I would just say that specific protection of religion has merit, given the reality that communities of faith have been under threat pretty significantly in recent years. The Quebec mosque attack is one example among many. The other reality is that the celebration of religious rights tends to be done in a disposition of vulnerability. One expects a sense of safety. A person in a posture of prayer is expecting a sense of peace and an ability to express it, doing so in a way that is a full expression of their identity.
Protection of that through the Criminal Code in section 176 is an important means of recognizing the deep identity questions with respect to faith. Those same questions are certainly relevant to the kinds of communities you've pointed to. I think Mr. Clemenger's words are relevant in that respect.