Latest news with #AndrewLawton
Yahoo
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How U.S. Christian musician Sean Feucht put freedom of expression to the test in Canada
Had you heard of Sean Feucht before this month? If you hadn't, you likely have now. The U.S.-based Christian musician wasn't exactly a household name or selling out the biggest concert venues in this country, but his recent concert tour in Eastern and Central Canada has put him in the spotlight in the past couple of weeks, as permits for some of his shows have been revoked amid an outcry that his controversial views are being given a platform in public spaces. The 41-year-old preacher and activist has raised the ire of people for his support of U.S. President Donald Trump and his Make America Great Again, or MAGA, movement, and over comments he's made about abortion, critical race theory 2SLGBTQ+ rights and gender diversity. His supporters, including Canadian politicians like Conservative MPs Michael Barrett (Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands—Rideau Lakes) and Andrew Lawton (Elgin—St. Thomas—London South), have decried what they see as an attack on free speech, conservative viewpoints and religion. While some freedom of expression experts do not agree with Feucht's views in any way, they do see the efforts to cancel his concerts — especially those scheduled to be held in public spaces — as problematic and indicative of how censorship is being used as a means of tackling social issues rather than debating them. "Because freedom of expression is so fundamental in a democratic society, we restrict it only in the most extreme cases," said James Turk, director of the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University. WATCH | Multiple permits for Sean Feucht's concert tour denied or revoked: Safety or censorship? Over the course of the past week, Feucht saw permits revoked for his concerts in Halifax, Charlottetown, Moncton, N.B., Quebec City, Gatineau, Que., and Vaughan, Ont.— all of which were to be held at public sites. The City of Montreal attempted to halt his Friday night performance at a church, but it went ahead as scheduled. The church, however, is now facing a $2,500 fine for hosting the event without a permit. Feucht is scheduled to tour several cities in Western Canada late next month, including Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Kelowna, B.C., and Abbotsford, B.C. Turk said that public spaces are different than private venues, whose owners can choose who they do and don't host without violating the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. There are "a very limited number of reasons" why municipal, provincial or federal governments could justify cancelling an event like this, he said, and there would need to be "reasonable grounds to believe that the person is going to engage in illegal activity in that space." In most of the cases, officials cited safety and security concerns and not the content of Feucht's shows or his past comments. But Turk said he doesn't believe Feucht's performance would have created "such a threatening situation that local police forces wouldn't be adequate to handle it." "I fear that, as in many cases, the use of security as an excuse is just that — an excuse to otherwise to deny what's a fundamental right of freedom of expression in this country," he said. If there was a situation in which tempers could flare if critics or protesters tried to disrupt one of Feucht's shows, government agencies responsible for pubic spaces have an obligation to provide the resources to ensure safety and order, said Stephen Newman, a professor emeritus in the politics department at York University in Toronto. But in an email to CBC News on Monday, he wrote that acting on "unspecified concerns" and preventing Feucht's concerts from taking place in response to public outcry is akin to what is known as a "heckler's veto" — in which groups or individuals suppress or shut down another's speech by means of disruption, intimidation or even violence. LISTEN | Discussing why Quebec City cancelled Sean Feucht's performance: Capitalizing on controversy Feucht may have fewer gigs on his tour schedule, but he just gained a wealth of free publicity, said Dax D'Orazio, a post-doctoral fellow in the University of Guelph's political science department who researches freedom of expression in Canada. "If you generally disagree with someone, if you think their expression is harmful, you have to think really long and hard about what the best way to counteract that in society is," he said. "Sometimes calling for the cancellation of events Is not always the most strategic way to go about things." D'Orazio said performers like Feucht can earn "symbolic capital in public discourse" if they can claim they're a victim. Matthew Taylor, a senior Christian scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish Studies in Baltimore who has written about Feucht, shared that sentiment. "He's been doing these provocative, in your face, intentionally trying to draw a response from local officials, even trying to get barred or banned, and then he presents that as persecution, that he is the victim of anti-Christian bias," he told CBC News last week. Feucht, for his part, celebrated that he and his followers were triumphant over attempts to scuttle the performances, having rebooked some to other venues or properties. "The plan of the enemy has backfired BIG TIME up here!!" Feucht wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday. "Just like the book of Acts, what the activists tried to stop has now gone viral — IT BACKFIRED!! They are having to report on worship and the preaching of the gospel every night! We did not seek this controversy — yet God will use it for His glory!," he said in a separate post that same day, noting it was the third year in a row of bringing his "Let Us Worship" movement to Canada. WATCH | Feucht's show goes on after permit revoked for national historic site near Halifax: 'Price of a democracy' Both Turk and D'Orazio said they see a bad precedent being set by public agencies revoking permits for a divisive figure like Feucht. There could end up being a "tit-for-tat" situation,D'Orazio said, in which people or groups holding opposing views can target one another using Feucht as an example of public agencies shutting down events just because people on one side are rallying against the other. It doesn't matter if people view Feucht as spreading hate, Turk said, because it's unlikely anything he says would rise to the level of being considered hate speech in the eyes of Canada's justice system. Turk said in the case of someone crossing that line, they should indeed be prevented from having a platform. But beyond that, he said, freedom of expression must be protected for everyone equally — regardless of which views we hold. "The price of a democracy is we're always exposed to divergent views, some of which we love, some of which we hate."
