Liberals back Bloc’s proposal to remove religious exemption from hate speech laws

Liberal MPs on the House Justice Committee backed a Bloc Québécois proposal to repeal a religious exemption from Canada's hate speech laws – after the proposal initially appeared to halt the government's anti-hate legislation.

The criminal code currently includes an exception for incitement to hatred “if a person has in good faith expressed or attempted to give reasoned support to an opinion on a religious issue or an opinion based on belief in a religious text.”

On Tuesday night, the justice committee tabled a Bloc amendment to the Liberals' Bill C-9, dubbed the Anti-Hate Act, which would repeal religious exemptions.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves-François Blanchet told reporters last week that his party had reached an agreement with the Liberals to introduce the amendment in exchange for support for C-9. The deal was first reported by the National Post.

But progress appears to have stalled after the bill's first committee meeting was abruptly canceled last week.

Three sources speak to CBC News said the bill was delayed because Justice Minister Sean Fraser's office brokered the deal with the Block without receiving support from the Prime Minister's Office.

Tuesday's meeting was scheduled at the last minute after last week's cancellation.

The bloc has long tried to repeal religious exemptions, saying religion can be used as a cover to promote hatred such as homophobia and anti-Semitism.

Blanchet said his party would not support the bill without an amendment.

Religious groups are a concern

Conservatives oppose both the proposed amendment and the bill as written. Party leader Pierre Poilievre posted on his X account last week that the Bloc amendment “criminalizes certain sections of the Bible, Koran, Torah and other sacred texts.”

News of the deal also prompted religious groups, including Catholics and Muslims, to speak out, saying it could restrict or even criminalize religious speech.

“I think all Canadians can recognize that this issue affects all of them, including religious and non-religious Canadians,” said Hasib Hassan, a spokesman for the National Council of Canadian Muslims.

Conservative MPs on the justice committee condemned MPs were not given the opportunity to hear witnesses on the proposed amendment.

“[The Liberals] We are ready, with the support of the Bloc Québécois, to launch an all-out attack on religious freedom,” Ontario MP Andrew Lawton said during a meeting on Tuesday.

But Frazier objected, noting that freedom of religion is a Charter-protected right.

“The amendment that Blok is proposing… will in no way, shape or form prevent a religious leader from reading his religious texts. It will not criminalize faith,” Fraser said at a news conference earlier Tuesday.

“We are dealing with charges that relate to deliberate propaganda of hatred. This is not a value that the major religions espouse.”

In a statement later posted on social media, Fraser said the exception was unnecessary and that the government was not aware of a single case where it had been used to exonerate anyone accused of inciting hatred.

Bill C-9 proposes new offenses in the Criminal Code, making it an offense to intentionally incite hatred against certain groups in public places using certain symbols associated with hatred or terrorism.

These symbols include those used during the Holocaust, such as the swastika and SS lightning bolts, or symbols associated with the government's list of terrorist organizations, which includes the Proud Boys, Hamas and Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The legislation would also make hate crimes a special offense and end the deliberate intimidation and obstruction of people outside places of worship and other sensitive institutions.

The bill will have to pass a third reading in the House of Representatives and then pass through the Senate before it becomes law.