What were the key stages and votes for Bill C-9 in the House of Commons and Senate?
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Executive summary
Bill C-9 (45-1), the government’s “Combatting Hate Act,” has completed introductory stages in the House of Commons and is in active committee review after first and second readings, but there are no recorded votes in the Senate on this iteration and reporting shows committee-level amendments have been hotly contested [1] [2] [3]. Public and institutional actors continue to focus on a high-profile amendment — the removal of the religious‑speech exemption in Section 319(b) of the Criminal Code — which was adopted at committee and has reshaped political bargaining around the bill [4] [5].
1. First and second readings: formal introduction and House approval
The government tabled Bill C-9 as a House of Commons government bill titled “Combatting Hate Act,” and the text registered at first reading in the 45th Parliament, indicating the formal start of the legislative process in the House [1]; subsequent reporting and organizational summaries note that the bill “has passed the first and second readings” and therefore proceeded to the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights for clause-by-clause review [2] [6].
2. Committee stage: clause-by-clause review, marathon sittings and a defining amendment
The core parliamentary fight has taken place at committee, where members conducted extended clause-by-clause sessions including an eight‑hour sitting and at least one cancelled meeting before resumption, and where a Bloc Québécois amendment to remove the religious exemption was introduced and adopted by the committee with Liberal support — a move widely reported as decisive for the bill’s short‑term prospects [5] [2] [4].
3. The religious‑speech exemption: how a single amendment changed the narrative
The committee decision to eliminate the existing Criminal Code exemption for good‑faith religious expression (Section 319(b)) became the focal point of both political deal‑making and public controversy, with media coverage describing it as the product of a deal between the Liberals and the Bloc and with critics — including faith groups and opposition MPs — framing the change as either necessary to close a gap or as a threat to religious freedom, depending on perspective [4] [2] [5].
4. House third reading and recorded House votes: what is confirmed
Multiple sources state the bill still requires third reading in the House before it can be transmitted to the Senate, and that committee approval puts the bill in position for that final House vote; open‑parliament tracking and Parliament’s LEGISinfo provide feeds and summaries of speeches and votes related to the bill but reporting confirms committee passage rather than a completed set of recorded final House votes on the amended text at the time of these reports [7] [2] [4].
5. Senate stage and recorded votes: no votes recorded yet for this Parliament’s C‑9
Parliamentary records and the LEGISinfo entry for the 45th Parliament indicate there are currently no recorded votes for Bill C‑9 in the Senate for this iteration, and the Senate’s Votes page is the reference for any future standing votes; in short, the bill must still clear the House’s final stages (if not already) and then be considered in the Senate, where recorded votes have not been posted for the 45‑1 C‑9 as of the sources consulted [3] [8].
6. Legal and procedural context: Charter review and ongoing scrutiny
The Department of Justice has posted a Charter Statement for Bill C‑9, reflecting ministerial consideration of Charter issues as the bill alters hate‑propaganda and related offences; advocacy groups, legal analysts and faith organizations have used committee hearings to press constitutional and practical concerns, demonstrating that beyond formal votes the bill’s fate will hinge on legal framing, public pressure and inter‑party negotiations that played out visibly in committee [9] [6] [2].
7. What the record does not yet show
Available sources confirm committee adoption of significant amendments and completion of early House stages but do not provide a definitive, recorded roll‑call of third‑reading House votes on the amended bill or any Senate votes for the 45‑1 C‑9 — Parliament’s LEGISinfo and the Senate Votes page remain the authoritative places to verify those later votes when they occur [3] [8].