CBC
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- CBC
How U.S. Christian musician Sean Feucht put freedom of expression to the test in Canada
Had you heard of Sean Feucht before this month? If you hadn't, you likely have now. The U.S.-based Christian musician wasn't exactly a household name or selling out the biggest concert venues in this country, but his recent concert tour in Eastern and Central Canada has put him in the spotlight in the past couple of weeks, as permits for some of his shows have been revoked amid an outcry that his controversial views are being given a platform in public spaces. The 41-year-old preacher and activist has raised the ire of people for his support of U.S. President Donald Trump and his Make America Great Again, or MAGA, movement, and over comments he's made about abortion, critical race theory 2SLGBTQ+ rights and gender diversity. His supporters, including Canadian politicians like Conservative MPs Michael Barrett (Leeds—Grenville—Thousand Islands—Rideau Lakes) and Andrew Lawton (Elgin—St. Thomas—London South), have decried what they see as an attack on free speech, conservative viewpoints and religion. While some freedom of expression experts do not agree with Feucht's views in any way, they do see the efforts to cancel his concerts — especially those scheduled to be held in public spaces — as problematic and indicative of how censorship is being used as a means of tackling social issues rather than debating them. "Because freedom of expression is so fundamental in a democratic society, we restrict it only in the most extreme cases," said James Turk, director of the Centre for Free Expression at Toronto Metropolitan University. MAGA-affiliated musician's Canadian concert permits denied 4 days ago Safety or censorship? Over the course of the past week, Feucht saw permits revoked for his concerts in Halifax, Charlottetown, Moncton, N.B., Quebec City, Gatineau, Que., and Vaughan, Ont. — all of which were to be held at public sites. The City of Montreal attempted to halt his Friday night performance at a church, but it went ahead as scheduled. The church, however, is now facing a $2,500 fine for hosting the event without a permit. Feucht is scheduled to tour several cities in Western Canada late next month, including Winnipeg, Saskatoon, Edmonton, Kelowna, B.C., and Abbotsford, B.C. Turk said that public spaces are different than private venues, whose owners can choose who they do and don't host without violating the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. There are "a very limited number of reasons" why municipal, provincial or federal governments could justify cancelling an event like this, he said, and there would need to be "reasonable grounds to believe that the person is going to engage in illegal activity in that space." In most of the cases, officials cited safety and security concerns and not the content of Feucht's shows or his past comments. But Turk said he doesn't believe Feucht's performance would have created "such a threatening situation that local police forces wouldn't be adequate to handle it." "I fear that, as in many cases, the use of security as an excuse is just that — an excuse to otherwise to deny what's a fundamental right of freedom of expression in this country," he said. If there was a situation in which tempers could flare if critics or protesters tried to disrupt one of Feucht's shows, government agencies responsible for pubic spaces have an obligation to provide the resources to ensure safety and order, said Stephen Newman, a professor emeritus in the politics department at York University in Toronto. But in an email to CBC News on Monday, he wrote that acting on "unspecified concerns" and preventing Feucht's concerts from taking place in response to public outcry is akin to what is known as a "heckler's veto" — in which groups or individuals suppress or shut down another's speech by means of disruption, intimidation or even violence. Capitalizing on controversy Feucht may have fewer gigs on his tour schedule, but he just gained a wealth of free publicity, said Dax D'Orazio, a post-doctoral fellow in the University of Guelph's political science department who researches freedom of expression in Canada. "If you generally disagree with someone, if you think their expression is harmful, you have to think really long and hard about what the best way to counteract that in society is," he said. "Sometimes calling for the cancellation of events Is not always the most strategic way to go about things." D'Orazio said performers like Feucht can earn "symbolic capital in public discourse" if they can claim they're a victim. Matthew Taylor, a senior Christian scholar at the Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish Studies in Baltimore who has written about Feucht, shared that sentiment. "He's been doing these provocative, in your face, intentionally trying to draw a response from local officials, even trying to get barred or banned, and then he presents that as persecution, that he is the victim of anti-Christian bias," he told CBC News last week. Feucht, for his part, celebrated that he and his