Defend Religious Freedoms

Petition to the House of Commons in Parliament Assembled

Whereas:

• The Liberal Government plans to remove religious exemptions from Canada’s hate-speech laws in order to advance its bill (C-9) targeting hate and terror symbols;

• This constitutes an unfounded attack on Canadians’ Charter guarantee of religious freedoms;

• Such changes would affect synagogues, gurdwaras, mosques, mandirs, and churches alike, undermining the ability of faith communities to practice and express their beliefs freely;

• The Government already possesses sufficient legal tools to prosecute those who promote violence and genocide under existing provisions of the Criminal Code of Canada, which makes it a crime to incite violence through the following sections:

• Section 319(1) prohibits publicly inciting hatred;

• Section 319(2) prohibits wilfully promoting hatred;

• Section 319(7) clarifies that these offences include words, gestures, signs, or other visible representations;

We, the undersigned, citizens and residents of Canada, call upon the House of Commons to:

• Oppose the removal of religious exemptions from Canada’s hate-speech laws;

• Affirm and protect the Charter rights of Canadians to freedom of religion and freedom of expression;

• Ensure that existing Criminal Code provisions continue to be sufficient to address incitement to violence and promotion of hatred, without infringing upon religious freedoms.