Protect reading and sharing of sacred texts

AI summary

Petitioners ask government to amend Bill C-9 to expressly protect reading and sharing of sacred texts and prevent criminalizing good-faith religious teachings. The government responds that C-9 protects religious freedom and excludes good-faith teachings.

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

Official petition

Petition to the House of Commons We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following: Whereas: Canadians are concerned that Liberal-Bloc amendments to Bill C-9 could be used to criminalize passages from the Bible, the Quran, the Torah, and other sacred texts; The state has no place in the religious texts or teachings of any faith community; Freedom of expression and freedom of religion are fundamental rights that must be preserved. Therefore, we, the undersigned, call on the Liberal Government of Canada to: Protect religious freedom, uphold the right to read and share sacred texts, and prevent government overreach into matters of faith.

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. The Act 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. 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, the Act 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 the Act 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.