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Claim: A widely circulated claim has suggested that Canada’s new hate-speech bill (Bill C‑9) criminalises quoting the Bible or other holy scriptures as “hate speech.”
Verdict: Misleading! DUBAWA’s checks show that this claim is misleading and misrepresents the intent and provisions of the proposed legislation.
Full Text
A viral social media post accompanied by an image of the Prime Minister of Canada, Mark Carney, claims that Canada has passed a law that makes quoting the Bible illegal by categorising it as “hate speech.”
The narrative suggests that Canada is suppressing religious freedom.
The claim shifts the conversation away from legitimate debates about regulating harmful online content to a manufactured culture war.
Similar claims are found here and here. Misinformation of this nature is often weaponised for political or ideological mobilisation.
DUBAWA decided to fact-check it because of its potential to mislead the public.
Verification
Bill C‑9 (the Combating Hate Act) amends Canada’s hate-propaganda laws, but it does not ban or criminalise quoting scripture. The Bill introduced on Sept. 19, 2025, passed the House on Mar. 25, 2026 (no Royal Assent yet as of April 2026).
The new Bill creates hate-crime and intimidation offences, and strengthens hate-propaganda laws.
Crucially, it repeals the narrow religious-opinion defence in current law but adds explicit clarifications protecting religious/educational speech.
It also codifies a definition of “hatred” (requiring “an intense and extreme” emotion) and reaffirms that merely “hurting or offending” a group is not hatred.
Social media posts (often showing Mark Carney’s photo) exaggerate the bill’s effect.
Flyer of image of Mark Carney with claim
In reality, the bill itself says nothing about banning religious texts, and government statements emphasise that faithful sermons in good faith would not meet the hate-speech threshold. The law targets extreme, wilful hatred, not sincerely held religious messages.
The viral claim misreads the bill. The confusion stems from removing a seldom-used legal defence for hate-speech defendants, not from creating a ban on scripture.
Quoting scripture alone would not run afoul of the new law.
Legislative Context and Status
Bill C‑9 (Combatting Hate Act) was introduced in the House by Justice Minister Sean Fraser in 2025. Its full title is “An Act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda, hate crime and access to religious or cultural places)”.
After debate and committee review, the House passed it at Third Reading on Mar. 25, 2026. The vote was 186–137 in favor.
Quoting Scripture vs. Hate Speech
Under Canadian law, hate propaganda requires willful promotion of hatred against a protected group (race, religion, etc.). Courts have held that this requires extremely offensive language.
For example, R. v. Keegstra and later cases only convicted speech that portrayed a group as “subhuman” or advocated their harm. Simple religious beliefs or moral teachings, even if unpopular, are not usually punished.
Bill C‑9 does not change the intent or public nature requirements.
The final House-passed text includes the words “intense and extreme”. This ensures consistency with past jurisprudence.
Merely quoting or reading Scripture is not the type of “hate propaganda” this bill targets. The bill’s language and government statements confirm that benign religious discourse is explicitly allowed.
The viral claim conflates zealously worded sermons with the legal definition of hate; they are not the same under Canadian law.
Conclusion
The claim that Canada has passed a law criminalising the quoting of the Bible is misleading.
Bill C-9 targets harmful online behaviour, not religious doctrine. While it strengthens laws against hate speech, it does not prohibit quoting scripture, unless such use crosses into clear incitement of harm, which is already regulated under existing law.
Don’t know who this person is, or how he/she can make a comment on what is going on in Canada, when they are clearly in Africa! My post was true, and the law has not been passed it is before the Senate, and I predict it will be sent back to the house to be clarified. They want to remove the good faith clause, which would put the criminality of each case in the hands of the Attorney General! I was fact checked for making a comment that Christians and Jews are at risk! Facebook is getting so ridiculous, and removing people’s rights to speak in freedom, and their fact checker is a joke! This went on during Covid as well, and seeing that I work in health care – what a joke! These fact checkers are also a joke, and I guess that’s why thousands and thousands have left facebook, and Meta is laying off a ton of employees! It will only get worse!
This fact check is only what the fact checkers want it to be. Consider the source.
Ghana.dubawa.org
Give me a break! This is America.
Not some 2nd or 3rd world country.
We still have freedom of speech in this country.
Your fact chech is bullshit you should be ashamed of yourselves . You will pay in front of God and be sent packing to SATAN!
If it was a Muslim quoting their scriptures would that be hate speech? No. I’m not in Canada, stop censoring my posts. You don’t have the right. If you want to hide the truth from people in your country don’t let them on social media. You don’t have authority to censor the rest of the world. Get your bullshit “fact check off my posts!
YOU Try and speak out in a PUBLIC Square about what GOD’S WORD says about Abortion, or Homosexuality or Transgenderism, or Radical Feminism and SEE HOW FAST THE FULL WEIGHT OF THE LAW IN CANUCKISTAN, COMES DOWN UPON YOU, IN NO UNCERTAIN TERMS !!
AS FOR YOUR “FACT CHECKERS”, WHATEVER HAPPENED TO OUR “CHARTER” RIGHTS TO FREEDOM OF SPEECH, ASSOCIATION and DISCUSSION ???
Agree with comments above about bias in this fact checking, which amounts to limiting freedom of speech
Lol the people worried about the Bible quotes being illegal are the same ones that will justify this for other religions. I got fact checked by sharing a post someone said about this. While I was disagreeing that it’s banning the Bible and it’s quotes. I still got the fact check.
Is Dubawa “playing with words”? Yes, to an extent.
By focusing on the word “ban” (which is a very high bar), they can easily label the viral claims as “False” or “Misleading.” However, they downplay the legal reality that removing a specific religious defense significantly changes the legal landscape for religious speakers.
If you are a religious person worried about whether your sermons could lead to legal trouble, Dubawa’s report may feel “biased” because it prioritizes the government’s stated intent over the practical legal risks created by the removal of the defense..
Who will check the ‘fact checkers’ ?
How about you Nazi’s stay off my Facebook I have freedom of speech
Let’s fact Check the fact checkers: What some call “hate” laws frequently violate freedom of speech, of the press, and of religion. They also tend to be vague and, hence, their scope expands and governments use them to punish views that they simply do not like. Bill C-9 proposes a much less precise definition of hatred as “the emotion that involves detestation or vilification and that is stronger than disdain or dislike.” This proffered definition borrows from high court decisions but lacks their important qualifiers such as that the speech be “intense and extreme.” The planned legislation requires merely that it “involves” detestation or vilification.
Our government is intent on censoring what we do and say, we no longer live in a free country and the Liberals are responsible for this. Not being able to quote the Bible in whole or in part is nothing more than censorship.
The wording in the bill opens the door for the government to, if they feel it was used as hate speech to be able to have you brought up on charges. It is at their discretion. Please reread the bill and look at the implications. This is not misleading and the Canadian government is looking to control free speech.