Protect Christian rights
Petitioners ask the federal government to protect parents' role in education, safeguard workers' conscience and religious freedom, toughen enforcement against crimes at worship sites, and preserve Christian charities' legal status and expression. The government responds that laws and programs already protect these rights and address hate crimes.
Why we would sign this petition
- It would affirm parental authority over education and related decisions, giving families clearer control where beliefs are concerned.
- Stronger enforcement and penalties could deter attacks on churches and improve safety for worshippers and faith communities.
- Safeguarding charities' legal status and speech would help faith-based organizations continue providing services and speaking on mission-related public issues.
Why we wouldn’t sign this petition
- Education and many health regulations fall largely under provincial jurisdiction, so federal measures may be limited or ineffective.
- Existing Charter protections, criminal offences and charity rules may already address many concerns, making additional federal measures redundant.
- Broad or vague protections could conflict with other rights or create enforcement and regulatory trade-offs with unintended consequences.
The summary and both sets of reasons are AI-generated from the petition and given equal weight. Claims are the petitioners’ own; consult the official record for the full text.
Official petition
Petition to the Government of Canada We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, draw the attention of the Government of Canada to the following: Whereas Many Christians in Canada are concerned about government and corporate overreach in their communities, workplaces or schools. Whereas Anti-Christian bigotry and discrimination also affects Christian citizens and organizations in our country. Whereas All levels of government must take action to protect Christians in Canada. Therefore, we, the undersigned, citizens, and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to: 1. Defend the rights of parents to play a leading role in their children's education and important decisions involving their children. 2. Safeguard conscience rights and the freedom of religion for unionized and non-unionized workers, including health care professionals. 3. Strengthen penalties and increase law enforcement in response to crime targeting churches and places of worship. 4. Protect the legal status and freedom of expression of Christian charities.
Government response
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY PATRICIA LATTANZIO Part 1 Parents play a crucial role in decision-making for their children, including in matters of health and well-being, education, culture and religion. The Government of Canada recognizes parents’ primary responsibility to support their children in line with the child’s best interests and in accordance with Canadian and international law, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Education falls primarily under provincial and territorial jurisdiction, while the federal government oversees education for children on First Nations reserves or Crown lands. Public school systems are governed by provincial or territorial legislation and administered by elected school boards. Family law, a shared responsibility between federal and provincial governments, also recognizes parental responsibilities for education and religion. The Divorce Act requires courts to consider a child's cultural, linguistic, religious, and spiritual upbringing when making parenting decisions, recognizing the importance of cultural identity and self-esteem in a child’s development. Part 2 The Government of Canada respects freedom of conscience and religion. This freedom is guaranteed by section 2(a) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter) - part of the Constitution of Canada - and subject only to such reasonable limits prescribed by law as can be demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society. The regulation of health care professionals is generally a matter within provincial or territorial, rather than federal, jurisdiction. The Charter applies to provincial and territorial governments and any measures that they implement affecting the conscience and religious rights of health care professionals. Part 3 The criminal justice system is a shared responsibility. The federal government enacts criminal laws, including those prohibiting hate and harmful conduct, while provinces handle their administration, such as investigation and prosecution. The Government of Canada is committed to working with provincial and territorial partners to respond effectively to hate-motivated crimes, including those targeting churches and other places of worship. Regardless of motive, it is unacceptable for anyone in Canada to be blocked, intimidated or harassed when accessing religious and other vulnerable institutions, such as schools. This is why the Criminal Code contains offences of general application that prohibit this harmful conduct against all persons and property, including when it occurs at a church or other places of worship. Some of these offences include criminal harassment (section 264), uttering threats (section 264.1), all forms of assault (sections 266-268), intimidation (section 423), and mischief to property/obstruction (section 430). It also includes specific protections for properties primarily used for religious worship or by identifiable groups (e.g. based on race, religion, gender, disability, etc.) in certain circumstances. Finally, the Criminal Code also requires judges to consider evidence that any offence was motivated by bias, prejudice or hate as an aggravating factor at sentencing (paragraph 718.2(a)(i)). Part 4 The Government of Canada recognizes the vital role that charities, including religious charities, play in delivering essential services to some of the most vulnerable in Canadian society. To support their important work, registered charities are granted significant tax benefits and privileges, including the ability to issue official donation receipts for the gifts they receive. Under the Income Tax Act, an organization may qualify for charitable registration only if it is established exclusively for charitable purposes and devotes all its resources to achieving those purposes. The legal interpretation of “charitable purposes” has developed over time to include the relief of poverty, the advancement of religion, the advancement of education, and other purposes recognized as charitable, such as the promotion of health or the protection of the environment. Today, Canada is home to over 85,000 registered