Online hate harms us all
Hate crimes and incidents have steadily been rising in Canada over the past decade. The online realm, where millions of people in Canada work and engage, is no exception. It's time for Canada's laws to catch up with our digital realities.
New online harms bill makes Internet safer while upholding freedom of speech
Press release
The Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) supports the federal government’s new online harms bill as a positive step in protecting everyone, including our youth and young adults from online acts of hate, threats, and violence.
At the same time, the bill protects freedom of speech by providing a clear definition of what constitutes hate.
“Freedom of speech does not mean freedom to commit acts of hate. This legislation is overdue and addresses a glaring gap in the digital realm that has long posed a threat to people in Canada.” – Mohammed Hashim, Chief Executive Officer of the CRRF.
Working to counter online hate
Anti-Asian Racism
For the 2024 Asian Heritage Month, the Coalition Against Anti-Asian Racism in Canada (CAAARC) and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation (CRRF) hosted “United Against Online Hate: A National Policy Forum on Combating Anti-Asian Racism”. This virtual event was a response to a significant rise in online hate targeting Asian communities in the last few years. It brought together experts, policymakers, community leaders and activists to discuss creating effective policies and finding solutions. The forum was is also an opportunity to review the current policy landscape, share strategies that work, and plan actions to reduce online hate.
#BlockHate Campaign
In 2021, the CRRF and YWCA Canada ran a social media campaign called #BlockHate to address the rise of hate speech and racism online, featuring women of colour sharing their experiences about being targeted by online hate.