Tighten C-9 hatred definition, preserve defence

AI summary

Petitioners ask the Government of Canada to narrow Bill C-9’s definition of 'hatred' to Keegstra's wording and to preserve the Criminal Code 'good faith' religious belief defence (s.319(3)(b)). The government responds that Bill C-9 already adopts Keegstra’s language, clarifies that offences require intent to promote hatred, and affirms that good‑faith religious teaching is not criminalized.

AI summaries describe petitioners’ requests and claims. Consult the official record for the full text.

Official petition

Petition to the Government of Canada, WHEREAS • The 'good faith' religious belief defence is an important protection for religious communities; • The Supreme Court has described the defences, including the religious belief defence, as contributing to the constitutionality of section 319(2) of the Criminal Code, in the 1990 Keegstra decision; • Efforts to address anti-religious hatred should not undermine existing protections for religious groups; • The definition of hatred in the Criminal Code should be as careful and limited in scope as the common law definition used by the courts; • Bill C-9's definition of hatred should align more closely with the language in the Supreme Court's Keegstra decision, such as, hatred means an emotion "of an intense and extreme nature that is clearly associated with vilification and detestation... predicated on destruction... that belies reason." Therefore we, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to tighten the definition of hatred in Bill C-9 and to maintain the 'good faith' religious belief defence in section 319(3)(b) of the Criminal Code.

Government response

Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency Signed by THE PARLIAMENTARY SECRETARY PATRICIA LATTANZIO The Government of Canada’s commitment to freedom of religion is unwavering. Freedom of religion is explicitly protected under section 2(a) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and has been consistently upheld by Canadian courts. All Canadians are free to pray, preach, teach, interpret scripture, and express religious belief in good faith without fear of violence, intimidation, or criminal sanction. Canada is facing a troubling rise in hate speech and hate crimes. To better protect all people in Canada, including their ability to worship, gather, and practise their faith in daily life, the Government of Canada introduced Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, in the House of Commons on September 19, 2025. Bill C-9 received Royal Assent on June 18, 2026. This law will better protect access to places of worship, as well as schools, community centres and other specified places, and more clearly addresses and denounces hate-motivated crime. Bill C-9 has amended the Criminal Code to: make it a crime to intimidate and obstruct people from accessing places of worship, as well as schools, community centres and other places primarily used by an identifiable group; make hate motivated crime a specific offence, ensuring such conduct is more clearly denounced and that offenders are held accountable; define “hatred” to clarify what conduct constitutes a hate crime; and, make it a crime to wilfully promote hatred against an identifiable group by displaying certain terrorism or hate symbols in public, namely symbols principally used by or associated with listed terrorist entities under the Criminal Code, two Nazi symbols, or a noose. Bill C-9 defines “hatred” as an emotion of an intense and extreme nature that is clearly associated with vilification and detestation. The definition is aligned with the exact language used by Supreme Court of Canada in R v. Keegstra, which is already being followed by courts in Canada. At the committee stage in the House of Commons, the wording of the definition was revised and “extreme” was added to the definition of hatred so that the language in Bill C-9 mirrors the exact language of the Keegstra decision. It would further specify what is not hatred, such as conduct that solely humiliates, discredits, hurts or offends. Crucially, Canada’s hate propaganda laws already set a very high threshold. Only the most dangerous forms of hate, including speech that vilifies, dehumanizes, or incites harm against an identifiable group, are captured by the Criminal Code. Religious sermons, teachings, and the reading or sharing of sacred texts in good faith do not meet this standard and are not criminalized. To reinforce this understanding, Bill C-9 includes new clarification clauses to confirm that offences only capture expression communicated with the intention to promote hatred or antisemitism. These clauses codify in clear statutory language what has always been the case in Canadian law: that good faith religious, educational, political, or academic discussion on matters of public interest is not prohibited. While Bill C-9 repeals what is commonly referred to as the “good faith religious opinion” provision in the Criminal Code, this amendment reflects longstanding legal principles already recognized by Canadian courts. It is also important to note that the “good faith religious opinion” defence has never been successfully argued. The Government of Canada remains firmly committed to protecting religious freedom. A strong Canada safeguards every person’s right to worship freely and to share their faith, while ensuring that no one is subjected to the most extreme forms of hatred that threaten public safety, dignity, and social cohesion.