OTTAWA, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) — Canadian senators voted to approve Liberals’ Bill C-9, which, once it officially becomes law, will repeal religious protections and effectively criminalize quoting parts of the Bible, including on homosexuality.
On Thursday evening, senators voted 45–13 to approve Bill C-9, or “An Act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda, hate crime, and access to religious or cultural places).” There were two abstentions, and 35 senators were not even on site to vote on the bill.
As Bill C-9 was passed with amendments, it must now go back to the House of Commons, which must approve the amendments before it becomes law and then gets Royal Assent.
Last-minute amendments to the bill proposed by some Conservative senators that would have addressed concerns by many faith groups were rejected.
Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) blasted the passage of Bill C-9, saying that “God will not be mocked.”
“This is a dark day for religious freedom and free speech in Canada,” said Jeff Gunnarson, national president of CLC.
“The passage of this deeply troubling legislation, however, will not stop us from speaking the Word of God, even when biblical truths are increasingly being labelled as hateful by those who are hostile to Christianity. God will not be mocked. We will continue to proclaim His Word.”
As reported by LifeSiteNews, midweek, Canadian senators voted down a recent proposed amendment to Bill C-9, that would have criminalized “residential school denialism.”
Constitutional experts have blasted the bill as allowing empowered police and the government to go after those deemed to have violated a person’s “feelings” in a “hateful” way. The bill was introduced by Justice Minister Sean Fraser last year.
Specifically, Bill C-9 would remove Section 319(3)(b) of Canada’s Criminal Code. This section protects the good-faith expression of a person’s religious views that are based on religious texts such as the Holy Bible.
Bill C-9 has been criticized by some of Canada’s premiers.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith recently said that she does not want to see authorities “monitoring” church services in her province in light of Bill C-9.
Recently, hundreds of Canadians from coast to coast gathered in front of multiple Liberal MPs’ offices, including Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office, to protest Bill C-9.
Canadian pro-life and faith groups, as well as a Catholic cardinal, sounded the alarm over the legislation. Indeed, in a recent letter to Canadian senators, Cardinal Frank Leo, the metropolitan archbishop of Toronto, said that while the Catholic Church recognizes “the importance of addressing hatred and protecting individuals and communities from violence,” changes are needed to the bill.
The removal of the religious exemption prompted condemnation from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, which issued an open letter criticizing the proposed amendment and calling for its repeal.