followers were triumphant over attempts to scuttle the performances, having rebooked some to other venues or properties. "The plan of the enemy has backfired BIG TIME up here!!" Feucht wrote in a Facebook post on Thursday. "Just like the book of Acts, what the activists tried to stop has now gone viral — IT BACKFIRED!! They are having to report on worship and the preaching of the gospel every night! We did not seek this controversy — yet God will use it for His glory!," he said in a separate post that same day, noting it was the third year in a row of bringing his "Let Us Worship" movement to Canada. WATCH | Feucht's show goes on after permit revoked for national historic site near Halifax: Permit revoked for MAGA musician's concert — but show will go on 5 days ago 'Price of a democracy' Both Turk and D'Orazio said they see a bad precedent being set by public agencies revoking permits for a divisive figure like Feucht. There could end up being a "tit-for-tat" situation,D'Orazio said, in which people or groups holding opposing views can target one another using Feucht as an example of public agencies shutting down events just because people on one side are rallying against the other. It doesn't matter if people view Feucht as spreading hate, Turk said, because it's unlikely anything he says would rise to the level of being considered hate speech in the eyes of Canada's justice system. Turk said in the case of someone crossing that line, they should indeed be prevented from having a platform. But beyond that, he said, freedom of expression must be protected for everyone equally — regardless of which views we hold.
Epoch Times
5 days ago
- Health
- Epoch Times
Tory MP Launches ‘I Got Better' Campaign Against Expansion of MAID
Conservative MP Andrew Lawton has launched the 'I Got Better' campaign to challenge Canada's expansion of medically assisted death for those suffering solely from mental illnesses, and is drawing on his own experiences with depression for the campaign. 'This is an issue that's very near and dear to my heart,' Lawton said in an interview with The Epoch Times. 'Because I know that I got better and I went through that path to recovery, and I want to make sure others do too.'
CTV News
29-04-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
First-time MP Andrew Lawton wins seat in Elgin-St. Thomas London South
Former journalist and radio host Andrew Lawton has claimed the seat in the new boundary riding of Elgin-St. Thomas London South. Around 11:10 p.m Monday, CTV News declared the riding would stay Conservative blue, shortly after, Lawton arrived at the Columbus Club of St. Thomas to a rousing ovation. He received 50.2 per cent of the vote, defeating David Goodwin who received 43 per cent. 'Every single day we knocked on thousands of doors,' says Lawton, saying he was able to tune out the negativity online surrounding his past by connecting with people in person. 'When you show up at their door and say what matters to you? They have an answer. These are people that oftentimes don't even know whether their issue is with the provincial government, the federal government, and the municipal government. They know that something's not working, and I was really wanting to tell them what my solutions were and what I'm going to do for them if I get elected.' This is the eighth consecutive election this riding has been won by the Conservative Party. 'I would have loved to have seen a Conservative majority government, but at the end of the day, my first priority is to serve the constituents and advocate for the platform that they voted for,' says Lawton. He says the issues is the previous government ignored rural communities, the agricultural sector and manufacturing. He says those are pivotal in this riding. He adds he will be moving into the riding with his wife now that he's been elected. 'This has always been a riding that I wanted to devote my heart and soul to serving,' says Lawton. 'I plan to live in the riding. I plan to serve it, and I plan to do the best job I can'. He also thanked Karen Vecchio for her time serving as a three-term MP and her work with current mayor Joe Preston while he was the MP. 'It was painfully obvious coming into this that there would be big shoes to fill, and I intend to work as hard as I can to ensure that that legacy of community representation is alive and well,' he says
CBC
08-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Muslim group, constituents call for Andrew Lawton's removal as Conservative candidate in southern Ontario
