Canada

Bill C-250 has passed final reading in the Canadian Senate and received royal assent on April 29, making it law. The bill has raised concerns among Christians because of the vague wording and potential of abuse. The bill revises the hate propaganda laws to specifically include sexual orientation in laws which make it a crime to "incite hatred against any identifiable group...."

Many religious groups, including the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) and the Catholic Civil Rights League, have expressed concerns that, despite assurances that religious opinion will be exempt, the courts have frequently restricted the use of religious beliefs as a defense.

Janet Epp Buckingham Evangelical Fellowship of Canada

In reporting the passage of the bill on April 29, the National Post gave the ability to prosecute those expressing religious beliefs as a positive reason for this bill, saying, "Police have so far been powerless to prosecute the likes of Rev. Fred Phelps of Topeka, Kan., who runs a website that declares God hates homosexuals."

While expressing God's love and strongly opposing the spread of hatred against anyone, including homosexuals, the EFC expressed concerns about the "chilling effect" this legislation could have on legitimate expression of religious belief. According to Dr. Janet Epp Buckingham, director of Law and Public Policy for the EFC, "Christians have seen their rights to dissent restricted by case after case in the courts.... We no longer trust that the guarantee of religious freedom in the Charter [of Rights and Freedoms] is necessarily going to apply to protect religious free speech."

VOM spokesman, Glenn Penner, advises that Christian leaders thoroughly research the issue of sexual orientation and be prepared to defend the biblical teaching as historically held by the Church. "While there are doubts about whether freedom of religious expression will be protected by the Charter or the hate propagation laws in the criminal code," said Penner, "we must be certain that what we believe and speak is an opinion firmly based on our biblical text, the Bible. And we need to speak up on the issue, to let our courts know (should the need arise) what the majority of Christians believe; that homosexuality is contrary to the will of God and must be repented of like other sinful practices. Of course, we do not condone the vitriol expounded like folks like Rev. Phelps, but people do have the right to express wrong opinions. In fact, it is the very nature of freedom of expression that we allow people to speak things which we do not agree with, either in tone or content."

Pray that the courts will respect the religious beliefs of Canadians and that this law will not be used to prosecute Christians. Pray for wisdom for the EFC, the CCRL and other groups actively involved in defending the religious rights of Christians in Canada. A copy of the Canadian hate propaganda laws, highlighting the changes with Bill C-250, is available on our website (click here).