Canada’s Parliament has passed Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, repealing a long-standing religious texts defence and prompting warnings from faith leaders that Christians citing scripture on sexual morality could face prosecution.

On June 17, 2026, Canada’s House of Commons voted down a final Conservative motion to withdraw Bill C-9, clearing the Combatting Hate Act after the Senate added the noose as a banned hate symbol. The bill received royal assent on June 18, 2026.

The bill, introduced by Justice Minister Sean Fraser on September 19, 2025, amends the Criminal Code by creating new offences for wilful promotion of hatred through hate symbols, enhanced hate crime penalties, including potential life imprisonment for underlying offences motivated by hatred, and intimidation or obstruction at places of worship, schools and other sites used by identifiable groups.

Its most contentious element is the repeal of section 319(3)(b), which previously shielded good-faith expressions of religious opinion based on sacred texts such as the Bible. The official parliamentary summary states that the legislation repeals “the defence based on the expression of opinions on religious subjects or texts” in relation to the offences of wilful promotion of hatred or antisemitism.

Conservative MP Andrew Lawton’s motion to halt the bill outright was defeated, with Liberals and the Bloc Québécois forming the majority against it. Lawton highlighted opposition spanning the political spectrum, including from some Green and NDP MPs, civil liberties organisations and faith groups.

The removal of the religious defence has raised fears that passages from Leviticus, Romans or other books condemning homosexual acts could be treated as “wilful promotion of hatred”, depending on context, audience and accompanying commentary. Constitutional experts and critics note that the broadened definition of hatred involves “detestation or vilification”, while the final version clarifies that expression must amount to “extreme” vilification or detestation before hate speech charges are warranted.

Cardinal Frank Leo, Metropolitan Archbishop of Toronto, wrote to senators in March 2026 urging amendments. While supporting efforts to combat genuine hatred and violence, he warned that removing the defence would not adequately protect religious speech and called for “unequivocal clarification” that reading, teaching or preaching from religious texts does not constitute intentional promotion of hatred. The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops echoed these concerns in letters to the Prime Minister.

Conservative MP Brad Redekopp called the passage “a dark day in Canadian history” and an “assault on religious freedom”. Campaign Life Coalition described it as a blow to free speech and warned that “God will not be mocked”.

The Government and supporters maintain that the law targets only wilful incitement likely to cause harm, not sincere religious teaching, and that Charter protections remain. The Justice Department’s Charter statement says Bill C-9 creates a new hate crime offence applying to offences motivated by hatred based on protected characteristics including religion, sex, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression.

However, committee hearings featured references to certain biblical passages as containing “clear hatred”, heightening concerns among traditional Christians that preaching on marriage, chastity or biblical anthropology could now invite police investigation or charges.

The Senate passed the bill on June 4 by 45-13 without restoring the religious defence but added the noose – described by supporters as historically linked to anti-Black lynching – to the list of prohibited symbols. This required the bill’s return to the Commons for final concurrence.

The Combatting Hate Act is now law. Implementation guidelines and potential constitutional challenges are anticipated in the coming months.