Canada has been in the headlines lately, especially regarding its controversial medical assistance in dying (MAiD) program, which many see as a profound moral failure.
Now, another serious challenge to religious liberty has emerged with Bill C-9, known as the Combating Hate Act.
Introduced by Liberal Justice Minister Sean Fraser and passed by the House of Commons on March 25, the bill is currently before the Canadian Senate. According to reports, it would expand Canada’s existing hate speech laws, create new hate crime offenses, and increase penalties for intimidating or blocking access to houses of worship, cultural centers, schools, senior residences, and cemeteries.
However, the most concerning aspect of the bill is what it removes rather than what it adds. It repeals a longstanding legal defense that protected religious speech in certain hate speech prosecutions.
This defense previously shielded individuals who could show their statements were made in good faith as part of interpreting or expressing a religious text.
Critics, including outlets like The Telegraph, and The Spectator, warn that the bill could criminalize quoting the Bible or expressing traditional Christian teachings on sexuality and gender. The legislation targets what the government describes as rising anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia, and transphobia. But by removing the religious speech protection, ordinary Christians who cite Scripture on issues of marriage, sexuality, or human identity could face prosecution for “hate speech.”
Penalties
Penalties under the expanded law are significant: up to 10 years in prison for more serious offenses, and nearly two years for lesser ones. The vague wording around categories like “intimidation” also raises concerns that peaceful protests or public religious expression could be swept into criminal territory.
As Jane Stannus wrote in The Spectator, the bill is “a sweeping but vaguely worded law” that could criminalize lawful behavior, including religious expression. Colin Freeman in The Telegraph asked pointedly why Mark Carney’s Liberal government appears to be “going to war with the Bible.”
This is not a hypothetical threat. Canada already has a track record of using hate speech laws in ways that conflict with biblical teaching. The removal of the religious defense sends a clear message: traditional Christian convictions on sexual morality may no longer be protected speech. For Christians, this strikes at the heart of religious freedom and gospel witness. Speaking biblical truth is not optional—it is a core responsibility. The pressure to remain silent or affirm modern sexual ideologies is essentially a demand to bow to a new cultural idol.
Like Daniel in the Old Testament, Christians cannot compromise on what Scripture clearly teaches. At stake in these debates are fundamental worldview questions: What is the source of human rights? Can governments that claim to protect freedoms also redefine or limit religious expression when it conflicts with new ideological priorities?
These issues are not confined to Canada. Christians in the United States and elsewhere should pay close attention, as similar pressures are mounting in many Western nations. The Christian church must remain clear-eyed and courageous.
Like John the Baptist, we cannot surrender the public proclamation of God’s Word, even when it is labeled “hate speech” by the surrounding culture.
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Jesus says to his disciples in Matthew 10:22, “You will be hated by all for my name's sake. But he endures to the end will be saved.”