VICTORIA, BC: The BC Prosecution Service (BCPS) has announced revisions to the Hate Crimes (HAT 1) policy. The policy acknowledges the significant harm caused by hate crimes to victims, their communities, and society as a whole.
The service said the definitions of hate crime have been updated to include “hate propaganda offences,” such as public incitement of hatred and “wilful promotion of antisemitism,” as well as offences related to “conversion therapy,” a discredited practice that aims to change sexual orientation or gender identity.
It said the updated policy manual for Crown prosecutors also includes specific guidance for hate crimes targeting Indigenous victims and communities.
It recognizes that hate crimes can cause grave psychological and social consequences that may impact one’s own self-worth, inclusion and belonging, as well as personal and collective safety. Changes to the policy include defining “hate crimes” for the purposes of the policy to include any of the following prohibited acts:
hate propaganda offences: advocating or promoting genocide, public incitement of hatred, wilful promotion of hatred, and wilful promotion of antisemitism
• conversion therapy offences
• mischief to property of an identifiable group motivated by bias, prejudice, or hate
• any Criminal Code offence motivated by bias, prejudice, or hate based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression, or on any other similar factor
• specific advice on five new Criminal Code hate crime offences (wilful promotion of antisemitism and four conversion therapy offences)
• specific guidance for hate crimes targeting Indigenous victims and Indigenous community.
Mike Farnworth, Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, said, “Today’s changes from the BC Prosecution Service (BCPS) sets clear direction for police officers to support victims and survivors, and to ensure they mount successful investigations against those who commit hate crimes happening to people in our communities. British Columbia, like the rest of Canada, has witnessed a worrying rise in police-reported hate crimes over the last several years. Despite these increases in hate crimes, they remain among the least-reported offences. It is clear we have more work to do to ensure that people feel comfortable reporting hate crimes to the police. The reporting of any hate-motivated incident can help police to find the perpetrator and bring them to justice. It will also allow to better target crime prevention efforts in communities and identify trends and repeat perpetrators. We know that a single incident can affect the wider community and that hate is targeted. That’s why we have worked with police to expand accessible online hate reporting options in multiple languages to reduce barriers to reporting to ensure that people can access these services. I commend the BCPS for these changes they have made to their policy on hate crimes. They will have meaningful impact on the lives of people throughout our province.”
B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma issued a statement applauding the changes, saying they will “go a long way” in supporting efforts to address the significant harms caused by hate crimes and deliver justice to victims and survivors.
BC Prosecution Service updates Hate Crimes policy
