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C-257 — An Act to amend the Criminal Code (promotion of terrorist activity or group)
Every bill summarized in plain language. Not clear enough? Ask for an explanation.
C-257
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (promotion of terrorist activity or group)
CPC
In progress
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BILL C-257
An Act to amend the Criminal Code (promotion of terrorist activity or group)
Last activity : Outside the Order of Precedence
CPC
In progress
Commons · 1st2025-11-17Commons · 2ndCommons · 3rdSenate · 1stSenate · 2ndSenate · 3rdRoyal assent
Sign-in required — one request per person, no anonymous requests
What it does, in plain language
- Creates a new criminal offence: wilfully promoting terrorist activity, a terrorist group, or any activity of a terrorist group through communicated statements.
- Sets the maximum penalty at five years in prison, as an indictable offence (the category used for more serious crimes).
- Specifies the offence can apply whether the statements refer to terrorism specifically or only in general terms.
- States that no one needs to have actually been encouraged or pushed into terrorist activity for the offence to apply.
- Provides four defences: the statements were true, a religious opinion was expressed in good faith, the statements were on a public-interest subject and reasonably believed true, or the person acted in good faith to flag content for removal.
- Adds the new offence to the Criminal Code's list of terrorism offences and requires the sentence to be served consecutively to other sentences, except where life imprisonment applies.
- Adds the offence to the list under section 183 that allows the use of wiretaps and other intercepted communications.
- Introduced at first reading in the House of Commons on November 17, 2025, by Mr. Baber, as a private member's bill.
🤖 AI-generated from the bill’s official text as introduced — may not reflect amendments adopted since.
✋ What does “challenging” mean?
Clicking “Ask for an explanation” is a citizen request for the bill's sponsor to explain it in plain language — and for us to keep an eye on it together.
An account (email) is required — one request per person, no anonymous requests. 🔥 At 1,000 requests on the same bill, a public post is made, in the hope an MP agrees to sponsor a petition to the House.
It works on any bill, including one that has already received royal assent — that is often the one people want to understand.
Votes in the Commons
Every recorded vote — who voted what, and by what margin.
On the “who voted what” detail — the House of Commons publishes each member's name for every recorded (nominal) vote (Yea / Nay / paired). The by-member breakdown above (the "+" button on each row) comes directly from that official source (ourcommons.ca), not an estimate. The party shown next to each name is taken from the current House roster; people who have since left the House appear separately under "Former members".
How to read a vote
Recorded vote
Members vote one by one and each choice is entered in the public record. That is what lets us say exactly who voted what — no interpretation.
Passed is not law
A passed vote clears ONE stage. A bill must pass both chambers and then receive royal assent before it becomes law.
Paired is not absent
In the Commons, two members from opposing sides can agree not to vote: their voices cancel out. It is neither an absence nor an abstention.
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Hi! My name is
Martin Archambault
I'm 45, and dossiercanada.ca is your first step into democracy!
If we want people to understand politics, it has to be brought down to their level.
When I first tried to take an interest in it, on top of not knowing the jargon, bills came as two lines… and fifty PDFs. Most people would simply walk away.
So I had an idea: use artificial intelligence first to read through all of it, then to put it in plain words. That's how DossierCanada was born.
Alongside the AI recap, I've given people a lexicon that explains the basics of political jargon. Plain-language law exists — think of this as its equivalent for politics!
Parliament glossary
Parliamentary jargon, translated into everyday language.
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