Credit: Tom Bastin/Flickr CC BY 2.0

Here is what we’ve accomplished in the second half of 2025 thanks to your support:

Border bills C-2 & C-12

Bill C-2, the rights-violating Strong Borders Act, was tabled in June 2025. The legislation is anti-privacy, anti-migrant and anti-refugee and will make people across Canada less safe by arbitrarily limiting the ability of individuals to claim asylum in Canada, in violation of international human rights law; allowing for the mass cancellation or suspension of immigration documents and applications (ex: visas, permanent residency cards) for entire groups of people, including individuals from certain countries, based on undefined “public interest” reasons; allowing police and intelligence agencies warrantless access to our personal information, in violation of privacy rights; granting the government the power to issue secret orders to internet service providers to modify their systems to facilitate surveillance and possibly undermine encryption, placing our data at risk; allowing Canada Post to open and search our letter mail; and much more.

Bill C-12, the Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders Act, was tabled in October 2025 in response to critiques of C-2, particularly around privacy violations. The bill replicates Bill C-2’s anti-migrant and anti-refugee provisions, among others. With support of opposition parties, the Liberal government intends to pass Bill C-12 more quickly, while stating it will take more time to examine the remaining aspects of Bill C-2.

Over this time, the ICLMG has:

• Reacted quickly with a preliminary analysis of Bill C-2 which was broadly quoted by media and MPs in the House.
• Met with several partners to discuss, strategize and coordinate the fight against Bill C-2
• Created an action calling for Bill C-2 to be withdrawn, and updated it to oppose Bill C-12.
• Co-organized an open letter opposing C-2, signed by 176 organizations.
• Co-organized a press release and press conference announcing the call from 300 organizations for Bill C-2 to be withdrawn.
• Met with several MPs, government officials and ministerial staff to voice our concerns.
• Presented on C-2 in a community forum organized by the Kensington-Bellwoods Community Legal Services.
• Attended briefings about C-2 organized by Public Safety, Justice Canada, and Finance.
• Co-organized and moderated a webinar attended by hundreds to stop Bill C-2.
• Signed onto a letter denouncing C-2 initiated by the Internet Society and published in the Hill Times.
• Participated in a press release denouncing Bill C-12, and supported a joint press conference against C-12 after many groups were blocked from testifying at committee.
• Sent briefs on C-12 to both CIMM and SECU committees.
• Spoke on a webinar entitled “Mapping the Threat: How Recent Federal Bills Would Erode Our Rights and Freedoms” organized by the Centre for Free Expression at the Toronto Metropolitan University.

Bill C-9: The “Combatting Hate” Act

Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, was introduced in September 2025. The bill is aimed at preventing hate crimes but instead threatens the Charter rights and freedoms of all people in Canada, including those communities that the government wishes to help protect. Bill C-9 would give police discretionary powers to decide which symbols are “principally associated” with a listed terror entities as well as determine the motivations and intentions of protesters, and would create new categories of buildings and infrastructure around which these new rules would apply. These new powers, combined with increased jail sentences, will significantly undermine free expression and dissent, sending a chill amongst those who would otherwise take part in protests. The removal of the existing requirements for attorney general approval of laying hate propaganda charges compounds these concerns. This bill is highly alarming, especially in the context of the crackdown on Palestinian solidarity and anti-genocide protests.

Since it was introduced, ICLMG has:

• Met with several partners to discuss, strategize and coordinate the fight against Bill C-9
• Created an action calling for Bill C-9 to be withdrawn
• Organized a briefing on Bill C-9 hosted by Justice Canada
• Spoke at a webinar with Khaled Alqazzaz organized by CMPAC
• Appeared at the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice re: Bill C-9
• Submitted a brief to the Justice committee
• Met with several MPs, government officials and ministerial staff to voice our concerns
• Spoke to several media about the bill
• Participated in a joint press conference hosted by Senator Woo
• Signed onto several joint letters calling for C-9 to be withdrawn
• Sent a letter to the Justice committee’s Chair urging him to rule out of order an amendment to C-9 that would have brought back a Charter-violating anti-terrorism offence, unrelated to C-9/combatting hate, bypassing debate and scrutiny at committee.
• Updated our action and sent a mass email urging people to denounce the addition of the above amendment to C-9. The amendment was removed!

