QUEBEC (LifeSiteNews) – The government of Quebec is being sued by a Christian organization after it was forced to cancel an event due to the presumption that it would include pro-life messages.
On Wednesday, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) announced that it is representing Harvest Ministries International in its lawsuit against the Quebec government, the Ministry of Tourism, and the Quebec City Convention Centre for “suddenly cancel[ing] a contract for the Faith, Fire, Freedom Rally that had been scheduled to take place in Quebec City from June 23 to July 2, 2023.”
“Harvest is claiming damages for ending the rental agreement without notice, and for the unconstitutional and unjustified infringement of its Charter freedom of expression and its right to be free from religious discrimination,” reads an August 9 press release from the legal group.
UPDATE (05/30/23): Major victory as York Catholic District School Board votes against raising LGBT flag
Your committment to this campaign has paid off – please continue circulating the petition far and wide, and read below about our huge victory at YCDSB thanks to people like you.
(LifeSiteNews) – During a May 29 York Catholic District School Board (YCDSB) meeting, trustees voted 6-4 against flying the pro-LGBT flag atop of its schools and other buildings in celebration of so-called “Pride Month”, in a move that has been met with pleasant surprise by pro-family advocates.
While the decision brought cheers from the crowd, some angrily shouted in protest and had to be escorted out by YCDSB security.
“The Cross represents all!” Myles Vosylius, a former student at Cardinal Carter Catholic High School in Aurora, Ontario, tweeted, celebrating the decision.
“The cross represents all!” – Faithful Catholic attending the @YCDSB meeting tonight, where the victorious decision was made NOT to fly the ‘pride’ flag! #YCDSB #CdnPoli #OnPoli pic.twitter.com/CSNCEQbS0c
— Myles Vosylius (@TheMylesV) May 30, 2023
While the YCDSB represents a victory for faithful Catholics in York region, many Catholic school boards have caved to pressure by LGBT activists and will fly “pride flags” during the month of June. However, increasingly, Ontario parents are fighting back as hundreds of students, reportedly predominantly Muslim, stayed home earlier this month when their schools flew the flag.
Parents have also begun to speak out against LGBT agenda being promoted to their children in schools. Pro-LGBT trustee for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) Wendy Ashby recently resigned after over 3,000 parents petitioned for her ousting.
Similarly, last month, a group of young Canadians protested a school-sponsored drag queen event in front of York Mills Collegiate Institute in Toronto.
Furthermore, Campaign Life Coalition is calling for parents to keep their children home from school on June 1 to protest schools flying the “pride flag.”
“Parents need to keep up the pressure, just like this, right across the country!” Fonseca encouraged.
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As Catholics, we are taught that we must love our neighbour and treat every individual as a child of God, accepted with respect, compassion and sensitivity.
Parents make a clear choice when they decide that their children will attend a Catholic school. They rightly expect that trustees, principals, teachers all partners in education will ensure that Catholic teaching is presented, lived and infused in all that we do. In that regard, the appropriate symbol that represents our faith, and the inclusion and acceptance of others, is the cross, which is visible at the entrance of every Catholic school. It is the primary symbol of our Christian faith.
We have created this petition to express opposition of flying the pride flag at schools for the month of June. Our kids should not be forced to celebrate anyones sexuality, and a flag will do nothing to keep anyone more safe. Its nothing more than a symbol of sexual celebration, completely inappropriate.
Catholicism and parental rights are being threatened, and we will not allow teachers who are LGBTQ to influence our children.
We are not homophobes. We are trying to shield our children from any sexual ideologies, both gay and straight. Children are minors who have a right to a normal and innocent childhood. We are not STAKEHOLDERS. We are parents. EQUITY is not and will never be the same as EQUALITY. Inclusion means EVERYONE and the York Region Catholic District School Board & its Union members are infringing upon our religious beliefs by suffocating our children with woke political agendas & indoctrinations when they should be focusing on educating our kids!
