Thank you. I too take very seriously the need to protect the rights of Canadians, but I take a broader view of what that includes. In my view, it should include the right to actually live freely in your community, not just to have rights ascribed to you on paper. When we see hate take place in our communities and choose not to take action, we are complicit in hate's continuous fomentation. I, for one, don't think that's acceptable.
The changes that we're making to the criminal law are going to add real protections for communities of faith going to their places of worship, their community centres and their schools. For people more broadly, they are going to know there will be additional charges for specific crimes of hate if they are in fact targeted on the basis of their race or their sexual orientation, and that there will actually be changes made to the law so they are not a paper victory but are likely to lead to more charges. In turn, that deterrent effect will mean that fewer instances of hate play out in their communities.
This is about changing the real-world experience of people who should not be subjected to hate in this country. I think it's incumbent on all of us to actually have that frame when we're adopting laws or considering what amendments we may propose to them.