Religious Freedom

There still appears to be space for large outdoor collective worship demonstrations in Quebec despite the passage of Bill 9 by the Quebec provincial government back on April 2.

Catholic entities have not had a seat at the table for any of the first three Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights meetings devoted to studying Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act.

An Indigenous coalition filed an updated lawsuit in federal district court in Phoenix on April 22, their latest attempt to block a land transfer including their sacred site at Oak Flat, Arizona, and protect the site from destruction by a copper mining giant.

A federal appeals court on April 21 narrowly upheld a Texas law requiring public school classrooms to display the Ten Commandments.

Montreal Archbishop Christian Lepine said the coming weeks will present a prime opportunity to learn whether there is any leeway to host a public prayer event after Bill 9 became law in Quebec April 2.

Those who insist Canada courts no danger by removing long-standing Criminal Code protections for religious speech should turn their attention to Finland, of all places.

In a brief five minutes, Phil Horgan summed up Canada's bishops feelings on Quebec's Bill 21: it spurns God and imposes an anti-religious ideology in the province, and that goes well beyond Quebec's jurisdiction.

Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, advanced to the Senate. The House of Commons adopted it with a 186-137 vote at third reading.

The 11 months since the 2025 federal election have seen the Liberals introduce several bills with significant digital policy implications: Bill C-2, Bill C-8 and, most recently, Bill C-22, tabled on March 12.

In a 186-144 vote, the House of Commons today closed debate on the controversial Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, opening the door to remove the good faith religious speech protections in the Criminal Code.