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Impacts of Countering Terrorism Financing

We continue to be heavily engaged in monitoring and addressing the impacts of Canada’s counter terrorism financing regime, especially its effects on civil society, civic space and international assistance. Since May, we have:

• Attended an information session and discussion on Canada’s Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) Evaluation and the Role of Non-Profit Organizations (NPOs).
• Made a submission in advance of the Financial Action Task Force’s (FATF) upcoming on-site review of Canada’s anti-money laundering and counter-terrorist financing (CTF) regime.
• Continued to engage in Finance Canada’s dialogue sessions with civil society, including:
  • attending the GoC-NPO Dialogue Session on derisking
  • meeting with Finance Canada to share feedback regarding the National Inherent Risk Assessment
  • attending and presenting on the impacts of financial service derisking on NPOs at the first ever NPO and Advisory Committee on Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Dialogue
• Reacted to the much-anticipated report of the National Security and Intelligence Review Agency (NSIRA) on prejudiced audits of Muslim-led charities – an ICLMG recommendation from our 2021 report: New watchdog report finds government approach to counter-terror audits of Muslim charities is flawed, raises substantial concerns of bias and discrimination.
• Joined The Palestine Tribunal on Canadian Responsibility to speak about our work on how Canada’s counter terrorist financing regime is used to target, surveil, undermine and shut down Muslim-led charities and the impact that this has on support for and solidarity with Palestinians. We also denounced the several roadblocks targeting the event and some of its participants, including the hours-long detention and questioning by CBSA of guest speaker Richard Falk, a former UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in the Palestinian territories, at his arrival at the Toronto Pearson airport.

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On December 3rd, 2025, at a news conference in Ottawa, a coalition of civil society organizations call on the Liberal government to withdraw Bill C-9, its proposed legislation aimed at combatting hate crime.

Speaking with reporters are Khaled Al-Qazzaz (Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council), Nir Hagigi (Independent Jewish Voices), Alex Silas (Public Service Alliance of Canada), Tim McSorley (International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group), Rachelle Friesen (Legal Support Committee), and Senator Yuen Pau Woo.

Watch the full press conference here, our National Coordinator’s remarks at 3:52, and/or read the transcript of his remarks below.

You can also read this joint statement we have signed on, published on December 1st:

Bill C-9 Should Not Be Passed: A Cross-Country Multi Faith Canadian Call to Defend Civil Liberties

UPDATED ACTION

We have updated our action so please click the button to take action (again, if you have already) to stop Bill C-9 and protect free expression, freedom of assembly and dissent in Canada:

TAKE ACTION TO STOP BILL C-9

TRANSCRIPT OF ICLMG’S REMARKS

I am here on behalf of the International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, a coalition of Canadian organizations from a broad range of sectors that works to defend civil liberties in Canada against negative impacts of Canada’s national security and anti-terrorism laws.

Our coalition has observed with distress the increase in hate-based violence across Canada over the past several years, including Islamophobia, antisemitism, anti-Black racism and hate targeted at the anti-2SLGBTQIA+ community.

Like our colleagues here today, and the Canadian public at large, we believe greater measures must be taken to address these instances of hate. But such measures must be targeted and specific, and ensure that they do not unduly impact civil liberties or Charter rights, including of those who the measures are ostensibly meant to protect.

Unfortunately, several measures in Bill C-9 fail that test. Along with other organizations here, through legislative briefs, open letters and appearances at committee, we have shared these substantial concerns with MPs and the government. Ultimately, the breadth of these problems in Bill C-9 have led us to conclude that the bill must be withdrawn and re-thought.

