No, Canada has not introduced a bill to 'ban Christianity'

By: Rohith Gutta
March 8 2024

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Screenshot of the social media post falsely claiming that Canada introduced a bill to ban Christianity in the country. (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts)

What is the claim?

A claim has surfaced across social media platforms suggesting that Canada intends to ban Christianity through the introduction of Bill C-367 in Parliament. These claims, propagated through blog articles and social media posts, wrongly suggest that reading the Bible or other Christian texts would become illegal, and preaching the Bible would be criminalized, indicating a governmental attempt to outlaw Christianity in Canada. Archives of such posts can be accessed here, here, here, and here. 

Screenshot of the viral social media post (Source: Facebook/Modified by Logically Facts) 

However, contrary to these claims, the Canadian government has not introduced a bill to ban Christianity. Instead, Bill C-367 is a private member's bill proposed to amend a section of the Criminal Code of Canada concerning hate speech, not religious practices.

What did we find?

We looked for Bill C-367, which was introduced in the Canadian parliament. We found it was introduced by Yves-François Blanchet of the Bloc Québécois, representing the Beloeil-Chambly constituency in Quebec. Presented on November 28, 2023, as a private member's bill, it is officially titled “An Act to amend the Criminal Code (promotion of hatred or antisemitism).”

The content of the bill focuses on amending Sections 319(3)(b) and 319(3.1)(b) of the Criminal Code, which originate from "An Act respecting the Criminal Law" of 1985. These sections tackle the public incitement of hatred and the promotion of antisemitism, offering exemptions for expressions made in good faith concerning religious subjects or based on religious beliefs. Bill C-367 proposes the removal of these specific exemptions, with the goal of strengthening Canada's stance against hate speech without targeting any religious group specifically. Blanchet highlighted the importance of maintaining a clear separation between state and church in Canada's secular society as the rationale behind the bill.

The bill aims to eliminate the religious/scriptural exemption currently provided for offenses related to inciting hatred and promoting antisemitism. This exemption is religion-neutral and does not exclusively apply to Christians or Christian religious texts.

Has the bill been passed?

For a bill to become law in Canada, it must be adopted by both the House of Commons and the Senate, followed by the issuance of a Royal Assent that officially enacts it. In the House of Commons, the bill undergoes three debates before it can be adopted, with any proposed amendments considered during this process. After adoption by the House, the bill is forwarded to the Senate for its approval and then sent for Royal Assent.

Regarding Bill C-367, it was first introduced and discussed on November 28, 2023. Since then, there has been no further discussion. The bill currently remains in the discussion stage within the House of Commons.

The verdict

A private member's bill introduced in the Canadian Parliament, aimed at removing exemptions that allow the incitement of hatred and the promotion of antisemitism, has been inaccurately portrayed as legislation intending to ban Christianity in Canada. As a result, we have marked this claim as false.