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For Americans:

Canadians do not have the degree of freedom of speech as persons in the United States enjoy. Legislation in Canada follows the British tradition, as do laws in Australia, New Zealand and some other former colonies. In particular, with a few exceptions, citizens are not allowed to incite or promote hatred, or advocate or promote genocide against certain specified groups.

Topics covered in this section:

	Introduction: status of free speech. Hate propaganda in the Criminal Code of Canada
	Religious hate speech. Cases involving religiously motivated hate speech 2013: Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission v. William Whatcot
	Bill C-250: Adding sexual orientation as a protected class Misinformation, opposition, House of Commons vote   Reactions to the vote in the House. Senate vote.   C-250 signed. Reactions by religious conservatives   More reactions

Related menu on this web site:

• Concerning the freedom of religious groups & individuals to discriminate

Legal note:

This section is intended to give an overview of hate propaganda legislation in Canada to a popular audience. Some of the essays are based on the Criminal Code as it existed on 2009-AUG. The law may have since changed. For specific guidance, we recommend that you obtain an interpretation from a qualified lawyer. Do not rely on these essays to make personal decisions.