“We brought this bill forward because many Canadians feel unsafe practising their religion. It protects people from hate and protects their right to practise their faith.”

“Mr. Speaker, this bill was brought forward after listening to the concerns of Canadians. The fear, intimidation and hate that they have been facing are why we have brought forward the bill. It is in order to protect Canadians and to protect the rights of freedom of expression. There are many Canadians who do not feel that it is safe to be able to practise their faith in this country, so the bill is about protecting religion in Canada and making sure that everyone understands that people have a right to their beliefs. That is what the bill is about.”

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“The Charter protects religious freedom. Conservatives are sending emails that falsely claim our bill will criminalize people of faith just so they can raise money. I want the secretary of state to respond to this false information.”

“Mr. Speaker, freedom of religion is guaranteed under the Charter of Rights. I will ask the secretary of state to provide her thoughts on a Conservative Party of Canada email that I received. The email says, “the Liberals are waging a war on religious freedom. Their goal is to expose people of faith to criminal prosecution for a simple act of quoting their own sacred texts.” At the end of the email, it says, “Donate now”, referring to donating to the Conservative Party. I wonder if the member could provide her thoughts on the misinformation that stems from the chamber, all the way out to the public from the Conservative Party of Canada and how it is using this as a tool to raise money. Raising money is more important to Conservatives than having good, sound public policy. Our freedoms are guaranteed in the Charter of Rights.”

“I want Canadians to know that this bill protects people from intimidation while still respecting their rights to free speech and peaceful protest. The government is sure it follows the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”

“Mr. Speaker, I have had many conversations in which people state and read out Conservative talking points, exact emails that were sent out by the Conservative Party of Canada. I want to reassure Canadians today that the proposed intimidation and obstruction offences in the bill have been carefully designed to target criminal conduct while respecting charter rights on freedom of expression and peaceful assembly. The government is confident that the legislation is consistent with the protections of the charter and, if challenged, it can be defended before the courts.”

“People are feeling more divided and isolated, and hate has deep roots in our history. Our government is taking action to protect Canadians. The Conservatives are just blocking our work.”

“Mr. Speaker, there are a lot of reasons. Sometimes world events are a reason. Sometimes it is people’s hatred because of the polarization that has happened online over the last little while. Canadians are more isolated than they used to be. They are more staunch in their opinions. In the past, thousands of Black North Americans were lynched. There have been many acts of hate in the past as well. This government did not do that. The government is taking action. All the Conservatives have been doing is trying to obstruct. They do not want us to protect Canadians. The Conservatives reached an all-time low last week when they voted against longer sentences for child predators.”

“We have debated this hate crimes bill enough. The Senate added the noose as a banned hate symbol to fight anti-Black racism, but the opposition is not asking about that. They are wasting time on unrelated things instead of working with us in good faith.”

“Mr. Speaker, as I mentioned, much time has been given to debate on this matter in the House and in the other place as well. The Senate came back with one amendment; it was the addition of a hate symbol, the noose, because of the anti-Black racism that we have seen throughout North America, and I would say throughout western countries around the world. That is the issue right now. That was the amendment that was brought forward by the Senate, but it does not seem like anyone has questions on that. I am sad to say that even when debate on this was occurring at the House of Commons committee, a lot of time was wasted talking about frivolous and irrelevant things. I do not believe the opposition party has been acting in good faith.”

“I want this bill to pass. It creates a new hate crime law and makes it illegal to block or scare people going to day camps, religious schools, and places of worship. The current laws are too weak, and Canadians need to feel safe.”

“Mr. Speaker, we are acting. We are changing the Criminal Code of Canada. The offence of mischief that the member is talking about has very low penalties and is added at the sentencing portion of a crime. This is a stand-alone hate crime. This bill would also create a crime of intimidation and of obstruction. We have seen many Canadians not be able to go to their day camps, their religious schools or their places of worship. It is really important that we make sure that all Canadians feel safe living in Canada. This bill is essential. Canadians have asked us to make amendments to the Criminal Code of Canada, and we have done so. We have done so in this bill and in several other bills, because we are a government that believes in protecting Canadians.”

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“Police worked hard to investigate the shooting at the American consulate. They need better tools to stop hate crimes and terrorism, but the Conservatives are blocking the law that gives them those tools.”

“Mr. Speaker, the Conservative argument is so disingenuous. In the hate crime or the shooting that happened at the U.S. consulate, the RCMP and local law enforcement investigated that incident. There were actors who belonged to a terrorist organization. It has been reported and alleged that they were working out of the United States of America and were plotting events here in Canada and in Europe. Our law agencies were investigating and were on top of it, and so I give them a lot of credit for the investigation that they have done. However, they could also use more investigative tools, like those in Bill C-22 respecting lawful access, but the Conservatives have been standing in their way. How many more victims are the Conservatives going to create by their obstruction?”

“Conservatives are falsely telling Canadians that this bill would charge people for reading scripture or sharing their faith. Can the secretary explain why we must pass this bill quickly to fight this false information?”

“Uqaqtittiji, I think that one thing we all agree on is that the Conservatives are really good at spreading misinformation and disinformation. They have Canadians believing that the bill, if introduced the way it is, would make it possible for someone to be charged just for reading scripture or sharing their faith. This is what the Conservatives have done. I wonder if the secretary can tell us why it is urgent to pass this bill so that we could help address some of the disinformation that has been shared by the Conservatives.”

“I want the House to pass this bill. It will protect religious groups, students, and LGBTQ+ people from hate, violence, and intimidation.”

“Mr. Speaker, we have seen many incidents. We have seen 2SLGBTQI+ groups be discriminated against and an extreme rise in violence against them and the transgender community here in Canada. It is important to protect all communities. Whether it is a member of a faith group, a student on campus who wishes to go to a prayer room, or a young kid trying to attend a religious camp or a Jewish school, it is important for them to be able to live their lives. Canada is a place where all people should be free to practise their faith and to go to school without fear and intimidation. That is what the law is all about. Bill C-9 is about giving Canadians the safety they deserve while being who they are.”

“The Conservatives are spreading false information about this bill. They claim they are tough on crime, but they voted against harsher punishments for people who kill women and harm children. Their actions do not protect Canadians.”

“Mr. Speaker, this is exactly the misinformation that I have been speaking about tonight. That is not what the bill does. I would say that I think Canadians would mistrust the current Conservative Party of Canada right now because Conservatives talk about being tough on crime and they talk about making Canada safe, but their actions have not been showing it. Just last week, they voted against making femicide a first-degree murder charge. They voted against longer sentences for child predators. They voted against minimum penalties. Who are these Conservatives and why are they against safety and protecting Canadians?”

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“This bill went through the normal process and was changed. Police will not be able to lay charges without approval from the Attorney General. The Conservatives are spreading false information about this. Our party is acting to keep Canadians safe.”

“Mr. Speaker, I mentioned that the bill has gone through all the steps of the legislative process. Through those steps, amendments have been made. Witnesses were able to come forward at committee. Members were able to give their opinions. There was an amendment made by the House. Therefore, after that amendment, the bill maintains the requirement of Attorney General consent for all offences in the bill. What is the member talking about? Police will not even be able to lay charges on their own. This is exactly the misinformation that I keep saying the Conservatives have been spreading. My message to Canadians is this. We are the government and we are the party that is here to act and to keep Canadians safe.”