charities, representing a wide variety of causes, beliefs, and interests. Registration as a charity does not indicate government endorsement of an organization’s specific goals or views. Instead, it confirms that the organization meets certain conditions, including that it is constituted and operated exclusively for charitable purposes. These benefits are extended to a broad range of organizations providing socially beneficial activities to the public, from educational institutions to religious organizations, as long as they meet the legal requirements for registration. Charities also make a valuable contribution to public policy and public debate in Canada. For this reason, in 2018, the Income Tax Act was amended to remove any restrictions on the ability for registered charities to speak out on public policy issues, provided that these relate to the fulfillment of their charitable purposes and are non-partisan in nature. Response by the Minister of Finance and National Revenue Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable François-Philippe Champagne, P.C., M.P. The Government of Canada recognizes the vital role that charities, including religious charities, play in delivering essential services to some of the most vulnerable in Canadian society. To support their important work, registered charities are granted significant tax benefits and privileges, including the ability to issue official donation receipts for the gifts they receive. Under the Income Tax Act, an organization may qualify for charitable registration only if it is established exclusively for charitable purposes and devotes all its resources to achieving those purposes. The legal interpretation of “charitable purposes” has developed over time to include the relief of poverty, the advancement of religion, the advancement of education, and other purposes recognized as charitable, such as the promotion of health or the protection of the environment. Today, Canada is home to over 85,000 registered charities, representing a wide variety of causes, beliefs, and interests. Registration as a charity does not indicate government endorsement of an organization’s specific goals or views. Instead, it confirms that the organization meets certain conditions, including that it is constituted and operated exclusively for charitable purposes. These benefits are extended to a broad range of organizations providing socially beneficial activities to the public, from educational institutions to religious organizations, as long as they meet the legal requirements for registration. Charities also make a valuable contribution to public policy and public debate in Canada. For this reason, in 2018, the Income Tax Act was amended to remove any restrictions on the ability for registered charities to speak out on public policy issues, provided that these relate to the fulfillment of their charitable purposes and are non-partisan in nature. Response by the Minister of Public Safety Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): JACQUES RAMSAY, M.P. 3. The Government of Canada is committed to keeping Canadians safe, emphasizing that there is no place for hate anywhere in Canada. In partnership with Public Safety Canada, Justice Canada, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and police across Canada, the Government is working toward strengthening a coordinated response to hate crimes, including through the implementation of Canada’s Action Plan on Combatting Hate and other measures. Responding to hate crimes and hate incidents is the responsibility of the police of jurisdiction. The RCMP and police across Canada are committed to continuing their engagement with religious communities, leaders, and places of worship, providing additional security presence as required. The RCMP is also demonstrating leadership in this space by facilitating information sharing and best practice exchanges between police of jurisdiction, as well as developing guidance material and new training courses to help enhance police understanding and response to hate crimes and incidents. Canadians of all faiths and religious backgrounds are encouraged to engage with their police of jurisdiction if they feel unsafe and to access Public Safety’s Canada Community Security Program, which provides vital support to communities at risk of hate-motivated crime by helping to enhance the security of community gathering spaces, including places of worship. From 2016 to 2024, Public Safety Canada provided $2.5 million to enhance security measures at 92 churches. The criminal justice system is a matter of shared responsibility. The federal government is responsible for the enactment of criminal law, including the enactment of offences that prohibit hateful and other harmful conduct. The provincial government is responsible for the administration of justice, which includes the investigation and prosecution of most Criminal Code offences. Our government remains committed to working with provincial and territorial partners to ensure a coordinated and effective response to hate-motivated and other crimes which target churches and other places of worship. Whether motivated by hate or not, it is also unacceptable that people in Canada are blocked, intimidated or harassed when accessing religious and other vulnerable institutions, such as schools. This is why the Criminal Code contains offences of general application that prohibit this harmful conduct against all persons and property, including when it occurs at a church or other places of worship. Some of these offences include criminal harassment (section 264), uttering threats (section 264.1), all forms of assault (sections 266-268), intimidation (section 423), and mischief to property/obstruction (section 430). In addition, there is also the offence of mischief motivated by bias, prejudice or hate, to property that is primarily used for religious worship or to property that is primarily used by an “identifiable group” for certain purposes, including as an educational institution or senior residence (subsection 430(4.1)). An “Identifiable group” refers to any section of the public distinguished by colour, race, religion, national or ethnic origin, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or mental or physical disability. Finally, the Criminal Code also requires judges to consider evidence that any offence was motivated by bias, prejudice or hate as an aggravating factor at sentencing (paragraph 718.2(a)(i)). Our government believes that Canada has a robust criminal law framework to deal with this hate-motivated and harmful conduct, and remains open to exploring other ways to ensure that our criminal laws adequately and effectively address these issues.