A recent candidate in the federal election in Terra Nova-The Peninsulas is speaking out as the MP for the riding is set to host a meeting in Clarenville this evening on Bill C-9.

Conservative MP Jonathan Rowe, who narrowly defeated Liberal Anthony Germain in last spring’s election, is suggesting that the bill – which will amend the Criminal Code to address hate propaganda – will “expose people of faith to possible criminal prosecution” for quoting the Bible or Quran.

Germain told VOCM Open Line with Paddy Daly that the bill was necessary to address the Good Faith exemption – a loophole in the current Criminal Code which can allow a person to say something “truly hateful” and use religious text to back it up.

Germain says the amendment is not about targeting religion, but about addressing extremists who use religious text to justify threats of violence or harm.

“The law should not be hamstrung just because somebody tucks some kind of religious scripture underneath it. So this is not about targeting religion, as Mr. Rowe would have people believe; it’s about making sure that extremists can’t hide behind the altar to encourage any kind of harm…it’s about the fact that if you are spreading identifiable hate whether its antisemitism, islamophobia, or homophobia, you should be held accountable, period.”

Rowe responds

But Rowe is sticking to his guns, saying the modified bill attacks the very ones that it was originally supposed to protect.

The MP says the amendment, made by the Bloc, is what the United Church of Canada, the Catholic Church, the Anglican Church, Jewish communities, the Muslim community, and the Sikh community all have issues with.

“Now all those communities are coming out and saying they have issues with this – and it’s not just religious organizations.”