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OntarioDid not become law (session ended)42nd Parliament, 1st Session

Bill 168 explained in plain English

Combating Antisemitism Act, 2020

Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.

At a glance

Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature
Legislature / Parliament
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Session
42nd Parliament, 1st Session
Bill number
Bill 168
Full title
Combating Antisemitism Act, 2020
Current status
Did not become law (session ended)
Latest event
Consideration of a Bill (Standing Committee on Justice Policy)
Last updated
Oct 22, 2020
Sponsor

Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 42nd Parliament, 1st Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.

Chamber
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Current Stage
Consideration of a Bill (Standing Committee on Justice Policy)
Latest Activity
Oct 22, 2020
Sponsor
Plain-language explanation
In plain English (our explanation)

Our plain-language take, written for civic education.

Source: By PoliticalData.ca

AI-assisted, reviewed before publishing
Short Version

The Combating Antisemitism Act, 2020, mandates the Ontario government to use a specific definition of antisemitism when interpreting relevant legislation and policies and formally incorporates this definition into the Legislation Act, 2006.

What It Means

This bill requires the Government of Ontario to use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism, including its examples, when interpreting laws, regulations, and policies aimed at protecting people from discrimination and hate related to antisemitism. It also amends the Legislation Act, 2006, to include this definition.

What This Bill Does
  • Requires the Government of Ontario to be guided by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism when interpreting Ontario Acts, regulations, and policies designed to protect against discrimination and hate that amounts to antisemitism.
  • Amends the Legislation Act, 2006, to include a definition of "antisemitism" that refers to the working definition and illustrative examples adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance on May 26, 2016.
Who Is Affected
  • The Government of Ontario
  • Ontarians who may be protected from discrimination and hate amounting to antisemitism.
Rights, Duties, Or Obligations
  • The Government of Ontario has an obligation to be guided by the specified definition of antisemitism when interpreting relevant laws, regulations, and policies.
Important Dates
  • The Act came into force on the day it received Royal Assent.
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The bill does not define what constitutes "discrimination" or "hate" beyond antisemitism.
  • The bill does not create new enforcement mechanisms or penalties for non-compliance with the interpretive guidance.
  • The specific application and interpretation of the "working definition of antisemitism and the list of illustrative examples" by government ministries and agencies are not detailed.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Legislation Act, 2006
amends

Adds a definition for "antisemitism" that refers to the working definition and examples adopted by the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance.

Source: Section 2

Ontario Acts, regulations, and policies designed to protect Ontarians from discrimination and hate amounting to antisemitism
influences interpretation

Specifies that the Government of Ontario must use the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance's working definition of antisemitism when interpreting these instruments.

Source: Section 1

Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.

Official text

Process Snapshot

Step 1
First reading
Dec 11, 2019
Step 2
Second reading
Oct 22, 2020
Step 3
Committee review
Oct 22, 2020
Step 4
Third reading
Not reached yet
Step 5
Royal assent
Not reached yet

Vote Summary

No published recorded division

This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.

Sponsor
Will Bouma
Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario | Brantford—Brant
Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature

No published representative vote breakdown

This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.

Official sources

Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.

How this data is sourced