Liberal Members of Parliament (MPs) on the House justice committee have supported a proposal by the Bloc Québécois to eliminate a religious exemption from Canada’s hate speech laws, which momentarily delayed the progress of the government’s anti-hate legislation. The current Criminal Code allows an exemption for hate speech if the person expresses or attempts to establish an opinion on a religious subject or belief in a religious text in good faith.
During a meeting on Tuesday evening, the justice committee integrated a Bloc amendment into the Liberals’ Bill C-9, known as the Combatting Hate Act, aiming to remove the religious exemption. Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet mentioned that his party had reached an agreement with the Liberals to add the amendment in exchange for supporting C-9.
Initially, there was a setback when the bill review session was suddenly canceled the previous week. Sources revealed that the delay was due to Justice Minister Sean Fraser’s office arranging the deal with the Bloc without consultation with the Prime Minister’s Office. Following the cancellation, Tuesday’s meeting was rescheduled last-minute.
The Bloc has advocated for the removal of the religious exemption, citing concerns that religion could be used to promote hate, such as homophobia and antisemitism. Blanchet emphasized that his party’s support for the bill was contingent on the inclusion of the amendment.
The Conservative party opposes both the proposed amendment and the bill in its current form. Leader Pierre Poilievre expressed on social media that the Bloc’s amendment could criminalize portions of sacred texts like the Bible, Qur’an, and Torah. Religious groups, including Catholics and Muslims, have raised objections, fearing potential restrictions on religious expression.
Justice Minister Fraser defended the proposed amendment, emphasizing that it would not impede religious leaders from reading sacred texts and that it upholds the Charter right to freedom of religion. He clarified that the amendment targets the promotion of hate, a value contrary to major religions.
Bill C-9 introduces new Criminal Code offenses, including criminalizing the intentional promotion of hatred against identifiable groups using specific hate- or terrorism-related symbols. These symbols encompass those associated with the Holocaust and entities recognized as terrorist organizations by the government.
The legislation also addresses hate-motivated crimes as a distinct offense and aims to combat intimidation and obstruction outside places of worship and other sensitive venues. For the bill to become law, it must pass the third reading in the House and undergo Senate approval.
