Bill C‑9: What Every Canadian Needs to Know
Bill C‑9 has become law, and it could change what Canadians can say, write, and share online — and how faith communities express their beliefs.
Learn what it does, why it matters, and how to protect your freedom of expression and religious rights.
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Freedoms Advocate is preparing legal action to protect Canadians’ freedom of speech and religious expression against Bill C‑9.
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What does Bill C-9 do
Bill C-9 amends the Criminal Code. It removes a long-standing defence for religious expression, adds new hate-related offences, and creates new offences for intimidation and obstruction around places of worship, schools, and community centres.
Why This Matters: Charter Freedoms at Stake
Canada’s Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects:
Freedom of expression—the right to speak, write, debate, and share ideas openly
Freedom of religion—the right to hold and express religious beliefs, and participate in religious practice publicly
Bill C‑9 could affect how these freedoms are applied in everyday life, including online communication, classrooms, churches, and public discussion.
Recent Legal Changes in Bill C9
What Bill C-9 Does
Bill C-9 removes the “good faith religious opinion” defence from the Criminal Code—a protection for religious expression that had stood since 1970. It also creates a new offence for publicly displaying certain hate and terrorism symbols, and new offences for intimidating or obstructing people trying to access places of worship, schools, and community centres.
The requirement for the Attorney General’s consent before a hate-speech prosecution remains in place. A “greater certainty” clause was also added, stating that good-faith religious, educational, and political discussion is not captured unless it wilfully promotes hatred. But critics argue that clause is a weaker shield than the specific defence it replaces, and that enforcement still turns heavily on interpretation. With the religious defence gone, ordinary teaching, preaching, or scriptural quotation could—depending on context—be drawn into a hate-speech investigation.
New Offences and the Definition of “Hatred”
Bill C-9 adds new criminal offences, including intimidation and obstruction around protected spaces, and codifies the Supreme Court’s definition of “hatred”—an emotion of an intense and extreme nature, clearly associated with vilification and detestation. Supporters point to this high bar as a safeguard; critics note that whether expression crosses it is still decided case by case, after the fact, by prosecutors and courts.
The Religious Defence Was Not Restored
Clarifications were added during the process, intended to reassure faith communities that worship, sermons, and religious education remain protected. But the good-faith religious defence itself was not restored. For religious expression, that leaves real uncertainty: the reassurance rests on interpretation rather than on the specific statutory protection that stood for over fifty years.
Status of the Bill
Bill C-9 is now law. It received Royal Assent on June 18, 2026, and its provisions come into force on July 18, 2026. The debate has moved from Parliament to the courts and to everyday life, where the law’s true reach will be settled case by case.
Who Could Be Affected
Bill C-9’s scope extends beyond religious expression. It could affect:
- Independent writers and bloggers
- Social media users sharing opinions
- Teachers discussing controversial topics
- Faith communities posting sermons or religious content
- Individuals expressing beliefs on public issues or morality
Ordinary lawful expression could be drawn into question under the bill’s expanded offences and the removal of the religious defence.
Download the Full Guide
Our guide explains what Bill C-9 says, how it could affect free speech and religious expression, and its real-world impact.
Support Our Legal Action Against Bill C‑9
Bill C-9 threatens freedom of expression and religion in Canada. Freedom Advocate is taking legal action to defend Canadians’ Charter rights.
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What Canadians Can Do
1. Contact Your Member of Parliament (MP)
Your MP represents you in the House of Commons. Sending a clear message ensures your concerns are officially recorded.
How to contact:
- Find your MP: https://www.ourcommons.ca/members/en
- Email, call, or write a letter.
Subject: Restoring Religious and Expression Protections After Bill C-9
Dear [MP Name],
Bill C-9 is now law, and with it the good-faith religious defence—a protection that stood in the Criminal Code since 1970—has been removed. I remain concerned that this change leaves lawful religious and public expression exposed to prosecution based on interpretation.
I am asking you to support restoring the good-faith defence, whether through amendment or a private member’s bill, and to hold the government to its stated commitment that sincere religious expression will not be criminalized.
As my elected representative, I ask you to help ensure Canadians’ freedom of speech and religious freedom are protected in practice, not just in principle.
Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[City, Province]
2. Participate Publicly
- Attend town halls or public meetings
- Ask direct questions about Bill C9’s impact on freedoms
- Submit written correspondence for the official record
3. Share and Discuss
- Discuss with family, friends, and colleagues to raise awareness
4. Support Legal Action
Freedoms Advocate is pursuing a legal challenge to Bill C-9 to defend Canadians’ Charter rights. Your contribution helps cover:
- Legal research and expert analysis
- Court filings and representation costs
- Public education and updates
Donate to support legal action:
Summary of objections to communicate to government:
- Removal of the “good faith” religious defence — Bill C-9 removes a protection, in place since 1970, that shielded sincere religious expression from being prosecuted as the wilful promotion of hatred. Its removal creates legal uncertainty for sermons, teachings, and religious commentary.
- Prosecutorial discretion remains — The Attorney General’s consent is still required before a hate-speech prosecution proceeds, but that decision is discretionary. Individuals expressing lawful views could still face investigation before any such safeguard applies.
- Uncertainty turns on interpretation — With the specific religious defence gone, whether expression crosses the legal line into “hatred” is left to be decided case by case, after the fact, by prosecutors and courts. The high legal bar set by the Supreme Court is a safeguard, but it does not remove the uncertainty for ordinary speakers.
- Clarifications fall short of the old protection — A “greater certainty” clause was added to reassure faith communities, but it does not restore the historical defence. Faith communities and educators may still self-censor to avoid the risk of a complaint.
- A chilling effect on everyday speech — Bloggers, social media users, teachers, journalists, and faith communities may avoid sharing opinions or teachings for fear of complaints or legal action, even when their expression is lawful.
- New offences around protected spaces — New intimidation and obstruction offences around churches, schools, and community centres carry heavy penalties. Critics note much of this conduct was already criminal, and question how the new offences will be applied to lawful activity such as peaceful gatherings or public events.