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Toronto (February 27, 2024) – Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center (FSWC) approves of yesterday’s introduction of Bill C-63 in Canada’s House of Commons as an important step in the ongoing fight against hate but urges more definitive action against antisemitism.

The proposed new legislation, tabled by Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Arif Virani, calls for the enactment of the Online Harms Act to promote online safety, especially for minors, by mandating online platforms to enact measures that reduce the risk of users being exposed to harmful content, including that which foments hatred and incites violent extremism or terrorism.

Bill C-63 also seeks to amend the Criminal Code, creating a definition of “hatred” and a hate crime offence and increasing the maximum sentence for hate propaganda offences. It would also amend the Canadian Human Rights Act, deeming online hate speech as a discriminatory practice and introducing new remedies to address such hate.

“As the Jewish community and other minority groups face an unprecedented surge in hatred, this new legislation put forward by the government comes at a critical time,” said FSWC President and CEO Michael Levitt. “We are hopeful it will help hold perpetrators of hate crimes accountable, better support victims of hate and keep all Canadians safer. Still, more must be done to confront the scourge of antisemitism that has reached disturbing new heights. We look forward to putting forward recommendations to ensure the Jewish community’s concerns about antisemitism are taken into consideration as this new bill advances.”

This latest move follows demands from FSWC and other Jewish groups for the Canadian government to take a more vigorous approach in addressing antisemitism. Most recently, FSWC called on Public Safety Canada and Canadian Heritage to convene an Emergency Task Force for On-Campus Antisemitism while also remaining involved in the Inter-Parliamentary Task Force to Combat Online Antisemitism.