OTTAWA — The Bloc Québécois says the Liberals cancelled a scheduled meeting of the parliamentary justice committee on Thursday, where they were expected to discuss an amendment to remove the religious defence for Canada’s hate speech laws, out of fear of “backlash” for supporting the move.

Bloc Québécois Leader Yves Francois-Blanchet appeared before reporters Thursday morning, alongside Rhéal Fortin, the party’s MP on the committee currently studying Bill C-9, the Liberals’ bill aimed at tackling hate.

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Fortin has been set to bring forward an amendment to the bill, which proposes scrubbing from the Criminal Code religious defences which are available for certain hate speech charges which, as National Post reported this week, the Liberals had struck a deal to s

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