MP Tables Motion on Religious Freedom After Montreal Church Hosting Christian Musician Targeted by Smoke Bombs

A Conservative MP is calling on Ottawa to safeguard religious freedom in Canada after a Montreal church hosting a U.S. Christian singer was targeted by protesters and the artist was attacked with a smoke bomb.

Ontario MP Jamil Jivani has submitted a notice of motion to the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage asking it to take action on recent attacks on the freedom to worship in the nation. The parliamentary committee’s portfolio includes culture, heritage, and human rights.

“Today, I submitted a notice of motion … concerning recent attacks on the freedom to worship,” said Jivani, who represents the riding of Bowmanville-Oshawa North. “We must protect religious freedom in Canada.”

Jivani took to social media this week to post his comments and a notice of motion addressing a series of religious attacks that have taken place across the country in recent years.

The most recent involves U.S. Christian artist Sean Feucht whose July 25 performance at Ministerios Restauración in Montreal drew dozens of protesters to the downtown church. Feucht is a Republican and has previously spoken out against gender ideology, abortion, and COVID-19 mandates.

A smoke bomb was thrown on stage at one point during his performance, but Feucht told the audience at a July 26 concert in Alfred, Ont., that he was able to dodge it. He said the smoke bomb was an attempt to set off the fire alarms to force an evacuation where concert goers would be met by “a whole group of really nasty people waiting outside.”

Jivani’s notice of motion asks the federal government to “recognize that protecting the freedom to worship without fear of violence or criminal intimidation is a fundamental part of Canadian heritage.”

It also asks the government to acknowledge that “Canadians are right to be disturbed by the attacks on Ministerios Restauración Church in Montreal on July 25, 2025.”

Feucht, who faced multiple venue cancellations in eastern Canada at the hands of municipal and federal officials over the past week, including in Charlottetown, Moncton, N.B., and Vaughan, Ont., due to “security concerns.” Officials in Quebec City and Gatineau also revoked his performance permits, but cited his “controversial” views as the reason for cancellations.

Montreal church Ministerios Restauración, which offered its facility for a performance after Feucht’s shows were cancelled in two Quebec cities, is now facing a $2,500 fine from the city for hosting the concert without a permit.

Ongoing Attacks

Javani is also calling on Ottawa to step up protection for all religious communities and places of worship in Canada.

“Additional legal protections and security measures are required to prevent criminals from targeting religious communities and attacking the freedom to worship in Canada,” his motion says.

The motion notice asks the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage to study the matter and convene two meetings to discuss issues such as implementing bubble zones for places of worship and increasing criminal penalties for attacks on religious buildings.

It also asks that a report detailing the committee’s findings be submitted to the House of Commons.

Jivani referenced attacks on Jewish synagogues, Muslim mosques, and Hindu temples in his motion, noting that violence against religious communities has surged in the past four years.

“Religious communities in Canada have faced increasing violence and criminal intimidation since 2021,” the motion reads, noting that Christian, Jewish, Hindu, and Muslim facilities have all been targeted.

The notice referenced the more than 100 Christian churches that have been “burned down or desecrated” in recent years.  Attacks against Catholic and some other Christian churches spiked in 2021 after the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation of Kamloops announced that ground-penetrating radar had detected the possible remains of 215 school children on the site of a former residential school.

The federal government provided a $7.9 million grant for field work to investigate the claims, but the site has yet to be excavated and no remains have been found.

Following the initial discovery, there were 16 additional announcements of potential unmarked burials at former residential schools. This was followed by a series of arsons and desecrations at churches across the country.

There were 90 arson attacks on places of worship in 2021 and 74 attacks in 2022, according to an Inquiry of Ministry tabled in the House of Commons in September 2024. Prior to 2021, government data reported 13 attacks in 2010, which then spiked to 45 the following year. From 2011 to 2020, attacks range from 30 to just under 60 annually.

Attacks against Jewish schools and synagogues have risen substantially since the Oct. 7, 2023, terrorist attack by Hamas on Israel, causing war to break out in Gaza. Some of the more notable incidents have occurred in Montreal and Toronto where several empty Jewish schools were sprayed with bullets.

Anti-Semitic incidents rose 71 percent between 2022 and 2023 for a total of 900 reported crimes in 2023, according to StatCan figures. While StatCan identified Jews as the leading target of hate crimes, incidents reported by Muslim Canadians were also up substantially at 94 percent for a total of 211 reports.

Muslim mosques have been targeted with multiple incidents of graffiti and vandalism since the war erupted between Hamas and Israel as well. The Masjid Alwadood mosque in Orono, Ont., a small town an hour east of Toronto, was one of the most recent targets after the front door of the building and seven vehicles were vandalized.

Hindu temples have not been exempt from violence either. A Brampton, Ont., temple was targeted two nights in a row by violent protesters last fall when Indian consulate officials visited the facility. Peel Regional Police said the protest was “declared unlawful” after weapons were seen in the crowd.

‘Sounding the Alarm’

Jivani announced last December that he was “sounding the alarm” about what he described as “anti-Christian bigotry” and was calling on the government to protect Christians rights.

The national initiative, dubbed “Protect Christians Canada,” is promoting a petition asking all levels of governments to implement more robust measures to safeguard religious freedoms and support Christian communities.

“We need to do more to protect Christians in Canada,” he said in a December 2024 video posted to social media. “We have to stop the crime spree targeting churches, including arsons and vandalism and we need to defend the legal status of Christian charities and the freedom of expression of Christian churches.”

The petition was authored by “concerned Christians” in Ontario’s Durham Region, which Jivani represents, and was signed by churches across the country.

Jivani has not issued an update since the December video was posted, but the petition was originally set to be presented to the government in February. Parliament was prorogued in January and was the country was thrust into a federal election campaign in March, which may have disrupted the original timeline.