Canadian lawmakers appear poised to eliminate longstanding religious protections from the nation’s hate speech statutes.
A shift that critics warn could expose Christians to prosecution for expressing biblical views on marriage, sexuality, and other faith-based beliefs.
Reports indicate that the ruling Liberal Party and the Bloc Québécois have reached a bipartisan agreement to remove religious exemptions from hate speech provisions in exchange for advancing Bill C-9, legislation that would criminalize displays of the Nazi swastika and other antisemitic symbols.
Currently, Canadian law exempts any hateful or antisemitic speech that is “expressed or attempted to establish by an argument an opinion on a religious subject or an opinion based on a belief in a religious text.”
The law also shields speech “intended to point out, for the purpose of removal, matters producing or tending to produce feelings of hatred toward an identifiable group in Canada” or views “expressed or attempted to establish by an argument an opinion on a religious subject or an opinion based on a belief in a religious text.”
Under existing statutes, anyone who “willfully promotes antisemitism by condoning, denying or downplaying the Holocaust” through a public statement—excluding private conversations—may face up to two years in prison.
If enacted, Bill C-9 would broaden Canada’s hate speech code by criminalizing display of Nazi symbols, including the swastika and markings related to the SS regime. It would also end the requirement that the attorney general approve prosecutions for “hate propaganda offenses,” a safeguard many legal experts say prevents politically motivated charges.
Supporters argue that such reforms are critical amid rising hate crimes and antisemitic incidents since the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attacks on Israel. But Canada’s Conservative Party warns that Bill C-9 “removes important safeguards” and “lowers the legal standard for ‘hatred,’” which the bill defines as “the emotion that involves detestation or vilification and that is stronger than disdain or dislike.”
“The Liberals are about to criminalize religious belief in Canada,” Conservative MP Michelle Rempel Garner said in a video on Monday. “I know it sounds like this can't be happening, but it is. ... Regardless of how you vote, if this passes, freedom of religious belief is what makes Canada Canada. They are about to try and stop that.”
Christian organizations have also voiced warnings about possible overreach. Last month, the Ontario-based Christian Legal Fellowship cautioned lawmakers that redefining “hatred” could produce a standard so “nebulous and unclear” that enforcement may become arbitrary.
The group’s submission to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights stated: “Determining what constitutes ‘hate’ or ‘hatred’ can be inherently subjective and laden with value judgments, and susceptible to misuse or misinterpretation. Parliament's response to hatred must therefore strike a careful balance, lest well-meaning government restrictions undermine Canada's constitutional commitments to freedom, equality, and pluralism.”
In February 2024, David Cooke of Campaign Life Coalition warned that similar legislative efforts could be weaponized against Christian evangelism. “No longer will we be allowed to share God's design for human sexuality and marriage in public. ... All this could be misconstrued as 'hate speech' against the LGBT community. Even our pro-life message could be spun as a 'hate crime' against women.”
