Short answer: If you are threatened, attacked, or your property is vandalized because of your skin color, origin, or religion, it is a hate crime : call the 911 If it's an emergency, otherwise contact your city's police department. Hateful acts that are not crimes (hate incidents) can also be reported to the police, and some may be the subject of a complaint to the Human Rights Commission (CDPDJ). Reporting allows us to take action and make visible a problem that is too often hidden.
Hate crime or hate incident?
A hate crime is a criminal offence motivated, in whole or in part, by hatred towards a characteristic of a person or group: race, colour, origin, language, religion, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. Examples: threatening someone because of their religion, assaulting someone because of their skin colour, painting a swastika on a building.
In Canada, when a crime is motivated by hate, the Criminal Code stipulates that the judge must take this into account as an aggravating circumstance when determining the sentence.
A hate incident This is an action that is not a crime, but which targets a person or group for the same reasons and can affect their sense of security. Examples: racist insults in person or online, distribution of hateful leaflets, humiliating gestures.
How to report
- In case of danger or if a crime is in progress: dial 911.
- Alternatively, contact your local police department. (In Lanaudière, contact your local municipal police or the Sûreté du Québec, depending on the location). Clearly state that you believe the act is hate-motivated, and why.
- Ask for your case number (event number) and the police officer's name.
- If you do not want to identify yourself, You can provide information anonymously to Crime Stoppers (Info-Crime).
Keep evidence
- Photograph the graffiti, the damage, the injuries.
- Take screenshots of online messages or posts (including the date and account name) before they are deleted.
- Note the name and number of the witnesses.
- Write the story on the same day: where, when, who, what exact words.
What if it's not a crime?
A hate crime can still have consequences. If it occurs at work, in a home, in a business, or in a public service, it can constitute... discriminatory harassment and be the subject of a complaint to the CDPDJ. Online hate speech can also be reported to the platform.
Taking care of oneself
Being the target of hate is a difficult experience. It is normal to feel fear, anger, or exhaustion. Victims of crime can obtain free help from a Center for Assistance to Victims of Crime (CAVAC), present in every region of Quebec, including Lanaudière. You will also find mental health resources adapted to Black communities in our guide to mental health.
LAKAY can assist you
LAKAY provides free and confidential support to racialized people in Repentigny and Lanaudière, including when reporting to the police or filing a complaint with the CDPDJ. You do not have to take these steps alone.
Contact us for help • Telephone: 514-532-0484 • 818 Notre-Dame Street, Suite 202, Repentigny
Sources: Criminal Code of Canada (section 718.2); City of Quebec and Montreal Police Service fact sheets on hate crimes and incidents; Quebec Human Rights and Youth Rights Commission. This guide provides general information and does not replace legal advice.