Justice Minister Sean Fraser speaks during a press conference in Ottawa, on Oct. 23, 2025. The Canadian Press/Spencer Colby
Justice Minister Sean Fraser says freedom of religion in Canada would not be impacted by an amendment to his hate crime bill aiming to remove the religious defence to hate speech. His comments came ahead of Liberal and Bloc Québécois MPs on the House of Commons justice committee approving the proposed changes to Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, on Dec. 9.
“Canada’s commitment to freedom of religion is unwavering. Freedom of religion is a fundamental guarantee under section 2(a) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Nothing in this amendment changes that,” Fraser said in a statement released on Dec. 9.
