RED DEER, Alberta (LifeSiteNews) — Alberta Premier Danielle Smith said she does not want to see authorities “monitoring” church services in her province in light of a new federal law that criminalizes religious expression and belief when quoting parts of the Bible.
“I don’t want to see the police monitoring Sunday services!” Smith told a crowd of nearly 1,000 Christians and pastors over the weekend while speaking at the Alberta Christian Leadership Summit.
“Faith is to be expressed openly and carried into the public square.”
A host of Alberta and Canadian Christian politicians gathered with pastors of churches to talk about faith and its importance in society. Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) was there with a booth.
Smith was invited to be the main speaker at the event, which saw hundreds gather to share the importance of Christianity in public life and politics. Her speech touched on several issues, but she did speak out against the controversial Bill C-9.
Bill C-9, which is before Canada’s Senate, would criminalize religious expression and belief when quoting parts of the Bible, including passages about homosexuality and gender.
As reported by LifeSiteNews, Bill C-9 has been blasted by constitutional experts as allowing empowered police and the government to go after those deemed to have violated a person’s “feelings” in a “hateful” way. The bill was introduced by Justice Minister Sean Fraser last year.
Smith said that her province will do what it can to make sure police do not enforce any rules related to Bill C-9.
“Once the legislation is passed, it falls to the Government of Alberta (regarding enforcement of the bill),” Smith said.
“We have control of the police and the courts. So it will be as with the federal firearms legislation. They pass their legislation; it is for us to administer it. So, we are not going after gun owners. Bill C-9? We’ll have to wait and see what federal intentions are, but what problem are they trying to solve?”
Smith, who in many ways leans libertarian while never publicly talking about her faith, did attend Catholic school when she was younger.
Her United Conservative Party (UCP) government has passed, or will pass, laws not seen anywhere in Canada, including placing severe restrictions on euthanasia, banning transgender surgery for minors, and a ban on men competing in women’s sports.
Bill C-9, the “Combatting Hate Act,” as reported by LifeSiteNews, was recently passed by the House of Commons and is now almost through the Senate. Conservative, NDP, and Green Party MPs voted against the bill, a rare display of unity among the usually opposing parties.
This past weekend, hundreds of Canadians from coast to coast gathered in front of multiple Liberal MPs’ offices, including Prime Minister Mark Carney’s office, to protest Bill C-9.
Canadian pro-life and faith groups, including a Catholic cardinal, sounded the alarm over Bill C-9. Indeed, in a letter to Canadian senators last month, Cardinal Frank Leo, the metropolitan archbishop of Toronto, said that while the Catholic Church recognizes “the importance of addressing hatred and protecting individuals and communities from violence,” changes are needed to the bill.
The removal of the religious exemption prompted condemnation from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, which issued an open letter criticizing the proposed amendment and calling for its repeal.