OTTAWA, Ontario (LifeSiteNews) — Thousands of Canadians are petitioning to stop the Liberal government from criminalizing the quoting of Scripture passages condemning homosexuality.
In the past week, over 5,000 Canadians have signed a petition published by Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) calling on Liberals to reject Bill C-9, along with amendments that would remove exemptions for religious speech.
“I was alarmed to learn the Liberal Government made a deal with the Bloc Quebecois to remove the religious exemption from Canada’s hate speech laws in return for the Bloc’s support of Bill C-9,” the petition declared.
“The Bible is not hate speech,” it continued. “Biblical teaching must never be criminalized.”
The petition further condemned Bill C-9, the “Combatting Hate Act,” in general. Bill C-9, as reported by LifeSiteNews, has been blasted by constitutional experts as empowering police and the government to go after those it deems to have violated a person’s “feelings” in a “hateful” way.
“Even apart from the issue of outlawing religious speech that Liberals find offensive, I oppose Bill C-9 for its unconstitutional and unjustified attempt at censorship,” petitioners asserted. “While I may disagree with people who express words and ideas that are hateful or derisive, I do not think they should be imprisoned. I would rather know what they are thinking so their views may be exposed to public scrutiny and debate.”
“I believe our fundamental right to ‘freedom of expression’, enshrined in our Constitution, must be protected in its broadest form, up to the point of calling for actual violence – which is already illegal under our current Criminal Code,” it continued. “It is unwise and dangerous to give the police, the courts, or the government the power to censor, regulate, and control the speech of free citizens in a free country.”
As LifeSiteNews reported last week, Liberals appear intent on further restricting free speech, as they recently passed an amendment to Bill C-9 to remove protections in the “hate speech” legislation for quoting Scripture, essentially allowing Canadians to be punished for quoting the Bible.
Currently the amendment is not law in Canada, as Bill C-9 itself remains under review in Parliament. Debate on the bill is expected to resume after the Christmas break.
As LifeSiteNews reported last week, inside government sources revealed that Liberals agreed to remove religious exemptions from Canada’s “hate speech” laws as part of a deal with the Bloc Québécois to keep Liberals in power.
The amendment would remove the “religious exemption” defense, which has historically protected individuals from conviction for willful promotion of hatred if the statements were made “in good faith” and based on a “religious subject” or a “sincerely held” interpretation of religious texts such as passages from the Bible, Quran, or Torah.
As a result, quoting the Bible, Quran, or Torah to condemn abortion, homosexuality, or LGBT propaganda could be considered criminal activity.
To urge Liberals to abandon their latest attack on free speech, click here.
