Ottawa: Indian-origin community organizations have cautiously welcomed a bill tabled by the Canadian government to combat hate crimes targeting identity groups including those based on religion.
The bill, which comes nearly a year after pro-Khalistan protestors violently attacked the Hindu Sabha Mandir in Brampton in November last year, will make it a crime to intimidate and obstruct people from accessing places of worship, as well as schools, community centres and other places primarily used by an identifiable group. It will make hate motivated crime a specific offense
The proposed legislation will also make it a crime to wilfully promote hatred against an identifiable group by displaying certain terrorism or hate symbols in public, a release from the Ministry of Justice noted.
The Coalition of Hindus of North America (CoHNA) in Canada welcomed the “landmark bill that promises to strengthen the Criminal Code in addressing rising Hinduphobia and other forms of hate".
“Over the past few years, we have seen more than two dozen attacks against Hindu temples, including medieval style invasions and violence against devotees... the true measure of the bill’s success lies in its enforcement," it said.
The Vishwa Jain Sangathan Canada supported the government’s “efforts to make legislation to address hate crimes in Canada, and we stand in solidarity with Jewish and all other Canadian communities facing hate crimes in Canada.”
