Attorney General Sean Fraser is defending controversial hate speech legislation opposed by Canada's Catholic bishops, insisting the bill was designed to protect religious freedom despite concerns it could criminalize certain expressions of faith.Speaking during Senate Question Period, Fraser cited his own Catholic upbringing as evidence that he would never support legislation restricting religious belief or worship.“I grew up in a Catholic family,” Fraser told senators. “I read Scripture in church every week until I moved away from home. The messages of peace, love and acceptance, baked into the world’s great religions, are messages I think governments can learn from and help promote.”Bill C-9, An Act To Amend The Criminal Code, would ban the public display of swastikas and prohibit the intimidation-based obstruction of synagogues and other places of worship. The legislation also includes a Bloc Québécois-backed amendment that would allow hate speech prosecutions in cases where a religious text is invoked as justification for promoting hatred.The amendment followed a 2023 anti-Semitic rally in Montreal where an imam, while claiming to recite a Quranic prayer, called for Jews to be killed “one by one and spare not one of them.”Fraser said the controversial provision was not part of the government's original legislation but became necessary as debate on the bill evolved.“The decision to move forward with a change in terms of how the religious exemption operates was not something baked into the government’s proposal at the outset but became essential,” he said.“It is not possible, in my view, to commit a hate crime in good faith.”.Sen. Pierre Dalphond asked Fraser whether Canadians of all faiths could be assured the legislation would not be used to limit religious freedom.“To be clear, Bill C-9 from its very inception was designed to promote religious freedom,” Fraser replied.The government also acknowledged political considerations behind retaining the amendment.“Why don’t we just get rid of the amendment that caused the original controversy?” Sen. Andrew Cardozo asked.“The bill might have been defeated,” Fraser responded, adding it was at “significant risk” of failing without Bloc support.The legislation has generated significant opposition from religious organizations and members of the public. Critics submitted 171 petitions in the House of Commons and more than 200,000 individually mailed postcards to senators urging them to reject the bill.Among the most prominent opponents are the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and Cardinal Frank Leo, Archbishop of Toronto.“Beyond a shadow of a doubt, faith communities stand firmly against hatred and discrimination in all its forms,” Cardinal Leo wrote senators in a March 27 letter.“At the same time, it is vital that legislation aimed at confronting hatred does not inadvertently limit the lawful expression of religious beliefs or the ability of communities to live out their faith.”Religious leaders have argued the bill's wording could create uncertainty over where legitimate religious teaching ends and criminal hate speech begins, while the government maintains the legislation targets only those who use religion as a pretext to promote hatred or violence.
