The Stack: Canadian Hate Speech Law Sparks Free Speech and Faith Debate
A proposed law in Canada is raising alarm bells for anyone who values free speech and religious liberty. The legislation could remove protections for “good faith” religious expression, opening the door for biblical teachings to be labeled as hate speech under vague and subjective standards like “detestation” and “vilification.”
In this episode, Todd examines the broader implications of such a law—not just for Canada, but as a potential preview of where similar political ideologies could lead in the United States. He breaks down the inherent dangers of defining speech based on perception rather than objective standards, and how that ambiguity could be weaponized against people of faith.
Todd also walks through the biblical framework behind cultural flashpoints like sin, truth, and personal responsibility, arguing that disagreement is not the same as hate. If truth can be criminalized, the consequences for freedom—both religious and otherwise—are profound.
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📝 Transcript: Canadian Hate Speech Law Sparks Free Speech and Faith Debate
The Todd Huff Show – April 10, 2026
Host: Todd Huff
Todd Huff: All right my friends it is a pleasure to be here with you today. I know it's been heavy yesterday we spoke with Sarah Janice Brown who's running for Indiana's sixth Congressional District, but it's been heavy I know. It's been heavy we've been talking about war in Iran we've been talking about well some rhetoric that people are trying to wrap their heads around because this is not how presidents have behaved throughout history. But as I would contend it's also at least part of the reason and dare I say a big part of the reason why we find ourselves in this mess to begin with. And it's heavy. Now listen, I know that it's heavy. I hate coming on here and talking just about heavy things. We try to do it with perspective but folks these are serious times you know this serious times indeed.
Todd Huff: So I don't want to say today we're going to stay away from the war. I know that there's news on that. I just as I was preparing and getting ready for show prep you know it's tricky sometimes being I'm not complaining is just being on this side trying to decide what to talk about on a given day. And I try to find the thing that really just kind of gets me going. Because I think if it gets me going then I think that will find its way through the microphone and there will be some some energy and some passion in there that's hopefully a little bit contagious. Today as I was preparing I came across something in the Bongino report which again if you want the links to this program if you want our additional commentary behind the scenes stuff you can get that for free. It's you just subscribe to the inner circle text the word truth to 3177851030. And that's how you subscribe to that but it's in there it'll be in there in the stack of stuff links that goes out every day and that in the inner circle. So but there's a situation in Canada now I know Canada isn't the United States but Canada is and Europe.
Todd Huff: Canada and Europe have been a precursor a predictor of sorts as to where the political left is trying to take America and so you look at some of the problems that exist in Europe you look at some of the problems that exist in Canada from their national healthcare debacle to remember the issue over with the truckers there I don't know a year or two ago time flies when there's talks talk of guns and free speech. These sorts of things they certainly find their way to into the United States as well. When I look at Europe I think about the problems with illegal immigration and how well how people thought that they were being so virtuous by simply opening up their borders indiscriminately and having no it just defies common sense and reason and logic. This isn't the way you would operate your home why would you operate our well your nation's border like this you wouldn't let people in who you had no idea who they were where they came from this is now talking about Europe but it's happened here as well. And so as I look at where the political left wants to take America you look at Canada you look at Europe.
Todd Huff: And those are those are the same place more or less my friends. And so there is a fight over a law that has that is about to be debated in the Senate in Canada that well could effectively could effectively create a scenario or allow for an scenario to exist where people who quote the Bible are guilty of hate speech and I want to get into this because and it's we'll talk about the First Amendment we'll talk which we have here which by the way they have it there too they just don't have it in a document because almighty God has given it to the Canadian people just like he has given it the freedom of religion to the American people. They've they have it in Canada too it's just not just not recognized and since it's not recognized the people there either assume they don't have it are not going to claim to have it are not going to fight for it at least not enough at least that's what it looks like today. So I want to talk about this because I think it matters a lot and I think there's some obvious holes in this entire way of thinking so that's where we want to go today my friends I appreciate you being here and it's a pleasure to be sitting on this side of the microphone with you thank you for the opportunity to share this time with you each and every day.
