Ottawa: The federal government is preparing a significant overhaul of Canada’s hate-speech framework, with plans to eliminate long-standing religious exemptions from national hate-propaganda laws. The move comes as part of a broader initiative to strengthen prohibitions on hateful symbols and rhetoric across the country.
According to reports, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party has reached a legislative agreement with the Bloc Québécois to remove provisions that currently allow individuals to cite religious beliefs or sacred texts as a legal defense in cases involving hate-speech accusations.
Under current Canadian law, it is a criminal offense to “incite hatred against an identifiable group,” but exemptions exist for statements rooted in religious doctrine. These protections are now expected to be withdrawn in forthcoming amendments, the National Post reported on Dec. 1, citing a senior government official who spoke on condition of anonymity. “The bill is in a place now where everyone involved is satisfied,” the official said.
The planned reforms come at a time when Canada has recorded a sharp rise in hate-motivated incidents, particularly antisemitism. Human rights monitors, including B’nai Brith Canada, have reported a dramatic escalation in attacks and hate speech targeting Jewish communities following the Hamas assault on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. A further surge was documented throughout 2024.
In response, the proposed legislation would explicitly criminalize the public display of the Nazi swastika and the insignia of the Nazi SS, symbols often used in acts of intimidation against Jewish Canadians.
Another major change would remove the requirement for the Attorney General of Canada to approve prosecutions related to hate-propaganda offenses a safeguard that has existed to prevent misuse of hate-speech legislation.
Members of the Conservative Party have voiced strong objections, arguing that the bill is redundant and potentially harmful. They contend that the symbols targeted are already illegal under existing criminal law, and that stripping the attorney general’s oversight could lead to politicized or inconsistent enforcement.
Conservatives also warn that the new definition of “hatred” described in the amendment as an emotion involving “detestation or vilification” and surpassing “disdain or dislike” could weaken protections for legitimate speech. They argue that the lowered threshold risks criminalizing harsh or controversial opinions.
Religious freedom advocates have also expressed alarm over the planned revisions. The Christian Legal Fellowship, based in Ontario, urged the government to maintain the religious defense, stating it aligns with foundational principles of justice and equality.
Removing it, the group argued, could “undermine the constitutional integrity” of Canada’s hate-speech framework and expose religious communities to legal uncertainty when expressing core beliefs.
Broader concerns about declining religious protections in Canada have surfaced in recent months.
In September, Montreal Archbishop Christian Lépine warned of “serious concerns” surrounding Quebec Premier François Legault’s proposal to prohibit prayer in public venues, calling such a restriction comparable to “forbidding thought itself.”
In December 2024, a House of Commons finance committee recommended removing “advancement of religion” from the country’s list of charitable purposes a move faith groups say would endanger the social contributions of churches and nonprofits.
These developments come as faith communities across Canada face demographic shifts. According to the 2021 national census, the number of Canadians identifying as Catholic dropped by nearly two million over the previous decade, reflecting broader secularization trends.