She wants to be the first woman to trek the length of the Americas
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National Post
2 hours ago
- National Post
Michael Higgins: Musician and pastor Sean Feucht raises Indigenous ire by cancelling himself
Kawartha First Nations, Ont. — Controversial American musician and pastor Sean Feucht, who has been deplatformed and unwelcome at venues throughout Eastern Canada, is now himself under fire for cancelling a prayer service at a First Nations reserve. Article content Kawartha First Nations, near Fenelon Falls, Ont., reached out to Feucht last week after learning that six of his concert events in Eastern Canada had been cancelled. Article content Article content Feucht and an entourage turned up around midnight Saturday to inspect accommodation and the venue at the First Nations Treasure Island Resort and were less than pleased. Article content 'Maybe he heard Treasure Island Resort and thought it was more glamorous,' said Chief William of the Kawartha First Nations in an interview with National Post. Article content The resort is more humble than the word would suggest, catering as it does to selling ATVs, servicing people who drive them and offering some accommodation to homeless types. Article content 'Even if the accommodations weren't the Taj Mahal, we believe worship is about humility, not comfort,' said Deputy Chief Steve Lesperance in a statement. Article content However, Treasure Island Resort does have a Christian ethos and was hoping to attract a couple of hundred people to hear Feucht speak, some from as far away as Sault St. Marie, Ont. Article content Article content Feucht had agreed to hold a 9 a.m. prayer service at the resort on Sunday, July 27, but after viewing the accommodation, his Canadian national director sent the First Nations an email at 5 a.m. cancelling. Article content In that email, Nichola Shilton said Feucht 'was appalled with the sleeping conditions of the lodging that was provided, especially after a very long few days. He also had two women travelling with him and could not put them through sleeping in those conditions. Article content In an email reply to Shilton, Lesperance said they had a clean mobile home ready for Feucht as well as accommodations for 15 crew. Article content Lesperance wrote, 'Cassie, Sean's road manager, told me, 'all they wanted was a place to lay their heads and a shower' after sleeping on the bus for the last few days. We delivered exactly that.' Article content Article content Article content It is ironic that Feucht has risen to fame on the back of his shows being cancelled in Canada, only to cancel on a Christian First Nation that had reached out to help him. Article content Article content A disappointed Chief William believes that Feucht's actions were decidedly less than Christian. Article content 'We offered to put him up for a week so we could pray here. We would have prayed in the parking lot if necessary. Article content 'He didn't seem interested.' Article content Canadian venues which were supposed to host Feucht suddenly found themselves citing 'safety' concerns after discovering the missionary and musician held strong Christian beliefs on a range of topics, including abortion, gender, and LGBT communities. Article content Feucht is also a major supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump, which, in the current climate, may have influenced the decision about whether to allow his concerts to go on. Article content Article content Feucht was supposed to begin a series of concerts beginning in Halifax last week at the York Redoubt National Historic Site. But Parks Canada pulled his permit, citing 'heightened public safety concerns.'
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
The Canadian passport continues to lose power, global ranking report suggests
The new Canadian passport is unveiled at an event at the Ottawa International Airport in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 10, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Sean Kilpatrick Canada's passport continues to lose power compared to other countries, according to the latest global passport ranking data. At last tally by the Henley Passport Index (HPI), a Canadian passport scored 184 points, meaning it allows travellers to visit that many global destinations out of a possible 227 without needing a visa. Canada is tied with Estonia and the United Arab Emirates for the eighth-strongest passport in the world, down from seventh, when the index was last updated. Since the beginning of the year, Canada's passport dropped an additional point, now totalling four points lost in the last decade, according to the index. The HPI regularly ranks 199 passports globally, drawing on data from the International Air Transport Association (IATA). Alongside Venezuela, the United States, Vanuatu and the United Kingdom — Canada is among the countries with the fastest falling scores, according to the latest data published on July 22. According to a release from Henley and Partners, who manages the index, this represents a broader trend. 'Traditional mobility champions are losing ground in an increasingly multi-polar world,' the release notes. 'As emerging economies liberalize their visa regimes and invest in diplomatic capital, legacy powers like the U.K. and the U.S. appear to be retreating behind more restrictive entry policies.' The U.K. and U.S. have also dropped a ranking each in the global passport leaderboards since January, to sixth and 10th, respectively. The two countries were once the most powerful passports in the world — with the U.K. taking the top spot in 2015 and the U.S. doing so the year before. Now, the U.S. is on the verge of exiting the top 10 list for the first time in the index's 20-year history. Singapore, Japan and South Korea are currently in the top three spots, with 15 European countries following after. According to the report, the Asia-Pacific region is a leading driver of global travel. Demand for air travel saw 5.8 per cent growth over the first five months of 2025 worldwide, with some regional variations, while Asia-Pacific airlines saw 9.5 per cent growth, they note. 'Your passport is no longer just a travel document — it's a reflection of your country's diplomatic influence and international relationships,' Dr. Juerg Steffen, Chief Executive Officer at Henley & Partners, said in the release. 'In an era of growing inequality and mounting geopolitical uncertainty, strategic mobility and citizenship planning are more critical than ever.'
National Post
6 hours ago
- National Post
U.S. politics threaten to complicate Canada's co-hosting of 2026 World Cup
OTTAWA — With less than a year to go until the 2026 World Cup, political tensions and U.S. policy threaten to pose problems as Canada, the United States and Mexico prepare to co-host the tournament. Article content Next year's FIFA World Cup will be the biggest ever, with the three countries hosting a record 48 teams. Between June 11 and July 19, they will play 104 matches, most of them in the U.S. Article content Article content Article content With millions of fans expected to cross borders to attend the games, U.S. President Donald Trump's harsh immigration policies — which include travel bans on some countries, immigration raids and mass deportations — are generating anxiety. Article content 'This is all being driven by the United States. And we're entirely the guilty party here,' said Victor Matheson, a professor at College of Holy Cross in Massachusetts who specializes in sports economics. Article content 'You could have significant immigration problems with fans and players going across borders.' Article content The U.S. has travel bans in place for 12 countries and restrictions in place for seven, and is considering banning travellers from another 36 countries. Article content Though there are exemptions for athletes, staff and families, the unpredictability of Trump's administration means no one knows for certain what kind of rules might be in place by the time the tournament starts. Article content Economist Andrew Zimbalist, who wrote a book on the economics of hosting the World Cup, said Trump has the ability to make it difficult for people to travel, but it's not clear whether he will actually do so. Article content Article content 'I think probably Trump himself might not have the answers because … he responds very impetuously to changes in his environment,' he said. Article content Concerns about visas or political opposition to Trump might lead some soccer fans to decide not to attend at all, while others opt to attend the games in Canada instead, Zimbalist suggested. But he also pointed out that the quarter, semifinals and final are all taking place in the U.S. Article content A spokesperson for Canadian Heritage said Canada could see a million international visitors during the tournament. Article content 'Given the tri-national nature of the event, it is anticipated that international and domestic travellers will move back and forth between Canada and the United States. The focus will continue to be on the flow of movement, the safety of travellers and the security of the borders,' the spokesperson said. Article content A spokesperson for the Canada Border Services Agency said the agency is working closely with federal government departments, host cities and FIFA 'in the safety and security planning for this international event.'
