Liberal minister backs Bloc call to eliminate religious exemption for hate speech

OTTAWA — Culture Minister Marc Miller expressed support Tuesday for removing a religious exemption on hate speech from the Criminal Code.

Miller told reporters he doesn’t “think people should be using the Bible, the Qur’an or the Torah to escape from committing a hate crime or claim that … what would otherwise be a hate crime is done in the name of a religious text.”

Miller chaired the justice committee until he rejoined cabinet on Monday. He said in French in a followup comment he was offering his own perspective and it remains to be seen what the government and the justice committee will do.

The Bloc Québécois said in a press release Monday the party had the government’s support for an amendment to get rid of the exemption.

The comments follow a report by the National Post saying the Liberals had reached a deal with the Bloc to remove the exemption in exchange for supporting the Liberals’ hate crime bill, C-9.

During an earlier appearance at committee, in response to a question from a Bloc MP, Justice Minister Sean Fraser said he would be open to making the change to eliminate the exemption.

“I invite the committee to hear from witnesses on that, and if the majority of members agree to make this change, I see no problem with it,” he said.

Fraser’s office and a spokesperson for the Bloc did not immediately respond to a request for confirmation that the government will support the Bloc amendment in exchange for support on C-9.

In a social media post, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said his party will oppose the amendment, which he called an “assault on freedom of expression and religion.”

The House of Commons justice committee has started the clause-by-clause process to amend the bill, but that work has stalled due to a Conservative filibuster.

The Criminal Code currently provides an exemption to the wilful promotion of hatred “if, in good faith, the person expressed or attempted to establish by an argument an opinion on a religious subject or an opinion based on a belief in a religious text.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 2, 2025.