Bill C-9 or “The Combatting Hate Act”, has currently passed third reading in the Senate and—at the time of this writing—is stalled in the House of Commons due to an amendment made during Senate deliberations. Yes, it had already passed third reading in the House but—because the Senate made a change—that change requires approval by the House before it can become law. We regard this as a divine intervention. It actually gives MPs one more opportunity to do the right thing and vote down this horrible bill, this assault on freedom of speech and religion. Whether MPs will take advantage of this opportunity, whether they will show courage and fulfil their duty to their constituents and future generations is not yet clear. By the time you read this, Bill C-9 could be law; but if MPs rise to the occasion, it could soon be on the dustheap of history.

Bill C-9 has been held up by one word. The Senate added the symbol of a “noose” to the list of prohibited symbols proscribed in the bill. The addition of that one word halted—at least for a few days—the passage of this bill that would violate freedom of speech and that would conceivably make the reading of certain Bible texts a hate crime.

Think that’s overstating the case? Several months ago, in a discussion about “good faith”, Member of Parliament Marc Miller—now a cabinet minister—said to Derek Ross of the Christian Legal Fellowship: “Clearly there are situations in these [Bible] texts where these statements are hateful. They should not be used to invoke or be a defence and there should perhaps be discretion for prosecutors to press charges. I just want to understand what your notion of good faith is in this context where there are clearly passages in religious texts that are clearly hateful.”

He suggests that there should be “…discretion for prosecutors to press charges…” over the use of certain biblical scriptures. The Prime Minister appears to agree with him (after all, he just promoted him to a Cabinet position), but he wants us to believe that this law is only meant for deliberate acts of hate and would never be invoked against Christian pastors merely performing their pastoral duties. But if prosecution is not a risk for ordinary Canadians, then why does his government want to remove the protection for “sincerely held beliefs based on religious texts”?

Before we look at possible ways this bill could yet be defeated or how Christians could respond if it does pass, let’s remind ourselves what’s at stake. Christian leaders are called “…to preach the whole counsel of God.” If we allow the government of the day to tell us which parts of God’s Holy Word are acceptable and which are forbidden, then we are putting man over God. If we choose, like the Apostles, to disobey the government and obey God, we will face certain consequences which we must be willing to bear.

Bill C-9 is currently stalled because of one word. It is expected to be voted on before Parliament breaks for the summer, which is June 19. Thanks to several brave MPs, the Senate amendment did not get a quick rubber stamp when it came back to the House. Here’s a bright ray of sunshine that we can call a miracle, even if the bill is still alive: MP Andrew Lawton, who has been an outspoken critic of C-9 and a passionate defender of freedom of speech and religion, made a lengthy and very impassioned and vigorous speech in the House on Thursday, June 11. He really deserves a standing ovation from all of us who love freedom and who love God’s Word. Andrew has demonstrated all the noble virtues of a parliamentarian and a statesman. With appropriate good humour, an articulate presentation of history, and logical appeal to the sensibilities of his colleagues and MPs in other parties, he offered a creative pathway to end debate over C-9 by amending it into non-existence. Here’s a link to his speech.

CHP Canada highly commends MP Lawton for his capable defence of our freedoms; we stand with him against C-9 and the many other freedom-crushing laws that our current federal government is seeking to impose upon us.

One more thing: we do not yet know what will be the outcome for Bill C-9. Will Andrew Lawton’s speech stir the hearts of enough Liberal and Bloc MPs to end this threat to our freedoms? If not, each of us will have to make choices about serving God or bowing to the unrighteous decrees of a godless government. Last week Rod Taylor had the opportunity to interview Tanya Gaw, founder of Action4Canada. If you missed it, here is a link to that interview. On June 18, Tanya will be hosting a webinar for pastors and church leaders to present some ideas regarding C-9 and our responses to it. If you wish to attend or if you know a pastor who wishes to attend here is the registration link.

May God give each of us the wisdom and the courage to do the right thing today and in the days ahead!