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Todd Huff: Okay so let's talk about this so why is government the government in Canada inserting itself into defining and regulating religious belief and moral speech now the people on the left will say that this is exactly what the government should be doing they should be making sure that there is no hatred they should be legislating this out of existence which again listen there's fine lines here listen there's not a person including me I don't I'm not defending hate I am a follower of Jesus and Jesus wants us to cast hatred aside at least as it pertains to other people we are called to hate sin which really is the problem here my friends which we'll get into. We are called to hate sin God is absolutely love but God hates sin this is this is very clear explicitly clear in the scriptures and why is the government inserting itself so let's go back a little bit let's talk about what's happening in Canada and again from the perspective of what could what could be pushed here I'm sure that there are people who are arguing for these sorts of things here in America as well so there is a law that exists they have in Canada they have a hate speech law it's criminal code 319 the law as it currently stands includes protection for what they call good faith religious expression.
Todd Huff: Now let me be clear I'm not here to defend the first law on the books I think the first law this hate speech law has some massive problems to it and it's very quickly you'll see that this leads to massive amounts of subjectivity that you really cannot quantify or define and this of course is is the problem so you could say well it's good I guess that the law allows for people to make to make opinions known that are rooted in their religious faith but it's bad that it that that law exists to begin with that you have to carve out an exemption to give people well the ability to defend their beliefs legally in the court of law.
Todd Huff: So the law this is where listen I've done a lot of research I I do some things with with chat GPT and chat GPT can be very obstinate sometimes chat GPT says that the law as it stands allows people to say that something is sin that something is right and wrong that something is based on scripture and I would say that that's true generally speaking but it's definitely not true if this law that this this portion this law that they're trying to pass which will eliminate that exemption now you are not able to talk about what they define as hate which this is the first problem here. What they define is say you're not allowed to speak that and if you take away the good faith religious expression you'll find immediately that these people who are pushing this legislation are saying that there are verses in the Bible that are clearly based in hatred let me say this let me pause there I've read through the Bible many of you have read through the Bible I've been through the Bible multiple times I'm not trying to position myself as a scholar or anything but I'm quite familiar with the story of the Bible and the correct way listen the Bible is the word of God.
Todd Huff: There it's it certainly means certain things when when words are used there's certain things that are being communicated but when God speaks in fact we we do a Bible study when our with our family every day today we were in Psalm 111 we were in Psalm 111 there was a question about whether one of the verses was talking specifically about Jesus it was of course written before the time of Christ but there's a lot of verses of course in the Old Testament in the Psalms that are spoken by the the prophets and so forth that are referring to the Messiah but they're also simultaneously referring to something else. Might be in this case referring to David's reign as king of Israel and so the answer is yes when when God's talking and there's a lot that's going on he could be talking about multiple things especially when some of these biblical characters are archetypes for the of Christ right I mean so there's a lot going on a lot going on there so but but the Bible is effectively I would say at least one way of looking at it is that it's the greatest love story ever written that's what the Bible is my friends and some people will say what are you talking about.
Todd Huff: If you read Joshua have you read the levitical law have you heard some of the stories people touching the ark and dying or the ground opening up and swallowing people for doing things that people think is just a minor infraction against a holy God or whatever that that these are loaded statements that I'm not here to go through one by one what I am here to say is that the overarching story of the Bible is one of love the entire story basically paints the picture of God creating perfect harmony on earth for Adam and Eve. And then they rebelled then they said we don't like it your way we want to do it our way and so we're not going to listen to you and if we're all being honest we all do that well that's called that's called sin that's called not agreeing with the one who created us that's challenging his authority putting ourselves in the driver's seat all that sort of stuff and the world came up came apart it came apart really quickly and all sorts of bad things have resulted from this but we're still at the same time made at the image of God and not only that God decided to relentlessly pursue us.
Todd Huff: And if you read the Bible with that lens and I think you should see it from the best that you can or we can as a human being from the perspective again from a perspective of God that's what he's trying to do he's he's trying to of course he doesn't try he will accomplish it that's what there's nothing that can thwart this but his the whole story is pursuing mankind humanity the bride of Christ to be reunited with him in a sort of Garden of Eden 2.0 new heaven and a new earth and so in this story God has done remarkable things there's and and the Jewish people when it comes to the Old Testament this the stories and things that have happened they celebrate these things. They celebrate the the Exodus the Passover they celebrate when Queen Esther saved the Jewish people what's that called purum that just happened here there's celebrations of things that happened God promising fulfilling his promises giving the people of Israel the promised land and then ultimately God's promise to pay the price for our sins no longer requiring the sacrificial system that was established in the Old Testament that's why when Jesus came and died and of course we just celebrated Easter this past weekend but the whole story is predicated upon Jesus being the perfect sacrifice.
