The Manitoba government is taking action to combat hate crimes by designating a lead provincial Crown prosecutor to tackle the issue, Justice Minister Matt Wiebe announced today.
“Hate has no place in our province,” said Wiebe. “We’re protecting families and the democratic freedoms we value. We want Manitobans from all walks of life to know their government is going to show up for them.”
The province currently has a hate crime working group within the Manitoba Prosecution Service, which provides expertise and guidance in hate crime prosecutions. The Manitoba Prosecution Service will designate a lead Crown attorney to co-ordinate the work of this group. New terms of reference for the working group are currently being drafted, the minister added.
Hate crimes prosecutions can be complex and have a significant impact on the community, noted Wiebe. Between 2017 and 2022, there were 178 police-reported hate-motivated crimes in Winnipeg. In 2022, there were 3,576 hate-motivated crime incidents Canada-wide.
The Manitoba government also plans to provide additional specialized training to Crown attorneys to enhance their existing expertise and support the prosecution of hate crimes so that offenders are held to account, noted the minister.