An advocacy group that combats Islamophobia is urging the Conservative Party of Canada (CPC) to remove a London, Ont.-area candidate from the federal election ballot over his past comments about marginalized groups including the Muslim community, women and 2SLGBTQ+ groups. Hikma Public Affairs Council, based in London, is calling for an "unequivocal rejection" of Andrew Lawton as a candidate in Elgin–St. Thomas–London South based on his "well-documented pattern of deeply offensive and discriminatory remarks," it said in a statement on Tuesday. "Including Islamophobic, antisemitic, homophobic, misogynistic and anti-Indigenous commentary, Mr. Lawton has consistently demonstrated conduct fundamentally incompatible with the values of a democratic and inclusive society, especially in London." Hikma said it's deeply concerned about Lawton's divisive record. "Public office is not a platform for personal prejudice," the statement said. "It is a public trust. That trust must not be placed in individuals who have repeatedly demonstrated contempt for the very communities they would purport to serve." When reached for comment Tuesday, Lawton directed CBC News to his March 14 Facebook post, which said that while facing a lengthy battle with mental health challenges, he was "reckless, self-destructive, and said and did things that were deeply hurtful." "For me, at the time of my illness, social media became an unfortunate and extremely negative outlet. My past comments as a young man have been publicized at length and I remain deeply ashamed of my conduct throughout this period. "I cannot undo my past, but I can live by example and continue to be the best man I can be," Lawton wrote. Lawton is a former journalist who hosted a daily radio talk show on 980 CFPL in London and was managing editor of the right-wing online publication True North. He also authored a biography published in May about Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre 's political career. Lawton recently came under fire for his involvement in a group chat that included leaders of what became the Freedom Convoy during a federal inquiry into the Liberal government's use of the Emergencies Act to end the 2022 protests. The story was first reported Friday by the online news organization PressProgress. In a statement to CBC News on Friday, CPC spokesperson Sam Lilly said, "As a journalist, Mr. Lawton regularly communicated with a variety of sources through his reporting on the Public Order Emergency Commission. "Mr. Lawton wrote the only journalistic account of the Freedom Convoy, which was cited in evidence as a factual account of the protests: The Freedom Convoy: The Inside Story of Three Weeks that Shook the World. Mr. Lawton left the group after the commission hearings ended." Local residents protest Lawton's candidacy Last July, Lawton sought a CPC nomination in the riding that's been a Tory stronghold for decades, after Karen Vecchio, the MP since 2004, announced she wouldn't be seeking re-election. Lawton is running against Liberal candidate David Goodwin, the New Democratic Party's Paul Pighin and Oriana Knox of the Green Party. This isn't the first time Lawton's past has come under scrutiny. He ran in London during the 2018 provincial election but was dropped by Premier Doug Ford's Progressive Conservatives after social media comments he made condemning Islam and gay marriage had resurfaced. Some of these include a post on X, formerly Twitter from 2011, in which he wrote, "I'm thinking of starting an all-Muslim basketball team. They'll be called the Hezballers." In another post from the same year, Lawton wrote, "I left the Anglican Church when they made the decision to allow gay marriage." At the time, Lawton blamed his struggle with mental illness for the controversial tweets. He is a volunteer on the board of Suicide Prevention Middlesex-London. However, that justification doesn't cut it for some people in the largely rural riding Lawton is vying to represent this federal election. They said Lawton hasn't made himself available to constituents to explain or express remorse for his past comments. "I've heard a lot of pushback from the community with people who have also struggled with mental health issues and feel it's quite insulting that this sort of perspective is being relieved of all your past sins online," said Port Stanley resident Christine Rudman. "He has a very long history of pretty egregious comments and behaviour online in regards to marginalized groups, whether it's women, the Islamic community or the LGBTQ+ community, which is problematic because he's supposed to be representing more than just white [cisgender] men." "Elgin County's motto is Progressive by Nature — a proud expression of our region's values of growth, inclusion and forward-thinking leadership," said Devon Church, a member of Elgin County Pride. "Mr. Lawton's public record and personal views stand in stark contrast to this vision. His ideology does not reflect progress; it reflects regression. Electing him would move us backward, not forward." Rudman, a retired social worker, is among a group that plans to protest at Lawton's campaign office in St. Thomas on Saturday that she said will help people make an informed decision. "This isn't about red or blue. In this rural community, people vote blue ... they don't vote for the candidate, they just vote the colour, and I think it's really important now more than ever that people understand the values and ethics of the person they're voting for." More than half a dozen Liberal and Conservative candidates have been dropped from party tickets in the first two weeks of the campaign leading up to the April 28 vote over their controversial statements. The deadline to replace those candidates ended Monday.
