Conservative MP Roman Baber tables bill to criminalize promotion of terrorism
A Conservative MP is fighting back against terrorist sympathizers by tabling a private member’s bill that would finally make the willful promotion of terrorism a criminal offence in Canada.
A Conservative MP is fighting back against terrorist sympathizers by tabling a private member’s bill that would finally make the willful promotion of terrorism a criminal offence in Canada.
Conservative MP Roman Baber has tabled Bill C-257, which seeks to criminalize the promotion of terrorism.
Bill C-257, tabled Monday in the House of Commons, proposes a maximum penalty of five years in prison for anyone convicted of promoting a terrorist group or encouraging terrorist activity. Baber, who represents York Centre, says the legislation is designed to fill what he describes as a dangerous gap in the Criminal Code.
“Intifada means violent resistance. It should be criminal to call for Intifada in Canada or to promote a terrorist entity like Hamas,” Baber said in a statement. “Canada already criminalizes aiding in and participation in terrorism. But there is no offence targeting the wilful promotion of terrorism.”
While current anti-terror laws prohibit participation, financing and facilitation of terrorist activity, Baber argues they stop short of addressing incitement or glorification. Section 83 of the Criminal Code lays out a range of terrorism-related offences, but it does not explicitly criminalize verbal or symbolic promotion. Baber says this legal omission has allowed radical actors to push extremist ideology in public and online spaces without consequence.
The bill draws on the structure of Section 319 of the Criminal Code, which criminalizes the wilful promotion of hatred and has been upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada. C-257 includes similar safeguards, allowing for exemptions on the basis of religious expression, truth or public interest.
The legislation comes weeks after a group claiming to support Hamas took responsibility for cyberattacks targeting public systems in British Columbia and the United States. The coordinated hacks, which disrupted government servers and online infrastructure, included pro-Hamas messaging and threats posted online.
Baber said his bill would help address these threats by creating a clear legal boundary against the promotion of terrorist violence in Canada.