What is in the legislation?

To begin, it would repeal the requirement that the Attorney General consent to the institution of proceedings for hate propaganda offences, which has been a crucial oversight mechanism given the sensitivity and impact of a hate crime charge;

Next, it would create four new Criminal Code offences:
First, a new offence of wilfully promoting hatred against any identifiable group by displaying certain symbols in a public place, punishable by up to two years in prison;

Second, it would create a hate crime offence of committing an offence under that Act or any other Act of Parliament that is motivated by hatred based on certain factors, with sentences commensurate with the underlying offence;

Third, it would create an offence of intimidating a person with the intent to cause fear in order to impede them from accessing certain places that are primarily used for religious worship or by an identifiable group for certain purposes; and

Fourth, it would create an offence of intentionally obstructing or interfering with a person’s lawful access to such places.

Finally, the bill would also integrate, for the first time, a definition of hate into the Criminal Code, based largely on Supreme Court jurisprudence.

While the components of Bill C-9 may appear to be measured and proportionate in order to address hate crimes in Canada, a closer examination of the details of the bill raise significant concerns around threats to free expression, freedom of assembly and the ability for the public to engage in protest and dissent. In short, it would threaten a swathe of Charter protected rights of Canadians and people in Canada.

For example, we are deeply concerned with provisions of the bill that will link the criminalization of the wilful promotion of hatred by the public display of certain symbols to Canada’s terrorist entities list.

The public is rightly concerned when individuals call for hate based violence against any community or person, whether through the use of certain symbols or not.

However, these new provisions would go much further, by granting police broad, discretionary powers to arrest individuals based on the police officers’ interpretation of the symbols or signs individuals display at protests.

Over the past several months, we have seen heated arguments and accusations that certain symbols associated with protests in support of Palestinian human rights are either hateful, are associated with a terrorist entity, or both. Peaceful and lawful protests have been unjustly accused of fomenting hate based on the signs and slogans that they carry or chant.

Under this new legislation, police could make a determination, in the middle of a march or protest, not just of what constitutes a symbol associated with one of Canada’s 86 listed terrorist entities. The concept of a symbol that is “used by” or associated with is very open ended, given that terrorist entities may use, adopt or co-opt or even simply use images or slogans that the members of the public may also use. This could include not just the outright display of a flag of a terrorist group, for example, but also an individual wearing a keffiyeh or displaying a disputed symbol or slogan on a sign.

This is made more complicated by the fact that police would be empowered to make the decision that a symbol so nearly resembles the symbol associated with a terrorist entity. For example, would Arabic writing on a sign that a police officer believes is similar enough to writing found on imagery used by a listed terrorist entity be enough to arrest an individual? Or would a banner or even clothing of a certain color, if also used by a terrorist organization, be viewed as violating the law? And this confusion would of course apply to all 86 listed entities, and could impact protests from a broad range of communities across the political spectrum.

These issues raise important questions of “guilt by association” or the tarring of entire movements with suspicion. We have seen this throughout the last twenty years of anti-terrorism measures, and acutely over the last two years during protests or rallies, in academic settings, or even in parliamentary committee meetings.

Finally, we are also troubled by the fact that the symbols in question are based on the Terrorist Entities List, which itself is a problematic tool.

Serious issues with Canada’s terrorist listing procedure include: the imposition of serious financial and possibly criminal consequences on the basis of unaccountable, secret executive listing decisions; the use of secret evidence; and the absence of adequate avenues for challenging listings and obtaining redress. Decisions to list or not list can also be political in nature.

Underlying it all is the ambiguity of the language around in what instances these images would be banned. While the government says it would only be in circumstances where the symbols are used to wilfully promote hatred – and not just the simple display of images themselves. But a careful reading of the legislation, particularly in French, makes it clear that the display of the images themselves could be seen as the incitement to hatred. Combined with the discretionary nature of what is a banned symbol, it escalates the very real possibility of individuals being arrested for simply expressing a political opinion, challenging the Canadian or foreign governments, or speaking out against the status quo.

