The Senate is considering a bill that will finally repeal Canada's blasphemy law but we still need one last push to make sure that bill becomes law.
We've just launched a new push to send a message to Senators on the committee that's studying the bill with a simple message: It's time to repeal Canada's blasphemy laws.
Bill C-51 will repeal section 296 of Canada's Criminal Code, which criminalizes "blasphemous libel." It would have also repealed section 176, which prohibits obstructing clergymen or disturbing a religious worship. The House of Commons abandoned repealing that provision in the face of an organized campaign by churches.
Section 176 effectively protects the authority of religious leaders by criminalizing dissent. It undermines secularism by granting special protections to religious groups that are not afforded to secular and nonreligious ones.
We're urging the Senate to repeal both of these sections to defend the right of Canadians to speak.