Is the Bible Under Threat in Canada?

The Liberal government of Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney is set to pass its latest hate speech legislation, Bill C-9, “The Combatting Hate Act.” Introduced by Justice Minister Sean Fraser, the bill was created to address the rise in hate crimes since Oct. 7, 2023.

Statistics Canada has documented a 32 percent rise in hate crimes from 2022 to 2023: “In 2023, police services in Canada recorded a sharp rise in hate crimes, with 4,777 incidents reported, up 32 percent from 3,612 incidents in 2022. This marked the third sharp increase in four years. Overall, the number of police-reported hate crimes has more than doubled in the last four years.”

In 2024, 68 percent of all hate crimes were committed against Jews. Widespread protests in support of Hamas since October 7 led to harassment of Jewish schools, synagogues and local communities.

The law seeks to criminalize hate symbols (specifically the Nazi swastika), outlaw protests near places of worship, and criminalize blocking people from going to places of worship. The law will also subtly change the definition of hate, making it broader and less precise.

The most controversial issue is a proposal by the Bloc Québécois party to amend Section 319 of the criminal code, removing the exemption to hate speech if the offense is caused by an interpretation of a religious text.

“Currently, the law exempts hateful or anti-Semitic speech if it based in good faith on the interpretation of a religious text, but that immunity is set to be removed,” the National Post reported. “Additionally, the Liberals are expected to back off plans to eliminate the need for a provincial attorney general’s sign-off to pursue a hate-propaganda prosecution.”

The Bloc party has agreed to support the bill if the Liberals add the amendment to Section 319.

The bill has been widely criticized by civil rights organizations, the Conservative Party, Muslim rights groups and Christian groups. They fear it will lead to religious persecution or the infringement of rights in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

How will Bill C-9 affect religious freedoms in Canada?

Based on recent history, this is the latest chapter in the movement to remove Christianity and the Bible from our society. The Trumpet has followed this trend for many years. This bill threatens to give the government a legal way to criminalize Bible-based teachings.

How does Bill C-9 threaten the Bible? The progressive Liberal agenda does not agree with the Bible’s teachings on sexual immorality, homosexuality and gender identity. Many believe Bible-based morality is hate speech.

Carney just brought one such man into his cabinet: Marc Miller.

In a Parliamentary Committee on October 30, before being made part of the cabinet, Miller addressed the “good faith” clause of Section 319, saying many scriptures in “Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Romans” are hate speech against homosexuals.

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Miller now directs government policy on identity and culture, where religion intersects with Canadian society. This is a bad sign of how the government will interpret and enforce this law. Miller’s language and the implications of Bill C-9 are reminiscent of a current court case in Finland that criminalizes the Bible.

In 2019, Paivi Rasanen wrote a tweet criticizing a church’s sponsorship of a pride event. The Free Press wrote:

​Räsänen has been a member of parliament in Finland since 1995. She’s also a member of the nation’s Evangelical Lutheran Church—which in 2019 announced its official sponsorship of an lgbt pride event. In response, she wrote: “How can the church’s doctrinal foundation, the Bible, be compatible with the lifting up of shame and sin as a subject of pride?” She posted this comment alongside a picture of the Bible verse Romans 1:27, which describes homosexuality as shameful: “Men committed shameful acts with other men, and received in themselves the due penalty for their error.”

The prosecution includes comments she made in an online article and radio interview. The state prosecution is charging her with the state’s Crimes Against Humanity law, saying her comments likely caused intolerance, contempt or hatred toward homosexuals.

This is where Bill C-9 is leading Canada. Soon the Bible could be on trial. This is another way religious freedom and Bible-based values are being eroded in Canada.

Is the Bible full of hate speech, or is it God’s authoritative teachings on human conduct? Can man legalize what God names as unlawful, or criminalize the teachings of God? We must ask ourselves these questions. They will affect the future of the nation.

To prove the authority of the Bible for yourself, read our free booklet The Proof of the Bible.