Todd Huff: And so that is necessary for us to be reunited with God God had to do something with sin and so he paid the sin debt himself that's what he did through his son Jesus and so now through Jesus the new covenant God promises God promises to seal his people those who have come to him through Christ those who have called upon his name those who have confessed their sins and believed in their heart that God raised Christ from the dead will be saved for is with their mouth with their heart that they are believed that they believe and are justified is with their mouth that they confess that we confess and are saved. And so the whole story is about that and then you've got people and listen I'm not saying that there's not tough parts of the Bible I'm not just trying to gloss over there are some really tough things as Christians that I think we wrestle with as we try to understand and you know make sense of it or whatever but I think it's also absolutely true what I just said that this is the greatest love story ever written now if you're the creator which none of us are but the creator of course it's his prerogative his prerogative to say he determined how what he had well what he had in mind when he created humanity.
Todd Huff: He created order he created structure he created them male and female he created male and female to unite the two shall become one flesh and they can have a family and raise that family together and so this of course leads to the discussion of homosexuality which God said that's not how I made it to work I made it to work man and woman that was my design and so suddenly there's friction because people say well that's not how I'm wired I have this inclination this attraction this whatever and so if you say what I just said or what the Bible says better yet that homosexuality and listen I'm not just there there's lots of sin my for guilty you may not be guilty of that but you're not off the hook. Because we're all guilty of something lots of some things if we're probably being candid and honest and so here we are in this situation where as followers of Christ as Christians and I'm speaking of course to the Christian but also to the one who's not a Christian to just listen just try to understand you don't have to agree with my conclusions but just try to understand if you or like me and you truly believe or dare I say know that God created us and that we are made in his image and that he the Bible is the true and inspired word of God and you believe that you know that to be the case. And you also know the story that I just told you which in a nutshell is that we all sinned and the first step is to repent and to come and fall at the foot of Jesus the feet of Jesus and ask for his forgiveness and to basically say I turn from me the Bible says you take up your cross daily and follow him we are not God we are not the center of the universe in fact God calls us to die to ourselves in fact that's the first you know when you're baptized that's a symbol of the old self dying and the new self rising with Christ being renewed through the blood of Christ through the Holy Spirit.
Todd Huff: And so we're supposed to take on that new spirit we're supposed to be sanctified by that spirit we're forgiven for everything because we're now viewed with the well through the lens that Jesus's sacrifice is atop us the blood of Christ is poured over us God sees Jesus's righteousness when he looks at us and he saw our sin when he looked at Christ on the cross and that's effectively the substitution there that happened we should have been on the cross you've heard the stories or the statements that when Jesus was crucified it was the practice the tradition to release one of the prisoners during the Passover time. And so Pilate the Roman governor thought I'm going to get the crowd to agree to let Jesus go and so there was another guy named Barabbas who was not a good guy who was in there for legitimate reasons who had been trouble who he knew the people didn't necessarily like so he thought I got this this problem solved who should I release to you should I release Barabbas or should I release Jesus and they cry out Barabbas and Pilate was shocked because he thought this man Jesus has done nothing wrong and they're calling they're crying for me to release Barabbas.
Todd Huff: And then when he realized that he couldn't win that and that there was going to be political turmoil and that the that he was going to be held accountable for it he capitulated he washed his hands and he said I don't have anything to do with this this is this man's blood is upon you that's basically what he said but when we all realize that we're all Barabbas right we all have reasons that we should pay the price for our sins but Jesus stepped in and took our place but what we're called to do is to partial part of what we're called to do as followers is to agree with God. And listen I know there's you might come to this in stages right you're not a new believer one day and suddenly think you know it happens sometimes but you know sometimes we resist because we're at war with the sinful nature and I kind of don't want that to be true because I kind of like these things that I'm doing and I if I if I accept that I have to change and all that stuff that comes with it and so but we're called to make that change and I looked at the clock I'm long quick time out my friends back here in just a minute.
Todd Huff: Welcome back my friends I'm sorry about that last segment I was into I looked down at the clock and thought yikes it is time for me to take a break there was no time to spare there my friends reminds me of a Seinfeld when I say that anyway we'll pick it up where we left off abruptly that was abrupt last segment so forgive me for that my friends before I do that though let me remind you that if you're curious about Kratom or you just want honest answers before you try anything which that's prudent by the way.
