Canada removes religious defense from Criminal Code: Christians fear preaching Gospel now considered ‘hate speech’

On June 18, the Canadian Parliament gave royal assent to Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, and eliminated a decades-old protection that safeguarded religious expression in good faith based on sacred texts such as the Bible. Christian and conservative critics claim it is an attack on religious freedom that leaves pastors and laypeople more vulnerable to potential prosecution for preaching traditional biblical teachings. The law does not ban the Bible or make the Gospel a crime.

What Bill C-9 actually does: Eliminates religious defense in Criminal Code

The legislation, introduced by Liberal Justice Minister Sean Fraser, repeals section 319(3)(b) of the Criminal Code, a safeguard dating back to the 1970s. Until then, a person who expressed, in good faith, an opinion on a religious matter or a belief based on a religious text such as the Bible could not be convicted of willful promotion of hatred.

The official summary of the bill states that it removes "the defen[s]e based on the expression of opinions on religious subjects or texts in relation to the offen[s]es of wil[l]ful promotion of hatred or antisemitism." The Department of Justice and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada point out that this offense still requires the intent to promote hatred and that a sermon delivered in good faith would not meet that threshold.

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and the Canadian Centre for Christian Charities warn that, with the removal of the defense of religious belief in good faith, anyone accused of deliberately promoting hatred will no longer be able to claim that they were quoting a sacred text. The Canadian Civil Liberties Association also criticized the law for restricting freedom of expression.

Pastors and laypeople under increased legal scrutiny

Deliberate promotion of hatred remains a relatively rare charge and, in summary proceedings, carries penalties of up to two years in prison. Bill C-9 also creates a hate offense that aggravates other federal crimes when they are motivated by hate and carries the maximum penalty of the underlying offense, which in some cases can reach 10 or 14 years, or life in prison, if the underlying offense allows it.

These more severe penalties do not apply for quoting the Bible or delivering a sermon, but rather for committing other crimes (such as harassment, threats or vandalism) that a judge determines were motivated by hate. However, Catholic and civil liberties critics warn that pastors, priests, and laypeople who cite traditional biblical passages on marriage, sexuality, and morality could face increased legal scrutiny and possible charges of "deliberate promotion of hatred," with a standard of proof that now relies more on judicial interpretation without the specific defense provided by the religious text.

Specific passages from Leviticus, Deuteronomy and Romans that condemn homosexual acts, frequently cited in traditional Christian sermons, could now be interpreted as "hate speech" depending on the context, the audience and the accompanying commentary, according to warnings from Catholic and civil liberties leaders.

The left-wing government has already identified which verses are "problematic"

The concern is not merely theoretical. In October 2025, during hearings of the House Justice Committee, Marc Miller, then committee chair and later Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, stated that passages from Leviticus, Deuteronomy and Romans contain "clear hatred toward, for example, homosexuals," and questioned how a religious defense could be invoked when citing them.

This official comment sent an alarming signal to faith communities: the Liberal government is already identifying which biblical texts it considers unacceptable for Canadian public discourse.