OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) — A well-respected Canadian academic warned that a Liberal bill that effectively criminalizes religious expression and belief when quoting parts of the Bible would lead to an “open season on Christians” in Canada if it becomes law.

“If this Criminal Code protection is removed, it will be open season on Christians, as ideological opponents increasingly claim [Christians’] beliefs harm society,” warned Wilfrid Laurier University professor David Haskel during a recent hearing at the Senate committee on human rights.

Haskell, who says he is a Christian conservative, added that, should Bill C-9 become law, “it will lead to even more discrimination against Christians in Canada and negatively affect the social good they contribute.”

As reported by LifeSiteNews, 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.

The bill 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.

Specifically, Bill C-9 would remove Section 319(3)(b) of Canada’s Criminal Code. This section provides protection to good-faith expression of a person’s religious views, which are based on religious texts such as the Holy Bible.

Haskell warned that Christians have been facing discrimination already in Canada. He noted the case of Trinity Western University (TWU), which was denied accreditation for a school in 2012 by the law societies of Ontario and B.C. because the school required students to sign an agreement not to engage in sexual relations outside of a natural marriage.

“This private Christian institution was sanctioned and denied the benefit of establishing a law school, specifically because of its biblical beliefs about marriage,” he said. 

Bill C-9 has been blasted by some of Canada’s premiers.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith recently said she does not want to see authorities “monitoring” church services in her province in light of Bill C-9.

Recently, 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, as well as 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.