Community
The Government of Canada launches Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate
Canada’s first-ever Action Plan on Combatting Hate brings together key federal initiatives to combat hate across the country
OTTAWA, ON /CNW/ – Canada, like elsewhere around the world, has seen a rise in hate both on the streets and online in recent years. The federal government is committed to doing whatever it takes to protect everyone living in Canada as well as the resilient and diverse communities across the country to ensure that all can thrive while being their authentic self.
The rise in hate incidents has disproportionately affected Indigenous Peoples; Black, racialized, religious minorities, and 2SLGBTQI+ communities; women; and persons with disabilities. Hate not only harms those directly targeted but also impacts the broader Canadian society, undermining social cohesion and posing a threat to national security.
That’s why today, the Honourable Kamal Khera, Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities, unveiled Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate. The Action Plan represents Canada’s first-ever comprehensive cross-government effort to combat hate. It brings together 20 key federal initiatives grounded on three pillars:
- Empower communities to identify and prevent hate;
- Support victims and survivors, and protect communities; and
- Build community trust, partnerships and institutional readiness.
The Action Plan invests $273.6 million over six years, and $29.3 million ongoing, to tackle hatred from multiple angles. It includes increasing support to victims and survivors, helping communities prevent, address and protect people from hate; enhancing research and data collection; providing greater resources for law enforcement; and raising public awareness.
Everyone has a right to be safe and treated with dignity. We will collaborate with provincial, territorial and international governments, as well as First Nations, Inuit and Métis partners, and cities and communities across Canada to make this happen. Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate will help us continue building a safer and more inclusive Canada where everyone can succeed, regardless of who they are, who they love or what they believe in.
Quotes
“Everyone has the right to feel safe, regardless of who they are, what they look like or what they believe in. We have all been alarmed to witness the tragic consequences of hate, both at home and abroad. Hate has no place in Canada – whether in person or online, in our schools, or in our places of worship. Our government is committed to keeping communities across the country safe. Because when someone becomes a victim of hate, it affects all of us. Canada’s first-ever Action Plan on Combatting Hate represents an unprecedented cross-government effort to combat hate while providing more support to victims of hate and at-risk communities. As we face difficult and challenging times, we must stand up for who are as a country – a country where diversity is our strength and where everyone can be who they are and achieve their dreams without fear.”
—The Honourable Kamal Khera, Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities
“Hate, in all its forms, has no place in Canada – everyone has a right to feel and be safe in their homes and in their communities. We all have a role to play in fighting discrimination and fostering a fairer, safer and more inclusive Canada. The Changing Narratives Fund, as part of Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate, will break down systemic barriers and empower diverse voices in the arts, culture and media. The fund ensures their experiences and perspectives are better represented, and advances anti-racism, equity, and diversity and inclusion within the cultural and media sectors.”
—The Honourable Pascale St–Onge, Minister of Canadian Heritage
“In the face of an increase in hate crimes, our government is stepping up to ensure at-risk communities can access financial support to protect their institutions. The new Canada Community Security Program is designed to be simpler, more flexible and more generous, in direct response to what we’ve heard from community organizations across the country.”
—The Honourable Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs
“No one should live in fear of being who they are, but we know that discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity and expression continues to be a reality in Canada. This is wrong and must be eliminated. Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate complements actions we have taken to protect and support Canadians since 2015, including the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan, all of which were developed by listening to the voices and lived experiences of individuals and communities across Canada. As always, we continue to stand shoulder to shoulder with all communities experiencing hate and we will not hesitate to use all federal tools to protect and support them.”
—The Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth
“We all expect to be safe in our homes, in our neighbourhoods and in our communities. This is why we introduced Bill C-63, a key component of Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate. We know that online harms can have real world impacts with tragic and sometimes fatal consequences. This legislation is about keeping everyone safer in an online world that can feel more dangerous and unfortunately more toxic each and every day so that women, racialized persons, 2SLGBTQI+ people, and people of diverse faiths and backgrounds can go to their places of worship, community centres, schools or work without fearing that online threats might turn into real world danger.”
—The Honourable Arif Virani, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada
“Canada is as innovative as it is diverse, and it is far more successful when everyone is given a fair chance to develop their full potential, free from hate and discrimination. With Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate, we are standing up to confront hate and protect Canadians, and Statistics Canada will be key in researching and gathering the data needed to build a safer and more resilient society.”
—The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, Minister of Innovation, Science and Industry
“Canada is a country rich in diversity, where every person deserves to feel safe and be respected. This is why today we’re launching Canada’s first-ever Action Plan on Combatting Hate, a commitment of $273 million to help build a safe Canada for everyone.”
