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Yahoo
18 hours 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and Central Canada has put him in the spotlight in the past couple of weeks, as permits for some of his shows have been revoked amid an outcry that his controversial views are being given a platform in public spaces.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
a day 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.


CBC
19-07-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Wildfires prompt air quality alerts in Western and Central Canada
Air quality warnings are in effect for a large area of Western and Central Canada this weekend as wildfire smoke continues to choke parts of the country. Many communities in Manitoba, as well as northern Saskatchewan and Alberta, are facing air quality indexes of 10+, the highest possible rating.

Globe and Mail
10-07-2025
- Business
- Globe and Mail
Quebec braces for biggest hit from Trump's metal tariffs
President Donald Trump's proposed 50-per-cent tariff on all copper entering the U.S. will, like many of his other duties, disproportionately hit Canada. This country is America's second-largest source of imported copper after Chile. But as with Mr. Trump's earlier tariffs on steel and aluminum, the new U.S. copper tax, which he said would kick in on Aug. 1, will fall heaviest on Central Canada, and in particular, Quebec, wrote Robert Kavcic, senior economist at Bank of Montreal, in a note. 'Regionally, Quebec remains in the crosshairs, accounting for most of Canada's U.S. copper shipments,' he wrote. 'That would leave combined metal exports exposed to high tariffs north of 3 per cent of GDP, or twice the next closest province.' Copper is widely used in everything from construction to automobiles to appliances, and the spike in prices since Mr. Trump's tariff announcement will hit the bottom lines of a large number of industries. The impact of the tariff on jobs in Quebec, home to Canada's sole copper smelting facility and a major copper refinery, is still unclear. While it will take the U.S. years to build up its own copper mining, smelting and refining capacity, higher prices could put Quebec's copper industry at a disadvantage to rivals in China that can produce at lower costs. 'Even if a copper tariff would be relatively contained, it would be another shot that impacts business confidence more broadly,' Mr. Kavcic wrote. Decoder is a weekly feature that unpacks an important economic chart.


National Post
02-06-2025
- Business
- National Post
Chris Selley: Alberta NDP's divorce from the federal party trainwreck is better for everyone
It did not receive much notice in Central Canada, and if it had, it might have been seen as bad news for the beleaguered federal New Democrats. But the Alberta NDP's recent decision to uncouple somewhat from the federal NDP might actually help drag the national party's proverbial Maserati out of the proverbial ditch where Jagmeet Singh left it in a cloud of steam. Article content Article content Article content As schisms go, it's not what you would call violent: Delegates to the Alberta NDP convention in May voted to end the practice by which taking out a membership in the provincial party automatically came with membership in the federal party. Henceforth, provincial party members can 'opt out' of buying into the totalled Maserati. Article content Article content It could well just be symbolism can matter. The NDP has been unusual in this 'one party' approach. Provincial parties called 'Liberal' aren't necessarily affiliated with the federal Liberals (Quebec's are not and British Columbia's were not, notably) and nor are parties called 'Conservative' or 'Progressive Conservative' necessarily part of the same hive mind, never mind the conservative Saskatchewan Party or Alberta's United Conservative Party. The federal NDP are often described by their detractors as fringe or unbendingly 'ideological.' But they have a plenty big enough tent: Under the orange canvas you could find blue-collar workers, Big Labour, university campuses, the idle progressive urban rich, the urban working class, farmers, North-of-60ers, and, for a while, even Quebec nationalists. Article content Article content For all its radical elements, since its Jack Layton-led era at least, the federal party has usually been capable of sorting out these differences and keeping support at a reasonable level. But at this point there just aren't enough people left under the big tent anymore. On April 28 the campers broke hard and en masse for the parties that might wind up governing, and NDP stalwarts were left congratulating themselves on holding a balance of power with just seven measly seats and no official-party status. Article content Article content The way you get people under your big tent isn't to give them everything they want all the time. Conservatives accept (if grudgingly) that the power within their movement oscillates between (very simplistically speaking) old-guard Tories and more Reform party-influenced people. Less grudgingly, because their party exists for no purpose other than to wield power, Liberals accept that they'll have centre-left/nihilist leaders like Justin Trudeau and dead-centre or even centre-right leaders like Jean Chrétien and Paul Martin.