TORONTO (CCN) — The Department of Justice has affirmed that Catholic and Christian houses of worship will fall under the religious building protections of The Combatting Hate Act, Bill C-9, if it becomes law.
“Canada will not tolerate anyone being made to feel afraid because of who they are, how they worship or where they gather,” wrote spokesperson Kwame Bonsu in a statement to The Catholic Register. “The proposed Combatting Hate Act would amend the Criminal Code to better protect access to places of worship, whether Christian, Jewish, Muslim or other places of worship, as well as schools, community centres and other specified places. If passed, this legislation would more clearly address and denounce hate-motivated crime and apply to everyone in Canada.”
The plank of Bill C-9 related to religious buildings would make it a crime to “deliberately intimidate or obstruct people from entering a place of worship, community centre, school or any other space used by a recognizable group.”
Adding a specific hate-motivated offence, establishing a felony for purposefully brandishing “certain terrorism or hate symbols in public,” and removing the Attorney General consent as a step of the justice process in order to streamline prosecutions are the proposed amendments to the Criminal Code.
The Register sought comment from the department led by Minister of Justice and Attorney General Sean Fraser as Christianity was not mentioned in a news release introducing the legislation on Sept. 19. The release read: “Rising anti-Semitism, Islamophobia, homophobia and transphobia have left too many people feeling unsafe in their own communities.”
Bonsu did not address this omission in his email, which Catholic Civil Rights League president and general counsel pointed out in an interview with The Catholic Register before second reading.
Conservative MP Larry Brock, however, alluded to this oversight during second reading debate on Sept. 24.
“Let us not forget that there is absolutely zero reference to Christianity,” said Brock. “Christianity is under attack in this country.”
The House of Commons debates official transcript stated that an unnamed MP responded to this remark by the Brantford-Brant representative by saying “oh, oh!”
Brock acknowledged the interjection as he continued sharing his point.
“Madam Speaker, I do not know what was funny about Christianity being under attack, but nevertheless, Christian churches have been burned at an alarming rate,” said Brock. “Between May 2021 and December 2023, 33 Christian churches were burned in this country, with the vast majority being arson-based.”
An additional 85 Christian parishes have been desecrated in some fashion over the past four years. Most of these came following unproven discovery on graves at a former Kamloops, B.C., residential school.
The two sides continued in conflict over the matter when Conservative MP Kelly McCauley of Edmonton West also raised this issue by pointing out Liberal MP Sukh Dhaliwal, in speaking in support of the bill, did not acknowledge the “massive increase in hate attacks on Christians.”
Dhaliwal, who represents the Surrey-Newton riding, responded by asserting he did mention Christians and that “I will always keep on making sure that Christians are equally protected under Canadian law.
Archdiocese of Toronto communications director Neil MacCarthy said the archdiocese “welcome(s) legislation that will offer enhanced protection for faith communities and specifically places of worship, ensuring that they remain places of prayer and peace.”