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Todd Huff: Okay let's get back to where we were which I had to again abruptly jump from in the first the first segment we've been talking about this law that Canada has well is potentially going to pass that effectively could make it hate speech legal hate speech well illegal hate speech if you cite the Bible and I've been talking about the Bible what that story is God's love for humanity and our response to the Bible and when we come to hopefully we come to Christ the first thing we should do. Well there's a lot that's maybe a loaded statement but basically just acknowledge who God is acknowledge who we are we all know that we've sinned and we all know the Bible says without faith it is impossible to please God because we must believe that it exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him and so that's the first step and part of that is we have to we should be seeking to agree with him on everything by the way if you have a disagreement with God and I've unfortunately learned this maybe the hard way. But if there's a disagreement with God certainly I don't want to say that you're you know sometimes what's just we're just confused or there's a lot to process or you know our faith is not as strong we don't completely trust God with everything something like that but there's time if you just have a straight up disagreement God thinks this you think that respectfully friends you're in the wrong and I would say that to myself as well so our job is to basically agree that God's ways are higher than our ways that God's thoughts are higher than our thoughts and it's his prerogative he's the one that made creation.
Todd Huff: Should the Potter look at the excuse me should should the clay look at the potter and say what are you doing that's effectively what it is when we tell God how we're going to run our lives it's I mean in one sense it's probably offensive to God another sense it's probably laughable to think who who do we think we really we really are and so the Bible is clear and see now if you go to American churches depending upon where you go you might not think that the Bible is clear because the progressive churches have been out there telling us for a long time that God is love. And that God is accepting of all lifestyles and that we should be a an affirming body of believers that's by the way that's not correct that actually spits in the face of what we're called to do we're called to stand for the truth right we're supposed to preach the truth in love understand that we all need that grace and forgiveness that none of us is better than another in fact the Bible tells us to consider others better than ourselves so humbly we should say this is what's true and it is clear that God s order is male and female we talked about this briefly.
Todd Huff: And God created a man to leave his father and mother to be united with his wife and that's God's design and you don't this is the point though has anything I said even remotely if you if you think that what I've said remotely sounds like hate respectfully you need to go look in the mirror because you're the problem none of that is based upon hate in fact what think about it this way what do I have to gain by coming on here and presenting that argument and explaining it to people articulating it what do I have to gain from that from a human perspective I don't have anything to gain. It's a lot easier to not have to have those conversations and unfortunately that's where many way too many American churches find themselves today they're willing to compromise and say well God loves so let's just love them well that's true God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life that is true but there's no place in scripture where God says to just be cool with Christians as followers of Christ to just be cool with living in our sin.
Todd Huff: In fact Paul wrote a whole bunch of letters in the New Testament calling out correcting Christians the followers that were in these churches that he started around the world so to speak in Asia Minor and so forth this is where this is where the rubber meets the road and and it's not pleasant because Christianity isn't about confirming all the things that we well all of the things that we did and enjoy and desire Christianity is about making us holy about making us Christlike. And again the pictures that the picture that's painted by Christ by the teaching of the of the apostles and so forth was that we're taking up our cross daily there's a cost associated with this Jesus said whoever puts his hand to the plow and looks back is not fit for the kingdom of God we don't get to come into this thing and say hey God this is how it goes and I'm I'm reminded I can't think of the preacher who just recently passed but he had some wonderful sermons on this very thing. He I remember him saying when a church when a pastor preaches about homosexuality it's the only time that you hear him say you know I know that this is like he tries to soften the blow a lot of people do because he knows what he's what he's speaking into culturally and he doesn't want the backlash and you know I know some great people who are from the LGBT community and they're good people and they're you know they're seeking Christ and all these things right you don't hear people who preach about husbands cheating on their wives saying you know I know some good guys.
