For freedom-loving Christians and all people of good will, Bill C-9—now being debated in Committee and soon back on the floor of the House—is among the most insidious, wicked pieces of legislation that have ever darkened our collective door. It contains toxic and deceptive language meant to disguise its evil intent.

The title of the bill is itself a charade. Called by its Liberal and Bloc proponents the “Combatting Hate Bill”, it is anything but. In the hands of leftist ideologues, Bill C-9 will be a weapon to frustrate, punish, censor and neutralize Christians and pro-life, pro-family advocates. Its main target is obviously anyone seeking to restore the biological and biblical understanding of sex and gender. Liberal MP Marc Miller has already declared his opinion that certain passages of the Bible are “hateful.” If the bill passes, we can expect every proponent of a Christian world view in regard to sexuality to be threatened with fines and jail time for expressing those views publicly.

The bill specifically mentions imprisonment for up to life for committing a crime “motivated by hate.” You can read the entire bill in ‘legalese’ here.

The bill purports to protect freedom of religion by making it an offence to interfere with anyone’s access to their place of worship. There are already laws on the books making it illegal to intimidate anyone in order to prevent them from doing something they want to do or to coerce anyone by threat of violence to do something they do not want to do. It is already an offence to interfere with a religious ceremony or to obstruct or disrupt peaceful assembly for a worship service. The fact that existing laws are not being enforced does not mean we need to write new laws; it means that the government ought to begin enforcing the laws already on the books. Incidentally, provincial, federal and municipal governments and their enforcement agents themselves broke these very laws during the covid lockdowns by closing places of worship and arresting pastors who were conducting worship services. That was even before the implementation of the Emergencies Act, which itself has now been deemed unlawful by the courts.

How about violence or threats of violence? Both of these are bad things. Both of these things are already illegal. In Montreal on March 4, 2024, a pro-Hamas demonstration blocked the entrance to the Holocaust Museum, preventing Jewish people from attending an event. The mob was chanting the Islamic war cry “Allahu Akbar,” as well as “Death to Israel and Death to the Jews.” Calling for the death of members of an identifiable group is already illegal in Canada and—next to actually committing murder—is as clear an act of hate as can be imagined. Yet these violent, hateful protests have taken place over and over with no real consequences for those taking part. Streets into Jewish communities have been blocked by angry mobs. Where are the “hate crime” enthusiasts when a real hate crime is taking place? Nowhere to be seen. In one outlandish twist, policemen delivered coffee to pro-Hamas demonstrators blocking an overpass into a Jewish community.

Meanwhile, Mr. Carney and his Liberal caucus want to criminalize and punish a person who says there are only two sexes, that marriage should be between only a man and a woman, that sexually mutilating the bodies of young children is child abuse or that God created humankind male and female. Mr. Carney wants to accuse those who say such things of a hate crime.

Attempts to outlaw free speech are not new. Throughout history, tyrants and petty officials have tried to silence the voices of those with whom they disagree. The religious and political rulers in Jerusalem told Jesus to rebuke his disciples for calling him “King”; Jesus refused to bow to that pressure. After His glorious death and resurrection, apostles Peter and John were commanded by the authorities not to speak in the name of Jesus; but they replied, “We ought to obey God, not men.” The apostle Paul was attacked by the crowd for telling the truth in public. When he said he was bringing the message of salvation to the Gentiles, the crowd went mad. They wanted to kill him. They hated his message and they hated him. Over the centuries, men have been hated, tortured, imprisoned and killed for their words. Martin Luther was persecuted for preaching salvation by grace alone. Martin Luther King Jr. was martyred for saying that all men are equal.

Today, MP Päivi Räsänen is waiting for a decision from the Supreme Court of Finland as to whether her statement that God created us male and female constitutes a “hate crime”. Chilliwack School Trustee, Barry Neufeld, after being dragged through a BC Human Rights Tribunal for more than 8 years, has been given a fine of $750,000 for saying that there are only two genders. These things are happening without Bill C-9. Real hatred and violence is being winked at, but loving words and clear biblical, biological truth is being deemed hateful. What will it be like if Bill C-9 is passed and censorship of biblical truth is made the law of the land? When Jesus was being led away to be crucified he asked this same question: If they have done these things in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry? What depths of evil are men capable of when they have cast off all restraint, when they have banished the Word of God and have made it illegal to speak an unpopular truth?

History tells us that sinful men are capable of every wicked deed . . . of murder, torture, theft, pillage and rape. Of burning churches and imprisoning decent folks.

My friends, write and call your MP today and plead with him or her to vote against this wicked legislation. Come, if you can, to our Rally Against C-9 on Parliament Hill on Thursday, March 12 at noon. If you’re not already a member, join CHP Canada today and stand with us for freedom of speech.