Professor Wants to Test Legislation Removing Religious Exemption to Speech Laws With New Book

Wilfrid Laurier University professor David Haskell says his new book, which examines the role of conservative and Christian values shaping public life in Canada, could serve as an early test of the limits of free expression if Bill C-9 becomes law.

Haskell, an associate professor of media, religion, and culture, told The Epoch Times that he expects his new book, “Christ or Collapse: The Case Against Godless Government,” which argues that “civilizational decline” is inevitable unless conservative Christian norms and values once again shape public life in Western societies, could draw legal scrutiny if proposed changes under Bill C-9 pass in Parliament.

Bill C-9, also known as the Combatting Hate Act, passed third reading in the House of Commons on March 25, and is now before the Senate. The bill would expand existing hate crime and hateful incitement laws by creating new Criminal Code offences, among other measures.

It would also remove the religious defence to hate speech in Section 319(3)(b) of the Criminal Code, which currently protects individuals from charges of wilfully promoting hatred when expressing religious beliefs based on religious texts in good faith. The removal of religious defence came under a Bloc amendment, backed by the Liberals, which has been opposed by Conservatives and religious groups.

Haskell said he believes there will be some who find his new book “offensive” and would use Bill C-9, if it becomes law, against him.

“Despite the fact that I was civil, despite the fact that I was respectful, despite the fact that I make explicit calls to show respect and compassion to all people, I’m sure that there will be those who will use the removal of those protections that’s coming under C-9 to try and punish me,” he said in an interview.

Haskell noted that testing the limits of Bill C-9 is something that inspired him to write the book.

“We need people to be brave. The bullies are in charge, and it is only if we begin to stand up that they will retreat, and that means that some of us are going to have to take some fire,” he said.

If the religious defence protection is removed, Haskell argues it would further narrow the space for socially conservative viewpoints in Canada. “It will be just one more brick removed from the wall that currently protects Christians, and this is a very short wall already,” he said.

Haskell pointed to past legal and human rights cases in Canada involving religious individuals and institutions in which he said freedom of expression and religion were already unevenly applied.

He cited the case of Barry Neufeld, a former B.C. school board trustee who was ordered to pay $750,000 in February for speaking out against sexual orientation and gender identity curriculum.

“He had no rights as a Christian to express what he believed,” Haskell said.

He also cited the case of Christian councillors in the township of Emo in Ontario who were fined after the council voted against proclaiming Pride Month in 2020.

In another case, Trinity Western University in B.C. was denied accreditation for a proposed law school in 2012 by the law societies of British Columbia and Ontario due to the Christian institution requiring students to sign an agreement to abstain from sex outside of heterosexual marriage.

Justice Minister Sean Fraser has defended the amendment that would remove the religious exemption by saying freedom of religion is still guaranteed under Section 2(a) of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and that the amendment would not change this. He said the amendment would merely clarify the law while maintaining “full constitutional protection” for freedom of religion and expression.

Meanwhile, Conservatives have said the amendment would lead to religious texts being criminalized, and have pointed to Culture Minister Marc Miller saying he considers sections of the Bible that mention homosexuality to be “hateful.”

Haskell recently testified before the Senate committee on human rights on Bill C-9, saying the removal of the religious exemption would be detrimental to the rights of Christians in Canada, which he argues are already under sustained attack.

‘Traditional Conservatism’

“Christ or Collapse” is structured in four parts, each of which has also been released as a standalone volume.

Haskell also outlines what “traditional conservatism” is in his book, defining the term as governance informed by Christian moral principles. He said he does not want to force a religious idea and is not an advocate of forced religion, but believes conservative Christian values must influence governance in Canada and the United States “because they work best.”

“No one should be compelled to believe anything religiously that they don’t want to believe, but I make the point that every law is going to be based on some moral code—you cannot get away from it,” he said, adding that the moral code of traditional conservatism “has been proven to bring maximum flourishing in the West.”

Throughout the book, Haskell argues that Western societies have flourished when conservative Christian values have shaped public life, and declined as societies have moved away from them.

“I’m not trying to peddle my opinions—I show study after study after study,” Haskell said, noting that the book, which is nearly 600 pages long, references almost 1,000 scholarly sources.

Haskell said he wrote the book because there are “so many lies being told by the culture producers in Canada.”

He noted that in recent years he was asked by a think tank to examine the existing research around diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) in Canada. He said his research found that while the government says DEI ideology makes society better, “it’s the exact opposite.”

Haskell also argues in the book that current immigration levels and policies have led to “economic and social peril,” and he calls for a moratorium and stricter cultural vetting for immigrants’ alignment with Western norms and values, noting that some cultures are “not compatible” with Western values.

‘The Right Path’

The Alberta government recently introduced legislation aimed at removing political and ideological influences from classrooms by mandating an impartial classroom teaching style, requiring education to be free from personal bias, and protecting educators from participating in activities that violate their personal beliefs.

The bill would also limit schools to only displaying the Canadian flag and the Alberta flag, and require schools to play the Canadian national anthem weekly, among other provisions.

In addition, the province recently announced plans to prevent children and younger teens from accessing material containing graphic sexual images in libraries. The Education Amendment Act, which came into force in December 2024, also created an opt-in system for lessons on gender identity and related topics, and mandated parental consent for pronoun or name changes at school, among other measures.

Alberta has also banned medical gender transition for minors, and requires female-only sports divisions, in which transgender athletes are not permitted to compete.

The changes Alberta has made are “wonderful,” Haskell said, adding that he admires Premier Danielle Smith for her work to make such changes and set “a great example for other premiers.”

He added that returning to earlier legal and moral frameworks, such as those that shaped Western societies prior to the 1960s, offers a path forward in Canada and the United States.

“When you have gone on the wrong path, the wisest person, most progressive person, is the person who turns back first to get back onto the right path,” Haskell said, quoting C.S. Lewis. He said this is what his book is asking people to do.

Haskell said he hopes Canadians and Americans who read his book will realize that Western countries are at a “cultural moment.”

“If we do not embrace the policies and the ideas that I’m putting forward in my book, we’re never getting Canada back,” he said.