Controversial Hate Crime Bill C-9 Clears House, Goes to Senate

People walk on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, in a file photo. The Canadian Press/Sean Kilpatrick

The Liberal government’s new anti-hate bill, which Conservatives opposed due to an amendment removing the religious defence to hate speech, has passed the House of Commons and will now head to the Senate.

Bill C-9, also known as the Combatting Hate Act, passed third reading late on March 25 with the support of the Bloc Québécois, while MPs from the Conservative, NDP, and Green parties voted against it. The bill passed with 186 “Yeas” to 137 “Nays.”