The hornet’s nest of Bill C-9

Every once in a while, someone pokes the hornet’s nest on some area of faith and believers wake up. Bill C-9, originally meant to protect places of worship from intimidation and harassment, has been turned on its head, and Christian influencers are rallying the troops. In January 2024, Canada launched the Action Plan on Combatting Hate. It was introduced in Parliament on September 19, 2025. Churches had been burned, synagogues vandalized, and mosques attacked. So far, believers had little cause for alarm. The Bill passed second reading in October 2025 and was shuffled off to the Justice Committee.

The bill created new offenses for blocking access to worship centers and places of education. It forbade the display and use of recognized hate symbols. It provided a legal definition of hate, removed the need for the Attorney General’s consent for charges, and bulked up the hate legislation.  Discomfort began to grow. Was C-9 becoming more government overreach and control?

During a meeting in early December, Liberal MP Marc Miller directed a question at Christian Legal Fellowship lawyer, Derek Ross. He addressed passages in Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Romans, saying “Clearly there are situations in these texts where these statements are hateful. They should not be used to invoke or be a defence and there should perhaps be discretion for prosecutors to press charges.” That was the stick that poked the hornet’s nest. Were Christians about to be jailed for embracing the Bible and all it taught? Was preaching, teaching and writing about to be muzzled, Scripture reading limited, and the sharing of faith restricted?

On December 9, 2025, the committee removed the “good faith religious belief” phrase (Criminal Code s.319(3)(b)], originally set in stone by Pierre Trudeau as an anchor tied to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The Bloc Quebecois proposed the amendment “to prevent religious doctrine from interfering with state affairs.” The province has driven the stake of secularism deep and the amendment was a precondition and leverage for supporting the rest of the Liberal sponsored bill.

Andrew Lawton, a Conservative member of the Justice committee argued hard against the proposed amendments. He said, “Bill C-9 was deeply flawed… It was downright dangerous when it came out [of committee].” He also said, “Hate is real, but it will not be combatted with legislation that goes after sincerely held religious beliefs.” He, MP Roman Baber, and MP Larry Brock, put forward twenty amendments to restore the religious defense and to strengthen the definition of hatred. In March, the government and the Bloc combined to shut down debate and force the bill through.

The Civil Liberties Association claimed that “The bill… was made worse by removing the Criminal Code’s good-faith religious defense.” Derek Ross said, “The defences “have been pivotal in demonstrating… the legislation does strike the right balance.” Removing them could “undermine the constitutionality of this regime.” The National Council of Canadian Muslims offered an open letter signed by more than 350 organizations “informing the Prime Minister directly that the final text did not match what had been promised.” The Coalition for Charter Rights and Freedoms presented a letter of protest signed by 56 organizations, including Jewish, Palestinian, Muslim, and Christian groups. Even the Canadian Civil Liberties Association condemned the bill.

Influencers, like Faytene Grasseschi, claim that tens of thousands of calls have been unleashed in an attempt to block the bill. The bill passed third reading on March 25, 2026, with 164 Liberals and 22 Bloc members in favour, and 131 Conservatives, 5 NDP, and 1 Green member opposing. The proposed legislation is now being reviewed by the Senate.

The issue isn’t about whether Christianity will be outlawed. It’s about the uncertainty of legal protections for those citizens with strong faith commitments. We have seen too many times (think MAID) where the government issues assurances about limitations in designed legislation, only to have the courts expand the parameters into unimagined territory.

This is the Easter season, when unbridled hatred was displayed against the source of love himself. We understand hatred. We have seen what it does.

How do we combat hatred without restricting freedom of belief and expression? Christians are called to speak truth faithfully, love their neighbours genuinely, and to act wisely in a shifting legal landscape. We don’t need legislation to do this.

The stopc-9.ca coalition includes the following in their declaration.

We, the undersigned Christian churches and Christian charitable organizations across Canada, wish to express our deep concern regarding Bill C-9, the proposed hate speech legislation currently before Parliament.

As followers of Jesus Christ and servants of our communities, we affirm the inherent dignity and value of every person. Our faith calls us to love our neighbours, pursue peace, and speak with both truth and grace. At the same time, Canada’s longstanding commitment to freedom of religion and freedom of expression has ensured that people of faith can live out and express their sincerely held beliefs without fear of criminal sanction.

For decades, the Criminal Code has recognized this balance by including protections for the good-faith expression of sincerely held religious beliefs. The proposed removal of these protections in Bill C-9 raises serious concerns for churches, ministries, and faith-based organizations across our nation.

We therefore respectfully call upon Members of Parliament to restore explicit protections for the good-faith expression of sincerely held faith beliefs within the Criminal Code.

 If such protections are not restored, we urge our leaders to vote against Bill C-9 at third reading.

Our request is simple: that Canada’s laws continue to clearly safeguard the fundamental freedoms that have long allowed people of faith to contribute openly and positively to the life of our nation.

We offer this declaration in a spirit of respect, prayer, and sincere concern for the future of religious freedom in Canada.