Conservative MPs are pushing back against proposed amendments to Bill C-9, warning they could be interpreted in ways that allow criminal charges related to quoting or sharing religious scriptures. In response, the Conservatives have launched a public petition urging the federal government to protect religious freedom and expression.The petition argues that Liberal–Bloc Québécois amendments “could be used to criminalize passages from the Bible, the Quran, the Torah, and other sacred texts.” It further states that “the state has no place in the religious texts or teachings of any faith community,” and calls for the Charter rights to freedom of religion and expression to be upheld.The issue was raised during an October 30 meeting of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. Committee chair Marc Miller commented on how hate-speech provisions might interact with scriptural content if invoked as justification for harmful public statements..During the discussion, Miller stated that some scriptural material could meet the threshold of hate speech under certain circumstances.“Clearly there are situations in these texts where these statements are hateful,” Miller said. “They should not be used to invoke or be a defense, and there should perhaps be discretion for prosecutors to press charges.”Conservative MPs argue the comments reinforce public concern that religious teachings could fall under federal hate-speech scrutiny if the amendments are adopted.The petition calls on the government to “protect religious freedom, uphold the right to read and share sacred texts, and prevent government overreach into matters of faith.”Neither the Liberals nor the Bloc Québécois have provided a formal response to the petition. Bill C-9 will continue through committee study before returning to the House for further debate.
