Canada

ODIHR’s insights 

For 2024, ODIHR received reports of 71 hate incidents that took place in Canada in the following bias motivation categories: anti-Muslim, anti-Semitic, disability, gender-based, and racist and xenophobic. In addition, several incidents involved multiple bias motivations, such as anti-Muslim and anti-LGBTI, racist and xenophobic and anti-Muslim, racist and xenophobic and anti-Muslim and gender-based, racist and xenophobic and anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim, and racist and xenophobic and disability. 

ODIHR observes that a significant number of incidents in Canada were reported with both a racist and xenophobic and anti-Muslim bias motivation. In many cases these incidents had an anti-Palestinian and anti-Muslim bias. The victims included students, activists, restaurant owners and others with known links to related communities or with visible indicators of their affiliation. Many of these incidents involved threatening or harassing behaviour and some were physical assaults. Additionally, ODIHR also observed a significant number of incidents of threats and harassment targeting visibly Muslim women who wore the hijab and other types of Muslim dress. A small number of incidents involved the targeting of visibly Muslim women wearing the hijab after they were heard speaking Farsi.

It should be noted that ODIHR only received a low level of or no reporting relating to anti-Semitic, anti-Christian, anti-LGBTI, anti-Roma, disability hate incidents, and other hate incidents based on religion or belief in Canada. This indicates potential gaps in the information reported here.