be free to practise their faith and to go to school without fear and intimidation. That is what the law is all about. Bill C-9 is about giving Canadians the safety they deserve while being who they are.”