A Liberal-backed Canadian “hate” bill quietly strips long‑standing protections for Bible-based teaching, prompting grave warnings that it could open the door to criminalizing core Christian beliefs.
Story Snapshot
- Bill C-9 repeals Canada’s explicit Criminal Code defence for good-faith expression based on religious texts, ending a decades-old shield for Bible preaching and teaching.
- Legal and religious freedom experts warn the bill’s vague definition of “hate” plus new offences could chill orthodox Christian doctrine on marriage, gender, and sexuality.
- The Liberal government insists the bill “will not criminalize faith,” but critics note prosecutors and activists, not politicians, will test those assurances in court.
- Conservatives in Canada and the United States see Bill C-9 as part of a wider pattern of elites policing thought, censoring dissent, and sidelining traditional faith from public life.
What Bill C-9 Actually Changes in Canadian Law
Canada’s Bill C-9, officially titled the “Combatting Hate Act,” amends the Criminal Code to expand hate-related offences while simultaneously removing a key protection for religious expression.[3] The bill creates new crimes, including wilfully promoting hatred by publicly displaying certain symbols tied to terrorism or Nazism, a stand-alone hate-crime offence attached to any other federal offence, and new offences for intimidation or obstruction of people trying to access places of worship or other specified sites.[3][4] On paper, these changes sound like a targeted response to genuine extremism and vandalism. However, critics stress that combining broader state power with weaker safeguards around speech has historically put people of faith and social conservatives in the crosshairs, especially when governing parties and media elites already label traditional views as hateful.[1][2][6]
The most controversial change is found directly in the bill text: C-9 “repeal[s] the defence based on the expression of opinions on religious subjects or texts” for offences of wilful promotion of hatred or antisemitism.[3] Under current section 319(3)(b) of the Criminal Code, a person cannot be convicted if their allegedly hateful expression is, in good faith, based on a religious text.[1][2] That explicit religious-text defence has been part of Canadian law for decades and was designed precisely so that quoting or teaching Scripture would not itself be treated as hate propaganda.[1][4] Removing such a clear shield, while simultaneously increasing penalties and expanding hate enforcement tools, is what religious liberty advocates describe as a legal “booby trap” for pastors, Christian teachers, and faithful lay people who openly speak biblical truth on contested issues.[4][6]
Why Religious Freedom Advocates Call It ‘Open Season’ on Christians
Religious liberty scholars, Christian legal groups, and denominational leaders argue that Bill C-9 changes the risk calculus for every church, Bible study, and Christian school in Canada.[1][2][4] The Hudson Institute warns that eliminating the “religious exemption” exposes Bible-based teaching to politically motivated prosecutions, because complainants can now argue that a pastor’s sermon is wilful promotion of hatred without the law clearly protecting sincere interpretation of Scripture.[1] The Canadian Centre for Christian Charities notes that Bill C-9 also introduces a broad statutory definition of “hatred” as an emotion involving “detestation or vilification” stronger than dislike, taken from case law but stripped of qualifying language that previously limited it to extreme expression.[4] When activists and some courts already treat orthodox Christian teaching on sexuality and gender as inherently “vilifying,” many believers see a straight line from this bill to future attempts to criminalize sermons that simply restate biblical doctrine.[2][6]
Concerns deepen because Bill C-9 does not just tweak definitions; it also removes process safeguards that once made hate prosecutions rare and politically accountable.[2][4] Commentators highlight that earlier iterations and related proposals have sought to drop or weaken the requirement for a provincial attorney general’s consent before launching hate propaganda prosecutions, making it easier for local police or aggrieved complainants to drag pastors and churches into lengthy, costly legal battles even where conviction is unlikely.[2] The Gospel Coalition’s Canadian analysis notes that allowing private complaints and easier charges, combined with the loss of the religious-text defence, invites nuisance prosecutions and harassment aimed at silencing conservative churches.[2] In that environment, many pastors will feel intense pressure to self-censor anything that conflicts with prevailing progressive dogmas on sexuality, gender identity, or other “protected” categories, for fear of being labeled hateful.[1][6]
Government Assurances vs. Real-World Power of Prosecutors and Activists
The Liberal government insists publicly that Bill C-9 “will in no way, shape or form prevent a religious leader from reading their religious texts” and “will not criminalize faith.”[4] Officials point to the bill’s new offences protecting access to houses of worship as evidence that they are defending, not targeting, religion.[3][5] The Minister of Justice has pledged to consult religious leaders, civil liberties advocates, and legal experts to reassure them that good-faith religious expression remains protected under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.[4][5] Yet many Christian leaders respond that this is beside the point. What matters is not the government’s stated intent today, but the legal tools it hands to future prosecutors, human-rights bureaucrats, and activist complainants who openly oppose biblical morality.[1][6]
Senate Hearing: Dr. David M. Haskell Exposes Bill C-9 "The Combating Hat… https://t.co/MciB5sKjWm via @YouTube
— David Millard Haskell (@DMillardHaskell) May 21, 2026
For conservatives watching from the United States, Bill C-9 reads like a warning label on where unchecked “hate speech” politics ultimately lead.[1][6] When “detestation” and “vilification” are defined as criminal emotions, the state is no longer punishing clear incitement to violence; it is policing thoughts and beliefs. Canada’s own civil-liberties groups, including organizations far from the religious right, caution that the bill’s vague language could be used to criminalize peaceful protest and unpopular expression, not just fringe extremism.[1][3] That should resonate deeply with American readers who have watched Big Tech censorship, campus speech codes, and “disinformation” crackdowns increasingly target traditional views on life, family, and nation. If quoting the Bible on marriage can be construed as promoting “hate,” then the logic behind Bill C-9 is not confined to Canada’s borders. It represents the broader global push by left-wing elites to put the government—and eventually international bodies—in charge of deciding which religious convictions are acceptable in public life, and which will be punished.
Sources:
[1] Web – Professor warns against Liberal bill that could criminalize Bible: …
[2] Web – Bill C-9 Was Supposed to Fight Hate. Instead, It’s Being Rushed …
[3] YouTube – Bill C-9 – How do we balance fighting hate with protecting …
[4] Web – Protecting Fundamental Rights — Our Concerns with Bill C-9
[5] Web – Canada’s Bill C-9 and the Growing Threat to Religious Freedom
[6] Web – Bill C-9: An Act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda, hate …