Todd Huff: That do these things or whatever but we feel like we have we have to do that because of this tension and because maybe sometimes without stating it we know that this is something that we don't want to defend or explain to people because the culture is so against the idea that God hates the sin of homosexuality and I know oh my goodness heads erupted when I said that but that's that's just what it is and we're required to do that but I don't hate see this is the thing that not a single breath of that if you interpreted hate from that I don't know what to say. But with this law in Canada which could eke down inch down from the Canadian nation into our well our blue state's undoubtedly first it's going to there absolutely will be scenarios where cities or states try to prevent these very same things from from happening and so if you say and this is where if you look at the the law hatred is defined by the law in Canada as detestation and vilification well what the heck is that if you define detestation it means a deep revulsion. What the world does that mean you see all the like how do you define deep how deep is deep how much of a revulsion is a revulsion is one percent revulsion I mean if you just have a personal revulsion to something whatever like is that a criminal offense what what is going on here and what's vilification portraying portraying a group as degraded or contemptible that's not what I just did but there's absolutely people that would say that I did and it's so subjective it's ambiguous. And it will be it will be weaponized mark my words to silence Christianity in Canada quick time out my friends back in just a minute welcome back my friends third final segment actually last segment of the entire week time flies when you're having fun as I said you know one of the biggest challenges that we have as conservative is finding ways to ensure our values align with the way that we live our lives that includes the way that we invest our money.
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Todd Huff: All right so not a lot of time left here today my friends unfortunately but just think about the practical realities of this of this law if you have a concept of hate speech which is defined by words such as well hatred is defined as detestation and vilification detestation what is that when does something become detestation when are you vilifying if you say that a behavior of a certain group or people who are engaged in a certain activity is sinful is that vilifying that group you can see that that's a short jump to that. And why is it so bad to say I think by the way you can say that you think in fact I see people say this no love like Christian love right I've seen that even from someone I like recently who said that or posted that or whatever it saddens me I don't know sometimes if they've dealt with Christians who are you know maybe overly judgmental or something or if they're just looking for an excuse as to why they don't respond to the call that God has placed in their lives specifically I don't know. But I will tell you this this is this is convoluted this becomes a problem very very quickly how do you measure these things who decides what a deep revulsion is who decides when something is even a revulsion how much is too much is one like I said is one ounce too much is any negative judgment considered over the line who measures this what's the scale what's the threshold what's the objective test you see when you have a crime like I don't know burglary it's easy to determine when it happens when you have a crime like murder it's easy to see when it happens.
Todd Huff: You go through objectively you can say you can define these things in the vast majority of crimes this is beyond this is nowhere this is ambiguous this is vague this is indefinable it's just we have no idea so some person states what they believe some listener interprets it and then there's some third party judge somewhere if if the person is charged who interprets what the person who said it meant this is wild stuff this is exactly why you can't do things shouldn't do things like this. And you go from the facts of what was said to how it is perceived and perception can vary individual to individual in fact depending upon the day individuals may have different perceptions of certain things that they say or do fact my daughter called me out on this the other day she had asked me she said dad would you go to the World Cup with me and I don't remember her asking me this before but she said I asked you this three times this is very hypothetical because I don't know why this kid thinks she's going to the World Cup but she asked me dad would you go.
Todd Huff: And I said absolutely I'd go you know I'm not a huge soccer fan but it's it's a big event and I like to do stuff with you and she's like the last time I asked you you said you would not go like okay well what was going on at the moment I mean were you asking me if I wanted to you know if I had to pick between the Super Bowl or the World Cup or the Pacers in game seven of the finals versus the Thunder or whatever you know obviously I don't pick World Cup some of you might and that's fine. But she said that I answered differently and then another time I think she said I told her that I would probably go right we all have different perceptions ourselves this is this is a recipe for disaster and the people who are in favor of this of this law have already come out and they said look there's biblical passages I can't read them now but I can give them to you Leviticus chapter 18 Leviticus chapter 20 Romans chapter 1 but what I find fascinating about this is that these are verses that Christians cite.
Todd Huff: Who actually who actually say that these are verses that say God calls homosexual behavior sinful now they acknowledge it the the folks in Canada seem to understand that the Christians here the progressive Christians in America would say that those verses don't apply but it seems like the non-Christian community in Canada knows exactly what those verses are saying so if a behavior is biblically considered sin is it hate speech in Canada if this law passes and will it one day be here as well if you simply say that God hates that particular sin like he hates all sin it's not like the only one he hates. But is it going to be considered hate speech you can see the problems that we get to really really quickly I've gotten to the end of the program here really really quickly as well I'm out of time my friends I appreciate you listening you guys are great thank you so much have a great weekend SDG.
