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A religious freedom advocate is warning that a proposed Canadian law could imperil freedom of speech and religious liberty. Jeff King, president of International Christian Concern (ICC), a religious persecution watchdog, told CBN News proposed Bill C-367 “amends the criminal code and it takes away some religious exemptions that protected Christians.“ King compared the proposal to the Equality Act, a U.S. legislation that the Biden administration championed but failed to pass. The U.S. bill sought to prohibit “discrimination based on sex, sexual orientation, and gender identity in areas including public accommodations and facilities, education, federal funding, employment, housing, credit, and the jury system,“ but ignited religious persecution concerns. Similarly, Canadian Bill C-367, King said, would create potential problems for people making biblical claims or basing objections to certain issues on the Quran or other religious sentiments. With these protections potentially in danger, King said the potential impact could create a similar dynamic to what is seen in more restrictive and despotic nations. “This is what the dictators and the despots do overseas to strangle Christianity or whatever faith,“ he said. “They say, 'Oh, we have religious freedom, but not in the public sphere.' So, it's the same game.“ King said hate speech laws are “always being promoted ... for the common good,“ but he said such provisions tend to “create division.“ He explained that hate speech laws were passed in Canada in 2003 and 2004 with protections, but warned that these caveats are now potentially on the chopping block. “Democracy means you have freedom of speech,“ King said. “It's the marketplace of ideas. Everyone should be able to voice their opinion, no matter whether it's great, bad, or stupid.“ He said the “alarming thing“ about the current battle over Bill C-367 is that many people aren't aware of it nor of its more recent iteration Bill C-373. Watch King explain these issues. CBN News. Because Truth Matters™ Download the free CBN News App: SUBSCRIBE to the CBN News Channel for more: SUBSCRIBE to the QuickStart Newsletter by visiting SUBSCRIBE to the Quickstart Podcast. New episodes every morning at 7am: What's coming up next? Have a look at our program guide: CBN features 24-hour TV news from a Christian perspective. The CBN News Channel provides independent news programming to an underserved audience to enlighten, entertain and inspire Christians around the world. Comments below do not necessarily reflect the views of CBN. Share this live feed with your friends and family: Like us on Facebook: Like us on Twitter: Follow us on Instagram: Contact News Editors: Questions about other CBN programs: Visit or call (888) 700-7000. Questions about supporting CBN News? Visit or call (888) 700-7000 for more information. Questions about Helping the Home Front? Call: 800-700-7000 #breakingnews #politicalnews #christiannews #christian #christianity #church #breakingnews #cbnnews