We love all humans equally. Hate is the wrong word to describe parents feelings about the climate in schools today. Parents protesting the pride flag at school do not harbour any negative feelings towards the LGBTQ+ community. We do however feel that their rights seem to supersede everyone elses. We also believe that kids should never learn about sex at school and we condemn any classroom discussion or public display that encourages or promotes gender confusion and same sex lifestyles in a classroom setting. We also strongly condemn the nature of several library books that contain sensitive material on homosexuality and transgender issues in elementary school libraries. Similarly, we harbour no contempt for transgenders as individuals but their insistence on using female-only spaces is invasive.
The promotion of a pride sticker and the likelihood that a flag will go up in June at all schools suggests a particular political agenda, which warrants examination. Concern about alleged incidents of bullying directed at the LGBTQ community within schools has been raised. However when requesting specific information on the actual number of such reports, it was communicated that the data is currently confidential and not publicly available. Despite clarifying that only the number of incidents was desired, the same response was given.
The lack of transparency and information provided by the York Region Catholic District School Board concerning alleged incidents combined with these extreme campaigns using safe space stickers to promote political agendas, raises necessary questions about their motives. Despite facing opposition from relevant individuals, including the Archbishop of Toronto and Cardinal Collins, who have both explicitly expressed their disapproval of such displays, the union and its members have vehemently insisted the stickers remain.
We must stand up against this before the Board caves to the pressure of political correctness and decide to raise the pride flag too.
Please share this. We must get as many signatures as possible before May 20th so that we may present a united front at this months meeting with this petition in hand that will speak for itself and will represent all of us.
Thank you.
Sheree D
The rental agreement was ordered to be nullified on June 1 by Caroline Proulx, the province’s Minister of Tourism, who said that the event was “against the fundamental principles of Quebec.” The Minister for the Status of Women added that “we are a resolutely pro-choice government” and that “I’m all for freedom of expression, but at the government, we have principles and we’ve decided to be consistent.”
Premier François Legault also said that “we’re not going to allow anti-abortion groups to put on big shows in public places.”
According to the complaint from JCCF, “an audience of around 1,200 people a day was expected to attend the Rally, which from Jun 23 to July 2, 2023 would feature large-scale prayer meetings, musical performances and other artistic and cultural presentations around the themes of faith and reconciliation between the founding communities of the Canadian federation.”
The venue’s CEO had initially offered to help the organization “find another location” for the event, which Proulx redacted publicly, saying, “there will be no support from the Convention Centre for the event to find another venue…let me be extremely clear about this.” She added that the CEO had “made a mistake” in previously stating that he would assist, as “it’s against the fundamental principles of Quebec.”
The JCCF document further states that “the Rally was not an ‘anti-abortion’ event; there were no items on the program relating to this particular theme.” Although Harvest “defends” its pro-life views “and intends to continue to do so,” the legal battle “is not about the merits of Harvest’s views on abortion, but rather about the fundamental rights of Harvest, its members and followers, to live out their faith, to express themselves politically and to assemble peacefully without state hindrance.”
In the aftermath of the sudden cancelation, the Christian group “actively searched for alternative premises to host the Rally, but to no avail.” It was reportedly “turned down by all 43 of the establishments it contacted in its search,” with some venues denying it “for fear of the controversy knowingly stirred up by the defendants.”
“In a sequence that combined a show of authority with orders issued under the watchful eye of the cameras, the Minister, the Society, the Minister for the Status of Women and the Premier himself singled out Harvest for popular vindictiveness because of her religious and political opinions, allegedly contrary to the ‘fundamental principles of Quebec,’” wrote the JCCF.
Harvest Ministries International is seeking $25,000 in damages caused by violations of freedom of religion, expression and opinion, peaceful assembly and “the right to equality without discrimination on the grounds of religion or political convictions.” It is also seeking “a judicial declaration of unjustified interference with its rights.”
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Quebec gov’t cancels venue for religious group’s event because they are pro-life