The Christian Heritage Party (CHP) of Canada and the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) are taking to the courts next month to defend freedom of political and religious expression.

On Feb. 3, the Ontario Court of Appeal will consider CHP Canada’s case against the City of Hamilton, while later in the month JCCF's director of francophone operations, Olivier Séguin, will represent the Christian ministry organization Harvest Ministries International (HMI) in a Quebec City courtroom.

In 2023, Hamilton officials prohibited the political party from proceeding with a bus shelter campaign. The poster depicted a picture of a smiling woman with the slogan “Woman: An Adult Female.” JCCF is challenging the 2023 cancellation of a prayer rally in Quebec City.

Advertisement

In Hamilton’s rejection letter, CHP Canada’s Charter right to free speech was cited, but then critiqued the message for avowing “a traditional and biologically determined definition of gender in line with conservative values.” The assertion is that the ad could make persons who identify as transgendered feel unsafe.

Three Ontario Divisional Court of the Superior Court of Justice judges unanimously voted in favour of the city in late 2024. The court ruled the rejection did not contravene CHP’s right to express its political beliefs and that the manner by which Hamilton justified its refutation was not administratively unfair.

Jim Enos, CEO of the CHP Hamilton Mountain electoral district association, told The Catholic Register “we’re on the right side” of the argument in standing up for freedom of expression and that perceived shortcomings within the original court’s decision create fertile ground for it to be overturned.

“That was such a bad ruling,” said Enos. “It was just so one-sided. They didn't even talk about the Charter in the ruling. It was just their opinions, which is why we're at the Court of Appeal.

“You have to apply for a hearing. It is not (automatically) granted. We’ve been granted, so they must see some ground. They wouldn’t waste their time.”

However, the overall landscape in Canada for cherishing and safeguarding expression rights, particularly those espoused by a faith-driven entity like CHP Canada, is mired in uncertainty. On Dec. 9, in a House of Commons justice and human rights committee meeting, the Liberal Party voted in favour of a controversial Bloc Québécois amendment to Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, that removes the religious speech defence from Canada’s hate speech law.

Advertisement

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), Toronto Cardinal Frank Leo and the Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL) have expressed grave concern about the religious-text guardrail potentially being removed. All these entities denounced hate and discrimination in all its forms, but, in Leo’s words, they worry terminating this exemption creates “uncertainty for clergy, educators and all people of faith who seek to pass on the teachings of the Church with charity and integrity.”

They are joined in solidarity by the leaders of other faiths and over 37 different civil society organizations in denouncing this amendment.

Enos is unsure if Bill C-9 will factor into the oral arguments of CHP Canada’s case on Feb. 3. However, he is “a little anxious” about the larger picture of what this amendment to Bill C-9 represents.

“The world is not turning their focus towards God,” said Enos. “It hates God, and it's very evident. What people don't realize is that Christian Biblical principles formed the law we have today — except for the last 10 years, where they've gone sideways on us. If those are gone, then what is the moral ground for law?”

The debate over Bill C-9 is poised to heat up again within Parliament beginning on Jan. 26, eight days before the appeals court hearing.

Harvest Ministries International (HMI) will be in a Quebec City courtroom Feb. 23-25.

On June 2, 2023, HMI co-founder Art Lucier was informed just three weeks before HMI was set to host a 10-day prayer rally at the Centre des Congrés du Québec that the gathering was cancelled. The contract had been signed with the facility, owned by the provincial government, that January.

Then Quebec Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx, Status of Women Minister Martine Biron and Premier Francois Legault all said the agreement was cancelled because the evangelical organization would be hosting an “anti-abortion event.”

Advertisement

A lawsuit was filed against Proulx, Attorney General Simon Jolin-Barrette and the Centre des Congrés du Québec for material and moral damages. An out-of-court settlement does not interest the plaintiffs. They covet the moral win from prevailing in court.

Séguin is also involved in helping Ministerios Restauracion, an evangelical church, sue the City of Montreal. The city fined the faith community $2,500 for hosting a July 25 concert by Sean Feucht, an American Christian singer branded by mainstream media as a “MAGA Pastor” aligned with U.S. President Donald Trump. Seguin has also filed in Quebec City on behalf of Burn 24/7 Canada, a B.C. Christian non-profit that organized Feucht’s Canadian tour.