—Sameer Zuberi, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities
Quick Facts
Budget 2022 provided $85 million over four years, starting in 2022–23, to the Department of Canadian Heritage to launch and implement the new Anti-Racism Strategy and a national action plan on combatting hate. Budget 2024 provides an additional $273.6 million over six years, starting in 2024–25, and $29.3 million ongoing to support Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate. The Action Plan brings together key initiatives led by federal departments and organizations, including Canadian Heritage, Public Safety Canada, Justice Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, Women and Gender Equality Canada, Statistics Canada and the Canadian Race Relations Foundation.
According to the July 2024 Statistics Canada data release, the number of police-reported hate crimes increased from 3,612 incidents in 2022 to 4,777 in 2023 (+32%), even though some victims might not report a hate crime they experienced. This followed an 8-percent increase in 2022 and a 72-percent increase from 2019 to 2021. Overall, the number of police-reported hate crimes (+145%) has more than doubled since 2019.
Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate is complemented by the work of the Special Envoy on Preserving Holocaust Remembrance and Combatting Antisemitism and the Special Representative on Combatting Islamophobia.
Public Safety Canada’s enhanced Canada Community Security Program (CCSP) (previously the Security Infrastructure Program) is also part of Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate. The CCSP is making it easier and more efficient for organizations and communities at risk of hate-motivated crime to access security support when they need it.
The Action Plan aligns with ongoing efforts to further mitigate the risk of exposure to harmful content online through Bill C-63, which proposes to create a new Online Harms Act to create stronger protections for the most vulnerable groups online. The Government of Canada has tabled Bill C-63, An Act to enact the Online Harms Act, to amend the Criminal Code, the Canadian Human Rights Act and An Act respecting the mandatory reporting of Internet child pornography by persons who provide an Internet service and to make consequential and related amendments to other Acts, in the House of Commons.
Canada is signatory to the Christchurch Call to Eliminate Terrorist and Violent Extremist Content Online, which is a global pledge by 56 governments, including Canada, as well as online service providers and civil society organizations to coordinate and collaborate on efforts to eliminate terrorist and violent extremist content online. The Government of Canada reiterates its engagement to advance the Christchurch Call to Action in Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate.
Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate complements Changing Systems, Transforming Lives: Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2024–2028. Both initiatives take a comprehensive and intersectional approach to confronting hate, racism and discrimination.
Associated Links
Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate
The Canada Community Security Program
Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy: Changing Systems, Transforming Lives 2024–2028
Building a Foundation for Change: Canada’s Anti-Racism Strategy 2019–2022
Backgrounder: Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate
OTTAWA, September 24, 2024
Far too many people’s lives are impacted by hate and its devastating consequences. Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate is informed by individuals and communities with lived experience of hate. It is grounded in consultation activities organized by the Federal Anti-Racism Secretariat, which included:
- 15 town halls
- 2 national summits on antisemitism and Islamophobia;
- 1 national youth forum on anti-Black racism;
- 21 roundtables; and
- an online questionnaire open to everyone in Canada.
Additionally, the Action Plan builds on community engagement conducted by the 2SLGBTQI+ Secretariat for the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan, three roundtables led by Public Safety Canada on the Security Infrastructure Program (now known as the Canada Community Security Program), and research and recommendations from the Canadian Race Relations Foundation.
The Action Plan lays the foundation for the Government of Canada’s robust response to the growing threat of hate while ensuring every person’s right to be safe and treated with dignity. To achieve this goal, priority areas for action are organized under three pillars:
- Empower communities to identify and prevent hate;
- Support victims and survivors, and protect communities; and
- Build community trust, partnerships and institutional readiness.
To drive real change across the country, the Action Plan brings new and existing initiatives together to foster greater coordination and collaboration among federal organizations. Working in collaboration with their provincial, territorial, international, Indigenous and municipal counterparts, it includes federal initiatives led by:
- Canadian Heritage;
- Canadian Race Relations Foundation;
- Justice Canada;
- Public Safety Canada;
- Royal Canadian Mounted Police;
- Statistics Canada; and
- Women and Gender Equality Canada.
Everyone has multiple and diverse factors of identity that intersect. This impacts how individuals understand and experience hate and the government’s response to hate crimes and hate incidents. This Action Plan was developed using Gender-Based Analysis Plus in an effort to develop responsive measures that take into account the diversity of needs and realities.
For more information, consult the Action Plan web page at https://www.canada.ca/en/canadian-heritage/services/combatting-hate.html.
