Posts claim Canada criminalized quoting the Bible. Here's the truth

In June 2026, social media users claimed the Canadian government passed new legislation that would criminalize people for reading or quoting the Bible publicly.

One Facebook post (archived) claimed, "Canada just criminalized the Bible. Bill C-9 has passed the Senate, removing key religious protections and opening the door for Scripture to be treated as 'hate speech.'"

(Facebook user David J Harris Jr.)

Quoting the Bible on marriage, sin, or God's design for sexuality can now lead to prosecution for "willful promotion of hatred."

This is a direct attack on Christianity and religious freedom in Canada.
Brothers and sisters — the time to stand is now.

Pray for Canada. Speak the truth boldly. Defend the Gospel while we still can.

Similar versions of the claim circulated across across Facebook, X, Threads, Instagram, YouTube and LinkedIn. An article shared by The English Speaking Catholic Council of Canada, for example, claimed Bill C-9 would allow "the criminalization of religious expression and belief when quoting parts of the Bible." Readers also messaged us and searched our website for information about whether Canada really outlawed the Bible or made quoting it illegal.

That claim was false.

Canada did not criminalize publicly reading or quoting the Bible. The rumor misrepresented real legislation — Bill C-9, known as the Combatting Hate Act — that removes a narrow legal defense in some hate-propaganda cases. It does not ban Scripture itself. 

Snopes first reported on misconceptions surrounding Bill C-9 in March. Since then, the Canadian Parliament passed the legislation, and it received royal assent, the final step before becoming law, on June 18, 2026. It will take effect 30 days from that date.

Bill C-9 does not ban public Bible reading or Bible quotes. The legislation removes an existing Criminal Code defense tied to religious subjects or religious texts in some hate-propaganda offenses, while also defining "hatred" narrowly and clarifying that religious statements made in discussion, publication or debate are not prohibited unless they willfully promote hatred against an identifiable group.

Earlier fact checks and official comments offered the same conclusion. In 2024, AFP reported that the proposal did not criminalize ordinary religious expression but instead targeted the use of religion as a defense in hate-speech cases. In January 2026, Justice Minister Sean Fraser likewise rejected claims that the bill would "criminalize faith" or stop religious leaders from reading sacred texts.

What the bill actually changes

Formally titled "An Act to amend the Criminal Code (hate propaganda, hate crime and access to religious or cultural places)," Bill C-9 will make several changes to the Criminal Code, including repealing a defense based on the expression of opinions on religious subjects or texts for offenses involving wilful promotion of hatred or antisemitism.

Before Bill C-9, Section 319 of Canada's Criminal Code included hate-propaganda offenses as well as several defenses. Among them was a defense for someone who, in good faith, expressed (or attempted to establish by argument) an opinion on a religious subject or based on a belief in a religious text. Bill C-9 repeals that defense for the offenses of willful promotion of hatred and willful promotion of antisemitism.

What the bill does not say

Nothing in Bill C-9 says that reading the Bible in public, posting Bible verses online or quoting it automatically becomes a crime. In fact, the bill says statements on matters of public interest, including religious statements made in discussion, publication or debate, are not prohibited unless they "wilfully promote hatred against an identifiable group."

The bill defines hatred as "an emotion of an intense and extreme nature that is clearly associated with vilification and detestation," and says an offense is not motivated by hatred solely because it "discredits, humiliates, hurts or offends." Therefore, social media posts overstated the bill by framing it as if quoting biblical passages had itself become unlawful.