Attorney General Sean Fraser says he will spend the coming weeks meeting with religious leaders as Ottawa weighs contentious changes to Canada’s hate-speech laws, sparked by a 2023 incident in Montréal where an activist called for death to Jews while reciting a Quran prayer.Blacklock's Reporter says Fraser told reporters several faith leaders want their concerns heard, and he plans to engage directly over the winter to understand objections to a Bloc Québécois proposal that would repeal Criminal Code protections for opinions expressed through religious texts. He said no meeting list has been finalized.According to Fraser, some groups fear they’re being targeted, while he argues the Constitution already guarantees the freedom to practice religion without interference.The debate is tied to Bill C-9, legislation that would outlaw intimidation-based “obstruction” at places of worship, schools, assembly halls or other cultural institutions. The bill has the backing of B’nai Brith Canada and the Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs..The Bloc’s push to remove religious-text defences follows the 2023 incident at Montreal’s Assahaba Islamic Centre, where a director publicly prayed for the destruction of Jews and “Zionist aggressors,” prompting national outrage.Fraser said he hopes MPs can reach a shared understanding, insisting the proposed repeal would not stop anyone from reading religious texts. Conservatives are not convinced.MP Aaron Gunn warned in the Commons that allowing politicians to decide which religious speech is acceptable would be a dangerous step toward censorship: “Once we cross this Rubicon…we have lost.”Gunn said he fears Christians would be targeted under the changes, claiming Bill C-9 could criminalize reading passages from the Bible. MP Andrew Lawton echoed the concern, accusing the Liberal government of repeatedly undermining religious freedom and free expression: “We cannot let in what they are trying to sneak in through the back door with Bill C-9,” he said.
