Mr. Speaker, this bill actually does make very material changes to the Criminal Code. It establishes a new stand-alone hate offence. It creates a new offence around obstruction of places that communities gather. It creates a new offence around intimidation outside of places where communities gather.
What is most important about this is that all Canadians are seeking public safety and community safety in their neighbourhoods, so much so that police associations have asked us for this clarity in law. It never ceases to surprise me how the members opposite, who pretend to be strong on crime, cannot get behind a bill that actually provides law enforcement with the tools that they are asking for to be able to properly police, enforce and hold accountable the people who break the laws in our neighbourhoods.