Defenders of religious expression in the Canadian public square are fighting back following the cancellation of a number of concerts by an American faith-based musician.

Building off outcry from Christians and free speech advocates in reaction to Parks Canada and numerous Canadian cities, including Vaughan, Ont., and Montreal, suppressing or cancelling performances from Sean Feucht, efforts are being launched to dissuade any future acts of apparent censorship from taking place.

On July 30, the Justice Centre of Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) announced that its legal team is working with Feucht and his team to hold the public officials who endeavoured to cancel him accountable for their deeds.

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In one instance, the City of Montreal fined Ministerios Restauración Church $2,500 for hosting Feucht without securing a permit. During the performance, a protester set off two smoke bombs in the church. Feucht ridiculed the move, posting online, "You don't need a permit to worship," similar to a response he gave to a CBC reporter's question which drew rounds of laughter from those in the media scrum.

Feucht, a native of Montana, has seen his “Revive in 25” tour get met with trepidation by various municipal leaders across the country because of his affiliation with the Make America Great Again Movement (MAGA) spawned by U.S. President Donald Trump.

Despite the cancellations and media outcry, Feucht still hosted numerous performances, with more to come.

Marty Moore, the lawyer leading the JCCF lineup working with Feucht, said a challenge must be mounted against officials who appear not to respect the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.   

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“The current crisis threatening the freedom of Canadians to gather for worship comes courtesy of cowardly politicians and government officials who refuse to uphold existing laws and constitutional protections for religious exercise and expression in Canada,” wrote Moore in a statement to The Catholic Register. “Cancelling Christian concerts in the name of 'inclusion' is just one example of the idiocy of government logic showing these officials' complete ignorance and disregard for the constitutionally guaranteed freedom to openly express one's religious beliefs in Canada.

“We don't need more laws limiting expression (such as bubble zones): rather, we need politicians and police to neutrally apply those laws, prevent violence and criminal harassment, and not allow the heckler's veto to dictate who can peacefully gather and express themselves in the public square.” 

Feucht noted in an Aug. 1 X post that “although I’m not a lawsuit type, there comes a point where fighting back sets a precedent that this will never happen again.”

Concurrently, Conservative MP Jamil Jivani is positioning himself as an ally in this fight on Parliament Hill. On July 28, the 37-year-old submitted a notice of motion to the Standing Committee on Heritage for his colleagues to recognize the importance of defending religious freedom. The Register sought a direct interview with Jivani, but the request was declined because of his busy schedule.

The statement calls on committee members to recognize that protecting the freedom to worship from fear of violence and criminal intimidation “is a fundamental part of Canadian heritage.” Jivani also wants parliamentarians to “acknowledge that Canadians have a right to be disturbed by the attacks on Ministerios Restauración Church.”

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More broadly, Jivani wants the heritage committee to concede that “religious communities in Canada have faced increasing violence and criminal intimidation since 2021.” He mentioned that over 100 churches have been torched or vandalized, Hindu temples have been targeted, Jewish schools and synagogues have been firebombed and mosques have been assaulted.

Finally, Jivani wants the committee to “recognize that additional legal protections and security measures are required to prevent criminals from targeting religious communities and attacking the freedom to worship in Canada.”