The federal government is considering changes to the Criminal Code to outlaw the public display of swastikas and other so-called “terror symbols,” according to a Department of Justice briefing note. Blacklock's Reporter says the March 14 memo, prepared for Attorney General Sean Fraser, said cabinet is reviewing new tools to combat hate crimes, including limits on “display of terror symbols” and expanded access protections for religious buildings.“The government is considering legislative and other actions to address the rise in hate,” said the memo, noting ongoing consultations with provinces. While it did not define specific symbols, B’nai Brith Canada has lobbied for a ban on Nazi paraphernalia following anti-Semitic incidents at protests..The issue gained attention after a swastika flag was seen during a 2022 Freedom Convoy demonstration. The flag waver was condemned by protest organizers and never identified. That incident prompted a failed private bill, C-229, introduced by former New Democrat MP Peter Julian to criminalize the display or sale of hate symbols under threat of up to two years in prison.Support for such a ban has come from Jewish advocacy groups and provincial leaders, including Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe. .“The recent resurgence of Nazi iconography including the swastika in public places across Canada is deeply concerning,” Moe said in March while endorsing a B’nai Brith petition.The Department of Justice memo acknowledged existing legal protections against hate speech and said no new measures are being pursued to regulate online content. Parliament has twice rejected prior attempts by cabinet to enact internet censorship laws. Bills C-36 and C-63 both failed amid pushback from Conservatives, academics and free speech advocates.Prime Minister Mark Carney last April promised new online regulations to address hate speech and extremism but has not introduced legislation. “When Canadians are threatened going to their community centres or their places of worship or their school… my government if we are elected will be taking action,” Carney told a Liberal rally in Hamilton.
