Who sponsored or introduced Bill C-9 in the Canadian Parliament?

1. Government bill, tabled through the Justice minister

Bill C-9 is recorded in parliamentary sources as a Government Bill in the House of Commons — a status that means it was tabled by the government rather than by an individual backbencher — and the official parliamentary record for the bill’s first reading identifies it as a House of Commons government bill ^[2]; the Department of Justice produced the bill’s formal Charter Statement, a document prepared by the Minister of Justice, which further indicates Justice Ministerial stewardship of the measure ^[3].

2. Sean Fraser named as the bill’s sponsor in parliamentary debate

Contemporary reporting and commentary identify Justice Minister Sean Fraser as the sponsor who introduced and spoke for Bill C-9 in the House, with sources noting Fraser’s role during the bill’s second-reading introduction and in public statements about the legislation ^[1]. OpenParliament excerpts from MPs discussing the bill also refer to a government sponsor role in prior debate, consistent with a cabinet minister — here, the Minister of Justice — carrying the measure ^[4].

3. What “sponsor” means in this context

In federal parliamentary practice, a government bill is formally introduced and championed by a minister in Cabinet; the minister who tables and speaks for it is commonly referred to as its sponsor ^{[2] [3]}. The documentation for C-9 — including the legislative text, departmental Charter Statement and media coverage — aligns with that convention by linking the bill to the Minister of Justice and the Justice Department ^{[3] [2]}.

4. Broader political framing and who backed amendments

While Sean Fraser is the parliamentary sponsor, the bill’s progress and content have involved other parties and MPs: news coverage describes amendments negotiated at committee (including a Bloc Québécois amendment to remove a religious exemption) and identifies the Liberals as the government party behind C-9, which required cross-party support to advance ^[5]. Opponents and civil-society groups — from Conservative MPs warning about potential impacts on religious texts to unions and rights groups raising Charter concerns — have publicly framed the bill differently, reflecting competing political strategies and agendas around its sponsor’s objectives ^{[5] [6]}.

5. Sources, limitations and what cannot be asserted

Parliamentary records and government publications establish the bill as a government initiative and identify the Minister of Justice as its sponsor and author of the Charter Statement ^{[2] [3] [1]}. The reporting consulted names Sean Fraser as the sponsor during introduction at second reading ^[1]. If a reader seeks the explicit text of the first-reading sponsorship entry or a verbatim Ministerial motion that formally “introduced” the bill at first reading, that specific line-item in the legislative diary is not reproduced in the sources provided here, though the bill’s Government Bill status and departmental authorship confirm ministerial sponsorship ^{[2] [3]}.

6. Why the sponsor identity matters

Identifying the sponsor as Justice Minister Sean Fraser clarifies responsibility for the bill’s drafting choices, Charter analysis and public defence in Parliament — roles that shape amendment negotiations and interparty deals such as the committee amendment reported with the Bloc ^{[1] [5]}. It also helps explain why the Department of Justice prepared the Charter Statement and why legal and civil-society actors treat Fraser as the principal interlocutor for questions about C-9’s scope and rights implications ^{[3] [6]}.