CLC Blog

The battle for freedom of speech and freedom of belief in 2026 is about to heat up on Parliament Hill.

In just over a week, Members of Parliament will return to Ottawa after Christmas vacation. Very soon, we expect debate to resume on Bill C-9, the “speech control law”.

Like many Liberal policy proposals, Bill C-9 is dressed up in the garb of “Canadian niceness”. We all know that it’s “not nice” to be hateful. In fact, Jesus says, “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:44). So, what could be so wrong with a new law against hatred and hate speech?

It looks “nice” and reasonable on the surface, which is what the Liberals are counting on to garner support. However, looks can be deceiving! Beneath the surface, what we find are heavy-handed restrictions that will suppress dissenting opinions, ban traditional perspectives on family and gender, and even outlaw portions of Holy Scripture.

The crux of the matter is how “hate speech” is defined under Bill C-9. For the Liberals who get to make up the rules, the bar is very low. Merely expressing an “emotion” they disagree with may be deemed “hate” – if that emotion involves the so-called “detestation” or “vilification” of one of their “protected groups”.

But can they actually criminalize an “emotion”? Emotions are involuntary feelings rooted in our deepest beliefs. Can government regulate our feelings and control our hearts? Well, that’s what the Liberals want to do!

For example, under Bill C-9, if you make an angry comment in public or online because you believe it’s wrong for biological boys to dominate girls’ sports, you could face a “hate crime” charge. A left-leaning judge could find you guilty of expressing the emotion of “detestation” towards the LGBT community. You could go to jail for expressing your beliefs.

Or, what if you are righteously enraged about the slaughter of preborn babies in Canada – over 100,000 a year murdered – and you protest in public? Under Bill C-9, a judge might find you are “vilifying” women who commit abortions, thus showing hatred against this “protected group”. You could go to jail for acting on your beliefs.

It might seem far-fetched, but we are just one vote away from this new reality!

And what makes Bill C-9 worse is that you will be denied your most powerful defence.

Because of a Liberal-Bloc Quebecois deal that amends Bill C-9, you will no longer be allowed to defend your beliefs by showing how they are grounded in the words of Sacred Scripture. Radical Liberal ideology will be given a trump card in the courts over the Word of God and the doctrines of the Church.

We know that this is their real objective – to get God out of the way – based on troubling comments from one leading Liberal Cabinet Minister, Marc Miller. Mr. Miller, Minister of Culture, has stated he wants believers to have no way to defend themselves against radical Liberal dogma. He said: “In Leviticus, Deuteronomy, Romans — there’s other passages — there’s clear hatred towards, for example, homosexuals… there should perhaps be discretion for prosecutors to press charges… there are clearly passages in religious texts that are clearly hateful.”

Bill C-9 is a clear and present danger to our freedom to speak, our freedom to protest, and our freedom to believe and proclaim God’s Word. Packaged in “Canadian niceness”, this law is, in fact, a chain forged to bind our hands and a muzzle to shut our mouths.

We need to see this threat for what it is and help others see it, as well.

In the words of the Rt. Hon. John Diefenbaker, our 13th Prime Minister, “We must vigilantly stand on guard within our own borders for human rights and fundamental freedoms which are our proud heritage... We cannot take for granted the continuance and maintenance of those rights and freedoms” (emphasis added).

The fight within our own borders – on the home front – is where we must take our stand in this hour in 2026. Help us to fight the good fight as we work to defeat Bill C-9!

Our petition opposing Bill C-9 has already reached over 8,600 signatures. Can you help us top 10,000? We are planning to present this petition in the coming days, and we’d like to record as many signatures and comments as possible – from all across Canada. Sign here: https://www.campaignlifecoalition.com/petition/id/99