Liberals back Bloc Quebecois proposal to remove religious exemption from hate speech laws
Criminal code change adds to Liberals’ anti-hate package

Liberal members on the House Judiciary Committee have backed a Bloc Quebecois proposal to remove a religious exemption from hate speech laws after the proposal initially stalled progress on the government’s anti-hate legislation.

Currently, Canada’s criminal code includes an exemption that allows a person to be exempt from hate speech if they make a statement “in good faith” about a religious subject or in reference to a religious text.

On Tuesday evening, the Judiciary Committee added the Bloc amendment to the Liberals’ Bill C-9 — the “Anti-Hate Speech Act” — and removed the religious exemption.

Bloc Quebecois leader Jean-François Blanchet announced last week that his party had reached an agreement with the Liberals to add the amendment in exchange for the Bloc’s support for Bill C-9, which was first reported by the National Post.

But progress has apparently stalled after an initial hearing on the bill was abruptly canceled.

Three sources familiar with the matter told CBC that the reason for the halt was that Justice Minister Sean Fraser’s office had pushed through the deal with the Bloc without consulting the Prime Minister’s Office.

Tuesday’s hearing was adjourned to the minute.

The Bloc Quebecois has long called for the exemption to be removed, saying religion can be used as a cover to promote hatred, including in cases such as homophobia or anti-Semitism.

Blanchet has stressed that his party would not support the bill without the amendment.

Religious groups’ concerns
The Conservatives oppose both the amendment and the bill itself. Party leader Pierre Pouliot wrote in his X account that the amendment could “criminalize parts of the Bible, the Quran, the Torah and other sacred texts.”

The agreement has also drawn objections from some religious groups, such as Catholics and Muslims, who say the move could limit, or even criminalize, religious speech.

“This directly affects all Canadians, religious and non-religious,” said Haseeb Hassan, a spokesman for the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

Conservative members on the judiciary committee also complained that they were not given the opportunity to hear from experts on the amendment.

Ontario MP Andrew Lawton said:
“The Liberals, with the support of the Bloc Québécois, are preparing to launch an all-out assault on religious freedom.”

After the bloc's amendment was passed, Conservative lawmakers filibusted the session, leaving the bill unfinished.

Justice Minister Sean Fraser responded by stressing that the amendment "in no way" prevents the reading of religious texts or criminalizes faith.

"We are dealing with charges that involve the intentional promotion of hatred. None of the major religions have that value," he said.

Fraser wrote in a statement that the exemption was "virtually unnecessary" and that the government was not aware of any case where it had ever been used to acquit someone in a hate crime case.

Bill C-9 would introduce new criminal offenses, including the criminalization of "intentional promotion of hatred" against identifiable groups in public, as well as attacks or threats against places of worship and sensitive institutions.

The bill must then pass a third reading in the House.