Bill C-255

An Act to amend the Criminal Code (mischief — religious property)

Sponsor

Kelly Block  Conservative

Introduced as a private member’s bill. (These don’t often become law.)

Status

Outside the Order of Precedence (a private member's bill that hasn't yet won the draw that determines which private member's bills can be debated), as of Nov. 6, 2025

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Summary

This is from the published bill.

This enactment amends the Criminal Code to increase the punishment for mischief relating to religious property.

Elsewhere

All sorts of information on this bill is available at LEGISinfo, an excellent resource from Parliament. You can also read the full text of the bill.

Bill numbers are reused for different bills each new session. Perhaps you were looking for one of these other C-255s:

C-255 (2022) Post-Secondary Education Financial Assistance for Persons with Disabilities Act
C-255 (2020) Employing Persons with Disabilities Act
C-255 (2016) An Act to amend the Immigration and Refugee Protection Act (appeal process for temporary resident visa applicants)
C-255 (2013) Breast Implant Registry Act

Criminal CodeRoutine Proceedings

November 6th, 2025 / 10 a.m.

Conservative

Kelly Block Conservative Carlton Trail—Eagle Creek, SK

moved for leave to introduce Bill C-255, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (mischief—religious property).

Mr. Speaker, I rise to table my private member's bill, an act to amend the Criminal Code as it relates to mischief to religious property. I would like to thank my colleague, the member for Thornhill, for seconding the bill.

Over the past 10 years, there has been an alarming increase in incidents of mischief committed against religious property in Canada. Churches, synagogues, mosques and other places of worship continue to be vandalized. The proposed legislation seeks to shift the financial burden caused by vandalism from the victim to the criminal. It would also expand the scope to cover all mischief directed at places of worship, not just hate-motivated mischief.

While some of the punishments proposed in the bill are novel, there are strong similarities to the measures addressing vandalism of war memorials already in the Criminal Code.

I hope all members will join me in supporting Canadians of all faiths.

(Motions deemed adopted, bill read the first time and printed)