Canadian House of Commons passes ‘hate speech’ bill that would remove religious protections

March 31, 2026

Canada’s House of Commons has passed a bill that critics warn would eliminate key religious protections from criminal bans on acts of “hatred”, prompting concerns from religious freedom advocates.

The Christian Post reports that the measure, called the “Combatting Hate Act,” was approved by the House of Commons in a 186-137 vote that fell along party lines.

The legislation, also known as Bill C-09, declares that “Everyone who commits an offence — referred to in this section as the ‘included offence’ — under this Act or any other Act of Parliament, if the commission of the included offence is motivated by hatred based on race, national or ethnic origin, language, colour, religion, sex, age, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation or gender identity or expression” is either “guilty of an indictable offence” or “guilty of an offence punishable on summary conviction.”

The “Combatting Hate Act” defines hatred as “an emotion of an intense and extreme nature that is clearly associated with vilification and detestation.”

According to the Christian Post, additional acts prohibited under the legislation include engaging in “conduct with the intent to provoke a state of fear in a person in order to impede their access to” buildings or structures that are primarily used for religious worship or educational institutions, residences for seniors, and cemeteries used by members of protected classes.

An aspect of the bill that has raised concerns from religious groups says Bill C-09 would repeal part of the Canadian Criminal Code, stressing that “no person shall be convicted of an offence” if “in good faith, the person expressed or attempted to establish by argument an opinion on a religious subject or an opinion based on a belief in a religious text.”

Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops President Rev. Pierre Goudreault wrote a letter to Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney late last year urging opposition to the provision.

In that letter, Goudreault warned, “Eliminating a clear statutory safeguard will likely therefore have a chilling effect on religious expression, even if prosecutions remain unlikely in practice.”

Before the bill can reach the desk of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, it must first pass the Canadian Senate which is not due back in session until April 14.  

Photo: top, Credit: Dave Chan/AFP via Getty Images