OTTAWA—The Carney government’s effort to pass its proposed law to combat rising hate crimes faces a critical test this week.

With the Liberals looking for a partner in the minority Parliament on Bill C-9, the Bloc Québécois appear to be hinging its support on a contentious push to remove a shield for religion-based opinions in some of Canada’s already existing hate speech laws.

The new bill has already been roundly criticized by opposition parties as well as left- and right-wing critics, and the Bloc’s proposal has escalated criticism from Conservatives and some Muslim and Christian groups, who decried it as an attack on freedom of religion and expression.

With the Bloc’s support, Liberal MPs agreed this week to drop a proposal in the legislation that would have allowed police to lay

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