SOURCE Canadian Heritage
The Bridge is a section of the STM Daily News Blog meant for diversity, offering real news stories about bona fide community efforts to perpetuate a greater good. The purpose of The Bridge is to connect the divides that separate us, fostering understanding and empathy among different groups. By highlighting positive initiatives and inspirational actions, The Bridge aims to create a sense of unity and shared purpose. This section brings to light stories of individuals and organizations working tirelessly to promote inclusivity, equality, and mutual respect. Through these narratives, readers are encouraged to appreciate the richness of diverse perspectives and to participate actively in building stronger, more cohesive communities.
https://stmdailynews.com/category/the-bridge
Community
Veggies for Veterans Distributes 600 Produce Bags at Phoenix VA
Volunteers distributed 600 bags of fresh produce in less than an hour during the latest Veggies for Veterans event at the Phoenix VA Medical Center. Santander participated for the first time, while Peddler’s Son donated watermelons.
Last Updated on September 17, 2026 by Daily News Staff
Santander made its first appearance alongside volunteers and partners supporting the fresh-food distribution.
PHOENIX — Volunteers distributed 600 bags of fresh fruits and vegetables to veterans in less than an hour during the September 10 Veggies for Veterans event at the Phoenix VA Medical Center.
Hosted by Diana Gregory Outreach Services, the event brought volunteers together in an assembly line to pack grocery bags and distribute them to waiting veterans. Participating volunteer groups and partners included SRP, State Farm, Fry’s, Legacy and Santander. This marked Santander’s first appearance at a Veggies for Veterans event.
“It’s been almost a decade since we’ve been doing Veggies for Veterans,” Diana Gregory said. “We want to thank all the volunteers, our partners and everyone who makes this possible.”
Veterans received an additional seasonal treat during the distribution. Peddler’s Son donated watermelons for the event, providing a bonus item alongside the bags of produce.
Dr. Isabel Kozak, a partner in the outreach effort, said the fresh food can be especially meaningful for veterans managing chronic health conditions.
“We distributed 600 bags to veterans today, and I heard many, many heartfelt thank-yous,” Dr. Kozak said. “We have veterans who have hypertension and diabetes, and I think it’s really important that we provide this very nutritious food.”
The strong early turnout kept volunteers busy as veterans moved through the indoor distribution area and the outdoor setup near the medical center’s main entrance. Gregory praised the teamwork that allowed all 600 bags to be handed out in under an hour.
Diana Gregory Outreach Services plans to hold two more community events before the end of 2026. One will be another Veggies for Veterans distribution in November, featuring more fresh fruits and vegetables.
The organization’s continuing work supports its broader mission of uplifting veterans and seniors throughout the Phoenix community.
To learn more about Veggies for Veterans, upcoming community events, volunteer opportunities or ways to support Diana Gregory Outreach Services, visit DianaGregory.com.
Reporting and video production by STM Daily News and TNC Network, LLC.
Lifestyle
P.F. Chang’s Partners With Starlight Children’s Foundation for New “Spirit of the Zodiac” Giving Campaign
P.F. Chang’s launches Spirit of the Zodiac, a giving campaign supporting Starlight Children’s Foundation with Bao plush purchases and in-restaurant donations.
P.F. Chang’s Launches Spirit of the Zodiac Campaign to Support Starlight Children’s Foundation
P.F. Chang’s is launching a new annual charitable initiative designed to bring comfort to children during hospital stays. The Scottsdale-based restaurant brand announced Spirit of the Zodiac, a giving program inspired by the Chinese zodiac, with its inaugural campaign—Year of the Fire Horse: Spirit of Strength—benefiting Starlight Children’s Foundation.
What the campaign supports
Starlight Children’s Foundation serves more than 800 children’s hospitals nationwide, providing programs such as toy deliveries, hospital gowns, gaming stations, and other experiences intended to help kids feel more comfortable, connected, and supported during medical care.
How guests can participate (Sept. 2–Sept. 30)
From September 2 through September 30, 2026, guests can purchase Bao, a limited-edition horse plushie, for $10 through dine-in transactions at participating P.F. Chang’s restaurants (while supplies last). For each Bao purchased, P.F. Chang’s will donate an identical Bao plushie to Starlight for distribution through its hospital network—up to 20,000 donated plushies.
Guests can also support the campaign by rounding up their checks or making a direct donation in restaurant. The overall effort aims to raise $500,000 to support Starlight’s work with children and families.
Bonus offer for donors
P.F. Chang’s says guests who purchase Bao or make an in-restaurant donation of $10 or more to Starlight will receive an offer for a complimentary appetizer with the purchase of an entrée on a future dine-in visit, valid through October 31, 2026 (restrictions apply; participating locations only).
A story component for families
The campaign also includes a storytelling element: Bao’s journey will be featured in a digital story and an original children’s book by author Jenny Liao and illustrator Adriane Tsai, expected to publish later this month.
What to watch for
P.F. Chang’s and Starlight plan to continue the partnership beyond September, including in-hospital catering and plush deliveries in early October.
