Canada is not sliding into authoritarianism by accident. It is being deliberately engineered that way.

In an interview on June 5th with RAIR Foundation USA, Luke Neilson, Vice President of the Justice Center for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF), laid out how the Canadian government is systematically dismantling free speech and due process protections, all under the banner of fighting “hate.”

The Residential School Denialism Amendment

Just days ago, the Senate Human Rights Committee voted 7 to 1 in favor of amending Bill C-9 to criminalize what they called “residential school denialism.” This would be: any expression that “downplays or justifies” the official narrative about Canada’s Indian Residential Schools.

The amendment was later struck down in the full Senate (41-32), but the fact that it advanced this far is more than alarming. It may even be indicative of the intentions of Canada’s government under Mark Carney. To criminalize opposition to any state diktat or decree of official truth.

As was pointed out during this interview, this is much less about truth than it is about enforcing a state dogma. Neilson points out that Historians still debate the full complexity of the residential school system.

This is the pattern: turn contested history into sacred, untouchable truth, then criminalize dissent.

Removing Religious Defenses from Hate Speech Laws

Even more concerning is what actually did make it into Bill C-9: the removal of the religious defense from Section 319 of the Criminal Code (the wilful promotion of hatred).

Previously, Canadians could argue that their statements were made in good faith based on religious texts or sincerely held beliefs. That protection is now gone. Neilson explained the chilling implication:

“If I was a pastor or a religious teacher… I would have to prepare myself to face a trial.”

This creates a situation where quoting certain passages from the Bible, or even discussing Islamic texts critically, could expose religious Canadians to hate speech prosecutions, all while selective enforcement means some groups appear far more protected than others.

The Broader Pattern: Surveillance + Narrative Control

Neilson also highlighted Bill C-22 (Lawful Access), which would force internet companies and service providers to retain Canadians’ metadata for up to a year and make it easier for the government to access it. This is part of a long-term push for greater state surveillance.

• When you combine:

• Expanding hate speech laws,

• Removing religious and truth-based defenses,

Increasing surveillance powers,

…you get a system where certain narratives (residential schools, mass migration, climate, vaccines, etc.) become untouchable state dogmas, and any meaningful dissent is chilled or criminalized.

The video below is of CCF (Canadian Constitutional Foundation) Lawyer, Alexander Surgenor, on June 2nd, 2026, on Bill C-22, House of Commons Standing Committee on Public Safety and National Security (SECU) in Ottawa

No Mechanism to Object

The deeper problem, as has been discussed in past interviews with representatives of the JCCF, such as John Carpay, is that ordinary Canadians increasingly have no effective legal, political, or cultural mechanism to object to the transformation of their country.

International agreements, human rights commissions, UN compacts, corporate censorship, and selective prosecution all work together to enforce compliance.

The Justice Center for Constitutional Freedoms remains one of the few organizations still fighting these battles in court. But as Neilson made clear, the momentum is with those who want more control.

What we are witnessing in Canada is the slow construction of a soft authoritarian state. One that still uses the language of rights while hollowing them out from within.

Canadians are being told they are free. In reality, they are being trained not to speak.