Loading ...Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms — Tell Parliament to reject Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act
Dear friend of freedom,
If Parliament passes Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, Canada will become more like the United Kingdom, where more than 30 people are arrested every day for “speech crimes.”
UK police now routinely arrest people for offensive tweets. Police issue warnings to citizens about their political commentary. Police have even arrested parents in front of their children over private WhatsApp messages.
This is the real-world outcome of vague “hate” laws like Bill C-9.
NOTE: This article is not in a format to be directly linked — I had to copy/paste — much is included in the 1st comment attached
What we’re doing about it
The Justice Centre has provided its submission to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. We have also informed all 343 Members of Parliament (of all parties) that Bill C-9:
• removes the requirement that the Attorney General consent to prosecutions for hate propaganda offences, which will result in far more criminal prosecutions against Canadians for what they say on social media and elsewhere;
• is politically motivated, as was shown when Justice Minister Sean Fraser lamented “rising antisemitism, Islamophobia, homophobia and transphobia” but said nothing about the dozens of Christian churches that have been destroyed by arson;
• fails to provide a clear and coherent definition of “hatred,” such that citizens cannot know when they are – or are not – committing a Criminal Code offence. Criminal charges and prosecutions will depend on the feelings and subjective assessments of police, prosecutors and judges;
• unnecessarily increases the existing power of judges to impose harsher sentences in cases where the judge feels that a crime was motivated by hate; maximum prison sentences can be doubled;
• duplicates existing Criminal Code provisions that already make it illegal to block access to houses of worship and other buildings and structures. Canadians need and deserve better enforcement of existing laws, not virtue-signalling like Bill C-9.
In a word, this legislation is redundant, arbitrary, and damaging to your fundamental rights and freedoms.
Freedom of expression is the foundation of every other freedom. If Parliament passes Bill C-9, Canadians will face more criminal prosecutions over what they say.
If the erosion of free speech can happen in the UK – the birthplace of parliamentary democracy, it can happen here. Many Canadian journalists, writers, podcasters, politicians, commentators, and citizen activists will self-censor to avoid the risk of a hate-speech prosecution.
Please contact your MP today
You can find your MP’s contact information here. Whether your MP is Liberal, Conservative, NDP, Bloc or Green, ask her or him to vote against Bill C-9.
Please donate today
Our lawyers and policy analysts continue the fight against unjust laws like Bill C-9 every day. This vital work depends entirely on the generosity of Canadians like you. Please donate to the Justice Centre so that we can continue to defend freedom in Canada. You will receive an official tax receipt in February 2026, for all donations made in 2025.