For more information, visit www.pfchangs.com/offers/spirit-of-the-zodiac. To learn more about the partnership, visit starlight.org/pfchangs.
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Community
9/11 Day Awards $3 Million in Grants to Expand Volunteer Opportunities Nationwide Ahead of 25th Anniversary
9/11 Day announced $3 million in grants to nearly 200 groups across 40 states, expanding service projects for the 25th anniversary observance.
As the United States approaches the 25th anniversary of September 11, 2001, the nonprofit 9/11 Day is putting major resources behind a familiar idea with renewed urgency: remembrance through service. The organization—founded by 9/11 families and leaders and co-led by co-founders David Paine and Jay Winuk—announced $3 million in grants to roughly 200 nonprofits, schools, and community groups across 40 states to expand local volunteer projects tied to this year’s September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance.
The funding is designed to dramatically increase the number of ways Americans can participate close to home, from food insecurity initiatives to neighborhood cleanups and support programs for veterans and first responders. Together, grant recipients are expected to engage more than 70,000 volunteers nationwide.
A major push toward youth-led service
More than 70% of the grant funding is going to youth organizations and educational institutions, including K–12 schools, universities, and other learning programs. The emphasis reflects a generational reality: millions of students today know 9/11 primarily through textbooks, family stories, and classroom lessons.
“For many students participating in the observance this year, 9/11 is something they’ve only encountered in textbooks or through stories from parents and grandparents,” said Jay Winuk, co-founder and executive vice president of 9/11 Day and a 9/11 family member. “By connecting history with hands-on service, we’re helping young people understand that the legacy of 9/11 isn’t defined only by tragedy. It’s also defined by compassion, resilience and the responsibility we all share to care for one another.”
Youth-focused projects supported by the grants include school-wide days of service, hunger-relief efforts, donation drives, community improvement work, and service-learning initiatives that connect the history of September 11 with practical ways to help others.
UNIITE for Good: turning an anniversary into a nationwide “doing good” moment
The grant program is a cornerstone of 9/11 Day’s nationwide UNIITE for Good campaign, scheduled to officially launch August 24. The campaign aims to transform the 25th anniversary into what organizers describe as America’s largest day of doing good—channeling remembrance into tangible community impact.
The program is administered in collaboration with AmeriCorps, with principal funding provided by AmeriCorps and the Popeyes Foundation. A special emphasis this year is addressing hunger—an issue described in the release as an “ever-growing hunger crisis across the nation.”
Meeting community needs where people live
Grant-funded projects span urban, suburban, and rural communities. Activities include assembling meals for individuals and families facing food insecurity, packing care kits for veterans and first responders, restoring community spaces, and strengthening schools and neighborhoods.
Beyond the service itself, the grants are also intended to help local groups recruit volunteers, purchase supplies, coordinate logistics, and expand the number of service opportunities available in their areas.
“As we mark the 25th anniversary of 9/11, we have a responsibility to preserve not only the memory of that day and those lost and injured, but also the extraordinary way Americans came together in the aftermath of the attacks,” said David Paine, president and co-founder of 9/11 Day. “These community-led projects are helping rekindle that spirit of unity, compassion and service by bringing neighbors together to help solve local challenges.”
AmeriCorps echoed that message, framing service as a way to honor those who responded in the immediate aftermath of the attacks.
“This year, we invite Americans to carry forward that enduring spirit of unity and service by becoming a hero for someone in need,” said Emily Stock, project manager for Volunteer Initiatives at AmeriCorps, noting that AmeriCorps-funded projects will include food drives, home repairs, neighborhood cleanups, and disaster preparedness activities.
The Popeyes Foundation also highlighted its community-focused mission and its role in supporting local projects.
Why this anniversary matters now
Organizers say the 25th anniversary arrives at a pivotal moment: more than 100 million Americans are now too young to have personal memories of September 11. That makes this milestone one of the last major opportunities to connect those who lived through the day with younger generations learning about it as history.
Examples of grant-supported efforts include:
- Marshall University, which plans to build on its existing 9/11 Days of Service tradition, including a Memorial Stair Challenge and volunteer projects supporting veterans, first responders, and families in need.
- Middlebury Elementary School, which will expand hands-on service activities that teach younger students about 9/11 through compassion and community action.
- University of South Dakota, where students will work alongside community partners to address local needs while learning how service can bridge backgrounds and perspectives.
How to get involved
A full list of 2026 9/11 Day Grant Program recipients is available through 9/11 Day. To learn more about the September 11 National Day of Service and Remembrance—and to find ways to participate—visit 911day.org.
STM Daily News will continue tracking community service initiatives and local observances tied to the 25th anniversary as September approaches
