OTTAWA — A Liberal cabinet minister pushed back on Tuesday against accusations that removing a provision that shields individuals from a hate speech conviction should they express a statement based on a religious belief amounts to an attack on religious freedom.

Marc Miller, a Montreal MP recently promoted to cabinet by Prime Minister Mark Carney, has served as chair of the parliamentary justice committee.

The newly minted minister responsible for Canadian Heritage and Official Languages said as a person of Christian faith with “very, very deep beliefs,” he does not believe a religious text should be used, “to escape from committing a hate crime,” or make a claim that hate was being promoted “in the name of a religious text.”

“I think if you talk to people of faith and even religious

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