We are also greatly concerned that instead of addressing this overreach and the chill on free speech it will entail, both Conservative and Liberal MPs are proposing, in committee at clause by clause right now, to add new provisions that will further entrench and escalate these risks.

MPs are proposing a new offence that harkens back to much maligned and protested Bill C-51 under the Harper Conservative government, that the Liberal government eventually overturned. At the time, it was recognized by legal experts, civil liberties and human rights advocates, and MPs themselves, that an offence of “advocating terrorism offences in general” would not survive a charter challenge because of its undue limits on free expression. Now, though, MPs are looking to establish an even broader offence of “promotion of a terrorist group, terrorist activity or activity of a terrorist group.” Given the discretionary and political nature of what and who defines what is a terrorist group or activity, and the vagueness and overly-broad nature of “promotion”, such an offence would once again certainly violate free expression of people in Canada and send a chill throughout the population. The Canadian criminal code already outlaws the counselling, instructing or assisting in a terrorist activity, or supporting a terrorist organization. These amendments are going in the wrong direction, and we are urging MPs to reverse course immediately.

Thank you.

The federal government has introduced, and is rushing through Parliament, several bills that threaten the Charter rights and civil liberties of all people in Canada.

Our small team of two need your help to take these on!

I WANT TO HELP!

Among these bills are:

Bill C-2, the “Strong Borders” Act, which is anti-privacy, anti-migrant and anti-refugee and will make us all less safe by:

• Allowing police and intelligence agencies warrantless access to our personal information, in violation of privacy rights.
• Granting the government the power to issue secret orders to internet service providers to modify their systems to facilitate surveillance and possibly undermine encryption, placing our data at risk.
• Allowing Canada Post to open and search our letter mail.
• And more!

Working with 300+ civil society partners, we managed to slow it down for now. However, the xenophobic provisions, based in fear-mongering around migrants and refugees, have been copied into Bill C-12, which is now being rushed through Parliament, including a committee study in which civil society groups were blocked from testifying!

Bill C-12, the “Strengthening Canada’s Immigration System and Borders” Act, will discriminate, violate the Charter and put people in danger by:

• Allowing for the mass cancellation or suspension of immigration documents and applications (ex: visas, permanent residency cards) for entire groups of people, including individuals from certain countries, based on undefined “public interest” reasons.
• Authorizing the sharing of sensitive personal and immigration information, putting people at risk in Canada and abroad.
• Blocking anyone from seeking refugee status in Canada after one year from when they entered the country—even if their home country becomes dangerous in the meantime.
• Increasing the harm arising from the Canada-US Safe Third Country Agreement, which abandons many refugees to the dangerous U.S. immigration system.
• Doubles down on prohibition-based drug policy that has demonstrably failed to protect public health and safety.

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In keeping with its flooding the zone strategy, the Liberal government introduced another bill that will criminalize dissent, chill free speech and harm the communities that the government says it wishes to help protect:

Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, will:

• Give police discretionary powers to determine what are protesters’ intentions and which symbols are associated with listed terrorist entities – an arbitrary, due-process violating and political tool that has nothing to do with “hate” and should be abolished. It will lead to more arbitrary arrests and disruptions of peaceful assemblies.
• Increase the crackdown on Palestinian solidarity and anti-genocide protests as they, their symbols and their slogans are often falsely associated with terrorism.
• Send a chill amongst those who would otherwise take part in protests as these new broad and discretionary powers are combined with increased jail sentences.
• Remove the existing requirements for attorney general approval of laying hate propaganda charges, allowing police to make these decisions, and compounding these concerns.

To ensure the Liberal government protects our rights, we need your help!

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Xan & Tim