The Canadian Senate has voted to repeal the country's "blasphemous libel", as part of a bill intended to remove outdated legislation. Dating back to 1892 the crime of "blasphemous libel" was in principle punishable by a prison term up to two years under Section 296 of the Canadian Criminal Code. The law had historically been used to prosecute satire and criticism. Freethinking groups and humanist from across Canada ran a Parliamentary petition calling for the repeal of section 296 which gained 7400 signatures. It was confirmed that the blasphemy law was being considered as part of a broader effort of justice reform. The government then included the repeal of section 296 in a bill to modernize the criminal code. The act consolidates and repeals many provisions now considered archaic or unconstitutional which is known as Bill C-51. The bill reached the Senate in December 2017 and passed third reading with amendments on October 30, 2018. The House of Commons considered and rejected them until the Senate agreed it "does not insist on its Amendments".