It's all over but the funeral. Free speech and religious liberty are now effectively dead in Canada, and recent developments across our northern border should awaken Americans to the peril of political correctness and its restrictions on freedom.

On April 28, the Canadian Senate passed bill C-250 by a vote of 59 to 11. In passing this legislation, the Canadian Parliament added "sexual orientation" to the nation's laws criminalizing "hate speech." The end result is that the Bible may now be considered a form of criminalized hate literature and Christians who teach that homosexuality is sinful may face criminal charges.

Even before the passage of C-250, Canadian legislators had been moving to restrict free speech and religious liberty. The concept of "hate speech" implies that certain forms of speech are to be criminalized for being out of step with the government's ideological positions. Canada's extensive hate speech laws already criminalized any statements considered to be disparaging to ethnic and minority groups. By adding sexual orientation to the list of protected classes, the Canadian Parliament has not only shut down free speech; it has opened a legal can of worms that will be most difficult to handle. Since "sexual orientation" is undefined in the law, lesbians and homosexual men are unlikely to be the only persons demanding coverage under the law. As the statute now stands, criticism of pedophilia or polygamy--or any sexual act or relationship for that matter--could well be cause for criminal action.

The law was promoted by Svend Robinson, the Member of Parliament [MP] for Burnaby-Douglas. Robinson is a notoriously liberal and flamboyant legislator, who also promotes himself as something of a symbolic leader for Canada's gay community. Robinson's animus toward Christianity has been evident for some time, and he has described Christian leaders as "ecclesiastical dictators." Responding to one critic, Robinson showed his true colors: "You people are sick. God should strike you dead."

In a bizarre twist to this tale, Robinson missed the critical vote in favor of his bill, because he had just taken an extensive medical leave from his political responsibilities after admitting to the theft of a ring he had intended to give to his male partner. His theft was caught on camera and, in the aftermath of the scandal, Robinson released a statement which may or may not have constituted a resignation from office. No one seems to be exactly sure about exactly what Robinson meant by what one Canadian newspaper called his "non-resignation resignation letter."

Robinson aside, the Senate's passage of this bill represents an immediate threat to free speech and Christian conviction in the nation of Canada.

Editorial opinion in Canadian newspapers has been mixed, but the threat to religious liberty is immediately clear when one listens to the arguments made by C-250's proponents. Writing in The Toronto Star, Carol Lowes explained that C-250 is necessary because, "Some Christian charities, priests and pastors attempt to convince people of their wrongs and cultivate guilt or shame about perceived sins in their target audiences." Really? The obvious implication of Ms. Lowes' argument is that pastors must never tell anyone that they are sinners. How convenient.