Canada is about to remove protections over the use of religious text. For instance, talking to people based on the religion text:

*Canada Bill C-9 Amendment*

The specific part of Canada’s Bill C-9 (known as the Combatting Hate Act) that has raised significant concern among Christian organizations, churches, and legal defenders of religious freedom is the repeal of the “religious exemption” defense under Section 319(3)(b) of the Criminal Code.

*The Core Conflict*

Before Bill C-9, Section 319(3)(b) provided a specific, legal safeguard for religious expression. It stated that a person could not be convicted of the wilful promotion of hatred if:

“…in good faith, the person 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.”

During the legislative process, an amendment pushed by a coalition of lawmakers successfully removed this specific good-faith religious defense.

*Why Critics Argue It Challenges Christian Tradition*

Christian leaders, legal scholars, and opponents of the bill object to this removal based on several key points:

*(1) Potential Criminalization of Biblical Passages:*

Critics argue that without this explicit defense, reading, preaching, or quoting certain parts of the Bible in public could be targeted as “hate speech.” For example, biblical passages regarding traditional marriage, human sexuality, sin, or God’s judgment—which explicitly voice detestation or vilification of certain behaviours—could potentially be interpreted by courts under the newly expanded definition of “hatred” (defined as an emotion involving “detestation or vilification”).

*(2) Marginalization of Traditional Beliefs:*

There is a growing concern that traditional Christian teachings on morality and sexual ethics are increasingly viewed by secular society as offensive or hateful. Removing the defense takes away a vital shield that protected pastors, theologians, and regular believers who express these historical viewpoints in good faith.

*(3) Government Overreach into Matters of Faith:*

Opponents assert that the state has no business regulating the reading or sharing of sacred texts. By removing the safeguard, critics argue the law shifts the burden onto religious individuals to prove their speech isn’t “hateful” rather than recognizing their right to express their faith.

*The Other Side of the Debate*

Proponents of the bill and the Canadian government argue that the removal of this section does not criminalize the Bible or Christian tradition. Their arguments include:

*(1) Closing a Loophole:*

Lawmakers stated that the amendment was intended to prevent bad-faith actors from using religion as a “Trojan horse” or a legal loophole to shield actual hate propaganda or antisemitism.

*(2) Existing Charter Protections:*

Supporters point out that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms still strongly guarantees freedom of religion and expression under Section 2(a), meaning any prosecution would still have to clear very high constitutional hurdles. Furthermore, historical legal precedents show that the “good faith” religious defense had rarely been used successfully in actual hate speech trials anyway.

The bill passed the House of Commons on March 25, 2026, and remains a deeply contentious flashpoint for religious freedom in Canada.

The Bill C-9 has passed three readings and the only thing remain to become official law is to receive a Royal assent from governor general (In behalf of King Charles)