Prime Minister Carney’s Liberal government, in a controversial deal with the Bloc Québécois, is moving to criminalize the public expression of certain biblical passages by removing long-standing religious protections from Canada’s hate speech laws. The proposed Bill C-9 specifically targets scriptures condemning homosexuality, with Minister Marc Miller explicitly calling passages from Leviticus and Deuteronomy “clear hatred.” Constitutional analysts and religious groups warn that this unprecedented legislation is an assault on religious freedom, creating legal jeopardy for pastors and institutions who teach traditional biblical morality and threatening to criminalize sacred texts.
Story Highlights
- Bill C-9 removes religious exemption from hate speech laws, targeting biblical passages about homosexuality.
- Liberal Minister Marc Miller specifically identified Leviticus and Deuteronomy as “clear hatred” against homosexuals.
- Political deal between Liberals and Bloc Québécois ensures passage despite opposition from religious groups.
- Constitutional analysts warn this criminalizes sacred texts and threatens religious freedom.
Government Targets Sacred Scripture
Prime Minister Carney’s Liberal government has formalized a political agreement with the Bloc Québécois to advance Bill C-9, which removes long-standing protections for religious expression from Canada’s hate speech laws. Marc Miller, Minister of Canadian Identity and Culture, explicitly stated that biblical passages like Leviticus 20:13 and Deuteronomy 22:22 constitute “clear hatred towards homosexuals” and should not receive legal protection. This represents an unprecedented government assault on religious freedom, targeting the sacred texts that form the foundation of Christian faith and practice.
The religious exemption has existed since Canada’s hate speech laws were enacted in 1970, protecting “good faith expression rooted in religious belief in the interpretation of a religious text.” Canadian courts have historically been reluctant to prosecute individuals for sincere religious expression, understanding the fundamental importance of religious freedom in a democratic society. Miller’s government now seeks to eliminate this protection entirely, giving prosecutors unprecedented power to charge Christians for publicly citing scripture that condemns homosexual behavior as sinful.
#REPORT: The Carney Liberals and the Bloc Quebecois have reached an agreement to remove religious exemptions from Canadian hate speech laws, building on a suggestion made by Liberal heritage minister Marc Miller last month to criminalize preaching "hateful" parts of the Bible. pic.twitter.com/IeVpunyPIC
— Canada Proud (@WeAreCanProud) December 1, 2025
Political Deal Threatens Constitutional Rights
The Liberal-Bloc Québécois agreement emerged from the Bloc’s 2023 push to remove religious exemptions, initially motivated by a Montreal imam’s inflammatory statements about “Zionist aggressors.” However, the legislation now broadly targets all religious expression, creating a dangerous precedent for government interference in matters of faith. The deal demonstrates how minority governments can impose radical changes without broader public consensus, using regional political leverage to advance ideological agendas that attack fundamental constitutional rights.
Conservative Party leader Pierre Poilievre has correctly characterized the amendment as “an assault on freedom of expression and religion that will criminalize sections of the Bible, Quran, Torah and other sacred texts.” Religious organizations across Canada have united in opposition, recognizing that this legislation represents government overreach that threatens the very foundation of religious liberty. The Canadian Constitution Foundation and Christian Legal Fellowship have raised serious concerns about criminalizing sincere religious belief and expression.
Chilling Effect on Religious Communities
Bill C-9’s passage would create immediate legal jeopardy for pastors, priests, and religious educators who teach traditional biblical morality. Churches, seminaries, and Christian schools face potential prosecution for discussing passages that define marriage as between one man and one woman or identify homosexual behavior as contrary to God’s design. This chilling effect extends beyond formal religious settings to any public expression of biblical truth, fundamentally altering the relationship between faith and public discourse in Canada.
The legislation’s vague language leaves religious communities uncertain about what constitutes prosecutable speech, creating an atmosphere of fear and self-censorship. Constitutional analysts note that the Supreme Court of Canada has previously stated that biblical passages cannot inherently inspire “detestation and vilification,” yet Miller’s government seeks to override this judicial wisdom. This represents a dangerous expansion of government power over religious expression, threatening the foundational principle that faith communities should be free to teach and practice their beliefs without state interference.
Watch the report: QU: Liberal MP calls some scripture passages ‘clearly hateful’
Sources:
Biblical passages Canada could list as hate speech – National Post
Bill C-9: What’s at stake for religious expression – Canadian Council of Christian Charities
