Mr. Speaker, Bill C-9 expands the definition of hate in the Criminal Code while also removing the long-standing religious defence. This change is significant and raises serious concerns for Canadians of faith who could be vulnerable to criminal prosecution simply for quoting passages from their own sacred texts.
If the government can decide that parts of religious books are hateful and make it a crime to talk about them, without clear protections in law, it takes us down an extremely dangerous path. This matters because religious freedom is not a privilege granted by a government, but rather it is a right guaranteed by Canada's Constitution. It is a cornerstone of our free and democratic society.
Tens of thousands of Canadians have exercised their voices. They have written and called members of Parliament asking for Bill C-9 to be scrapped. As members of Parliament who are duly elected, we have a duty of care to listen to the voices of those constituents. All sincerely held beliefs must be protected, and Bill C-9 must be withdrawn.