The federal government has confirmed it has funnelled nearly $1 million in taxpayer funding to the Canadian Anti-Hate Network (CAHN), including $200,000 from Public Safety Canada, despite an Ontario court ruling that found the group “did in fact assist Antifa,” a violent far-left extremist movement.

The revelations come from a House of Commons order paper question (Q-482) tabled by Bow River MP David Bexte and answered on December 5, 2025, by 32 federal institutions.

Heritage Funding Alone Exceeds $708,000

The Department of Canadian Heritage, under then–culture minister Steven Guilbeault, disclosed at least $708,900 in funding to CAHN.

One payout saw $500 given to CAHN in March 2023 for a contracted virtual speaking appearance tied to the “International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination”. 

Another $268,400 was spent between 2020-2022 for the purpose of “Containing and Countering Canadian Hate Groups.” A further $440,000 has been given to CAHN, starting in 2023 and running into 2026, for its work on “Informing, Connecting, and Encouraging Anti-Hate Activities in Canada.”

All Heritage funding was routed to Toronto, though the department admits this does not necessarily reflect where the money was actually spent.

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When asked whether any of its funding had been funnelled to Antifa or other extremist groups, Heritage gave a blunt response:

The information requested is not captured in the department’s tracking systems.

In other words, Heritage does not track whether its CAHN funding is redirected at all.

Public Safety Canada separately confirmed it awarded $200,000 to CAHN through the Community Resilience Fund, bringing total federal funding to roughly $910,000.

Public Safety insists:

• None of its funding was funnelled to Antifa
• Redistribution is prohibited under the funding agreement
• All spending is verified before payment

The department says the money was used to develop an “ethical research framework” for studying far-right organizing.

Public Safety’s assurances now clash directly with findings of the Ontario Superior Court of Justice.

In a 2022 ruling dismissing a defamation lawsuit brought by CAHN board member Richard Warman against National Post columnists Jonathan and Barbara Kay, the court ruled the journalists’ statements were not defamatory, stating plainly:

CAHN did in fact assist Antifa and the movement has been violent.

The judge also accepted evidence that CAHN board members acknowledged they were “part of the Antifa movement,” including participation in Antifa’s known tactics of “muscular resistance” and “physical disruption.”

The court found these were facts, not defamatory opinions.

While Public Safety claims strict controls and zero extremist flow-through, Canadian Heritage admits it does not track downstream spending at all.