Mr. Speaker, since I took office, my office has not received more letters, emails, phone calls or petitions on any single issue than on Bill C-9. Every day, dozens of residents in my riding call my office about the bill, and if the Liberals were honest, they would admit they are hearing the same. These families, religious leaders and ordinary Canadians are not confused. They are not misinformed. They are, however, afraid. They are afraid that the bill would chill free speech, they are afraid that it would erode religious freedom, and they are afraid that their own government is no longer listening to them.
We have seen a strong, unified voice from religious leaders of all faiths, as well as from civil liberties groups from across Canada, condemning the overreach of the bill. Organizations such as the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, the United Church of Canada, the National Council of Canadian Muslims and the Canadian Civil Liberties Association, among dozens of others, have raised serious concerns. In December, 23 of these organizations issued a joint statement outlining their objections to Bill C-9.
Let us be clear about something. Hate is real, it is wrong and it must be confronted, but here is the truth this government does not want to admit: Hate has festered in this country on its watch, not because we lack laws but because it has failed to enforce the laws we already have. The Criminal Code of Canada already contains clear hate speech provisions in sections 318 and 320. These cover the public and wilful incitement of hatred and the advocacy of genocide against identifiable groups, and include specific provisions addressing the wilful promotion of Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism. Canada already has the legal tools to deal with hate speech. We already have the means to prosecute those who incite violence and promote hatred. This is not a failure of legislation; it is a failure of enforcement.
Since last year, we have seen this failure first-hand. A man in Toronto was charged with an array of offences, including advocating genocide. After an eight-month anti-Semitic crime spree, he was released on bail even though he was found with multiple loaded firearms. However, the Liberals in December voted down a motion 18 times to study their own Bill C-14, which would have addressed these issues around bail. Instead of fixing enforcement, the government is doing what it always does. It is layering on more laws, more bureaucracy and more confusion, all while pretending to take action. Bill C-9 would go far beyond what is necessary. In doing so, it would put at risk two of the most fundamental freedoms we have as Canadians: freedom of expression and freedom of religion.
One of the most concerning elements of the bill is the Liberal-Bloc amendment that would remove long-standing protections for religious speech. These protections are not loopholes. They are not technicalities. They are constitutional guardrails. In fact, the Supreme Court of Canada has explicitly recognized that this religious defence is necessary to keep Canada's hate speech laws constitutional because of how fundamental freedom of expression and freedom of religion are in a free and democratic society.
Let me repeat that. These protections do not exist by accident, but because, without them, the law itself risks violating the charter and the fundamental rights and freedoms we enjoy as Canadians. However, the government, working hand in hand with the Bloc, has chosen to strip them away.
Let me ask a simple question. If this was such a good idea, and if this is such necessary legislation, why did the Liberals not support it in 2023, when the Bloc Québécois introduced nearly identical legislation in Bill C-367? That bill also sought to remove sections 319(3)(b) and 319(3.1)(b), the very provisions that protect Canadians expressing religious views in good faith, yet from that time, I cannot find a single record of a Liberal MP standing up to champion it. There was not one.
What changed? Did the Liberals suddenly discover principle, or are they now so desperate to pass something, anything, that they are willing to abandon their own cautions and push through a bill that would divide Canadians? Bill C-9 would do more than remove protections. It would lower the threshold for prosecution, it would introduce a new, vague definition of hate, it would remove the requirement for Attorney General consent before charges are laid, and it would eliminate the religious defence. Taken together, these changes would create uncertainty where we need clarity.
They would make it easier for individuals to be investigated, charged and prosecuted, not for inciting violence but for expressing views that others may find controversial. This concern is not hypothetical. We heard at committee from a former Liberal justice committee chair, who stated that there is “clear hatred” in parts of religious texts like the Bible and the Torah, specifically referencing books such as Leviticus, Deuteronomy and Romans. He even doubled down and went further, saying these passages “should not be used [as] a defence” and that prosecutors should be able to proceed with charges.
Let us think about that for a moment: sacred texts held by millions of Canadians being cited as potential grounds for criminal prosecution. This is not a fringe concern. It is the natural consequence of vague and unclear legislation that will ultimately lead to a chilling of free speech and expression like we have seen in nations such as the United Kingdom.
The government says this bill will protect Canadians, but even the so-called safeguards it proposes are weak. The Liberals inserted language claiming the bill would not infringe on charter rights, yet when Conservatives proposed real, concrete protections, they rejected them. At the same time, they used procedural tactics to shut down debate. They cut off discussion. They limited scrutiny. In doing so, they shut out the voices of Canadians, including those most directly affected and concerned by this bill.
Conservatives offered a reasonable solution and a clear path forward: Split the bill and swiftly pass the uncontentious sections. However, the Liberals rejected this and took the easy way out, bundling the good with the bad and forcing it through, teaming up with the Bloc to undermine freedom of expression and religious freedom. The justice minister has also confirmed that the bill would apply to online content, which raises serious concerns about the direction Canada is heading. We have already seen attempts by the government to regulate online speech through legislation like the former online harms act. Now we see another step in that same direction, toward a system where Canadians may begin to self-censor out of fear. That is chilling, not because they intend harm but because they are unsure where the line is.
This bill is not about filling gaps in the law. It is about covering up failures: failures to enforce existing laws, failures to lead and failures to act when it actually matters. Instead of fixing these failures, the government is trying to mask them with sweeping new legislation that goes too far. Hate speech is wrong, but Canada already has the tools to deal with it. What we do not need is a law that risks punishing the very freedoms that define us. I will stand with the Canadians who have written to me. I will stand with faith communities across the country, and Conservatives will stand for the fundamental freedoms that Canadians expect us to defend. For those reasons, I cannot and I will not support Bill C-9.