Canadian bill would remove religious exemption for ‘hate speech’

Canadian lawmakers are considering legislation that, if passed, could criminalize citing Scripture to defend biblical marriage, sexuality and other Christian views.

Proposal Bill C-367currently under consideration in the House of Commons, would repeal the “religious exemption” from section 319 of the Canadian Criminal Code, which critics say could expose Christians and other religious groups to charges of ” hate speech” for any comments or criticism towards LGBT people. movement.

Bill C-367 specifically targets paragraph 319(3)‍(b) and paragraph 319(3.‍1)‍(b) of the Criminal Code, which forbidden any conviction for hate speech if “in good faith, the person has expressed or attempted to establish through an argument an opinion on a religious subject or an opinion based on a belief in a religious text”.

Receive our latest news for FREE

Subscribe to receive daily/weekly emails with the best stories (plus special offers!) from The Christian Post. Be the first to know.

If the religious exemption is removed, any religious or faith-based expression that refutes or condemns gender ideology, sexualization of children, and other similar topics could potentially be considered by Canadian courts to be “hate speech.” » and lead to criminal proceedings against Christians and other religious people. groups.

Introduced by Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet in November, Bill C-367 has only a first reading in the House of Commons, and it is unclear when or if the bill will move forward.

While Blanchet and other lawmakers say Bill C-367 follows recent anti-Semitic protests in Canada, including one in which a Muslim activist called for God to “exterminate” what he calls “Zionist aggressors” – some organizations like the Canadian pro-life group Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) warn that the legislation could lead to more criminal prosecutions of Christians.

In February, David Cooke, CLC campaigns director, wrote“We will no longer be allowed to share in public God’s design for human sexuality and marriage. We will no longer be able to speak out in God’s name against children’s drag shows, against child drag, or against children’s sex change.

“All of this could be misinterpreted as ‘hate speech’ against the LGBT community. Even our pro-life message could be framed as a ‘hate crime’ against women.”

Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern, said that if passed, the bill “would be a devastating legal tool to attack people of faith in Canada and would allow politicians working through the courts and police to send devout believers to prison for quoting the Bible. Koran or other religious texts.

“The same methods used by foreign dictators and despots to silence and suppress Christianity are now being used by political enemies in the West, with the current bill being just the latest example,” King said in a press release shared with CP.

He called on Christians and Canadian citizens “of faith of all stripes” to make their voices heard by Canadian government officials.

“Canadians who enjoy the fruits of democracy need to wake up,” he added. “Any Western politician who advocates for this type of legislation and sells ‘protection and unity’ by advancing hate speech laws is an enemy of freedom and democracy, and is prepared to undermine religion and free speech laws that protect all citizens to get things done. their particular interest or to inflict damage on their political enemies.

Over the past decade, Canadian lawmakers have passed a number of bills aimed at restricting free speech to benefit the LGBT lobby.

In 2017, the Senate of Canada pass a law against the correct use of gender pronouns by adding protections for gender identity and expression to the Canadian Human Rights Code.

Last September, lawmakers from Ontario, Canada, approved a ban on any form of communication that could cause an LGBT-identified person to “feel harassed” or “offended” following a mass rally for parental rights.

The bylaw approved by city councilors in Waterloo, located about 45 miles southwest of Toronto, follows a new policy adopted by several local school boards. The policy states that parents will not be informed if their child decides to change their pronouns or identify as the opposite gender, non-binary or gender fluid.