A law currently making its way through Canada’s House of Commons has prompted concern among Christian leaders, who say it could effectively ban certain biblical passages.
Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, is currently under consideration following a rise in antisemitic violence.
According to The Living Church, antisemitic incidents have surged in Canada since Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, including reports of Jewish schools and synagogues being shot at or firebombed.
Data from Statistics Canada reveal at least 920 police-reported incidents targeting Jews in 2024, who are 25 times more likely to experience hate crimes than others in Canada.
Bill C-9 takes the laws a step further by imposing stiffer penalties for those who promote hate or obstruct someone from accessing a place of worship, schools, or community centers where Jews, Muslims, or other identifiable groups gather. Under the bill’s proposal, it would make promoting hate a crime, punishable by up to 10 years in prison.
Canada already has laws against advocating for genocide, public incitement of hatred, and willful promotion of hatred against an identifiable group. However, under the current criminal code, there are exemptions from charges for those who willfully promote hate if the speech is based in good faith on the interpretation of a religious text.
The Bloc Québécois only agreed to support the bill on the condition that it would remove religious exemptions. As The Living Church points out, the Block is a secularist party that was behind recent laws to ban public prayer in the province. Changes were made to the bill since the Bloc’s support is needed for Bill C-9 to pass, causing some concerns among Conservatives and even some Christian and Muslim groups.
"When we start going down the road of criminalizing more and more speech, we kill free speech,” Conservative MP Roman Baber, who is Jewish, said in a speech before the committee.
Baber argues that removing religious defense would more likely criminalize faith than combat hate and that everyday Canadians should not have to fear quoting Scripture.
“I’m so tired that there is no nuance in this place,” he told the committee. “You cannot defend yourself with a religious exemption after inciting hatred or inciting violence.”
The House of Commons Justice Committee will continue to review the bill before a vote takes place on the floor. A floor vote has reportedly not been scheduled.