Press Release – Religious Freedom Rally on Parliament Hill
For immediate release from the Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA) Canada
March 12, 2026
Ottawa, ON – On Thursday, March 12, at 12:00 PM, hundreds of Canadians will gather on Parliament Hill to call on the federal government to protect religious freedom and stop Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act.
“We are troubled by the rise in hate-motivated crimes in Canada,” said John Sikkema, Director of Law and Policy and legal counsel for ARPA Canada. “But violating freedom of expression and religion is not the answer. The government should ensure that existing laws are adequately enforced and repeat offenses are prevented.”
Participants are particularly concerned by the Justice Committee’s amendment to remove the religious defence for the crime of wilfully promoting hatred.
“There is rightly no religious defence for uttering threats, advocating genocide, or for public incitement of hatred likely to lead to a breach of the peace,” said Sikkema. “The religious defence applies only in relation to the broader and more unwieldy offence of wilfully promoting hatred, and the defence is an important safeguard against the potential abuse of that offence to silence religious views. Removing that defence will expose Christians and others to a greater risk of prosecution for expressing their beliefs.”
Many Canadians have voiced their concerns with Members of Parliament through emails, phone calls, and meetings. In response, the government delayed study of the bill for a time, but then decided to shut down debate and fast track the bill. The committee did not conduct hearings or hear from witnesses regarding this controversial amendment.
“At the end of February, government MPs on the Justice Committee proposed a clarifying statement in an apparent attempt to alleviate the public’s concerns about religious freedom,” said Sikkema. “But that amendment is circular and empty. It does not make up for removing the religious defence or add any further protection.”
Rally speakers will highlight concerns about the religious, political, and legal implications of Bill C-9. Canadians want to see Bill C-9 stopped, or at least significantly amended, at 3rd reading.
“The Supreme Court of Canada held that the religious defence, with the other defences, is necessary to ensure that the crime of promoting hatred is not overly broad,” concluded Sikkema. “Governments should not dictate which ideas and beliefs may be expressed in a free society.”
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For further comment or interviews, please contact John Sikkema at [email protected], or at 1-866-691-2772
