Madam Speaker, the hon. member for Spadina—Fort York has raised some concerns around Samidoun, so I will take this opportunity to state that the Government of Canada is deeply concerned by the issue of hate against Jewish communities. Anti-Semitism, Islamophobia or hate in any form is unacceptable.

Hate propaganda and hate crimes are taken very seriously by all orders of government in Canada. The federal government, heads of police services, and provincial and territorial partners have all been meeting regularly to discuss policing collaboration and the best way to ensure safety and security for communities during these challenging times. As a government, we encourage all those affected by hate propaganda to contact their local law enforcement, as well as their local elected officials, should they have any safety concerns revolving around hate speech or actions in a community.

We have taken several actions to combat anti-Semitism and hate in Canada. In November 2023, we appointed the second special envoy on preserving Holocaust remembrance and combatting anti-Semitism. In addition, we recently appointed the first special adviser on Jewish community relations and anti-Semitism. We also renewed Canada's anti-racism strategy to continue the fight against racism, and we introduced Canada's first-ever action plan on combatting hate. In budget 2024, we proposed $273.6 million over six years, starting this year, with $29.3 million ongoing to advance this action plan. The funding will support community outreach and law enforcement reform, tackle the rise in hate crimes, enhance community safety and security, counter radicalization and increase support for victims.

With regard to designating an organization as a terrorist entity, as the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Public Safety reminded the House today, the minister has already referred the listing of Samidoun to our national security experts and asked for an emergency and urgent review. As my hon. colleague knows, the listing process is iterative. The environment has changed since October 2023, and the public safety department and portfolio agencies continue to monitor and assess national security threats against Canada and Canadians constantly.

I want to be clear: The Government of Canada takes any and all allegations of criminal activity, terrorism or violent extremism in Canada extremely seriously, and we have a number of tools available to address them. They include conducting investigations with a view to laying charges under the Criminal Code, and when applicable, using peace bonds, no-fly listings, the revocation of passports and terrorist listings.

Whether to list or delist an entity under the Criminal Code is determined as a result of a rigorous process that is based on evidence, intelligence and the law. It involves cross-government consultations, used to ascertain whether an entity meets the threshold for listing as set out in the Criminal Code. I cannot comment on the process of listing a specific organization, but I can assure the member that the Government of Canada is taking the necessary actions to keep Canadians safe from violent extremism and terrorism. We will continue to work with all our partners to counter national security threats and to uphold democracy. This government stands firm in actions to protect Canadians and its belief that it is wrong to direct hatred, violence and intolerance towards those of diverse faiths and social groups. These acts will not be tolerated in Canada. We can build a better future together.

Lisa Hepfner

$519,294.00