OTTAWA (LifeSiteNews) – With Christianity coming under attack from some of Canada’s own institutions, a Conservative Party MP introduced a Private Member’s bill that would designate December as “Christian Heritage Month,” saying this is only the “fair and right” thing to do.
“It is an honour for me to rise to introduce this bill, which seeks to make December Christian Heritage Month,” Conservative Party MP Marilyn Gladu for Sarnia-Lambton, Ontario said yesterday in the House of Commons after introducing the Christian Heritage Month Act.
“Canada is a country that celebrates all faiths. We have Sikh Heritage Month, Hindu Heritage Month, Muslim history month, Jewish Heritage Month and so many more. It is only fair and right that we have a Christian heritage month since there are 19.6 million Christians in Canada according to the last census.”
Gladu’s bill completed its first reading yesterday in the House of Commons, and the second reading will most likely come in the new year.
The bill reads that “In the negotiations that brought about Confederation, Canada was originally named ‘Dominion of Canada,’ a name reportedly inspired by the passage in the Bible (King James Version) at Psalm 72:8, which states: ‘He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.’”
The bill states that December in Canada marks “significant events and celebrations in the Christian calendar, from the beginning of Advent to the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ; And whereas, according to Statistics Canada’s 2021 Census of Population, Christianity is the largest religion in Canada, with over half of Canadians identifying as Christian.”
Because of this, “Therefore, His Majesty, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate and House of Commons of Canada, enacts as follows: Christian Heritage Month.”
While speaking to her bill, Gladu noted that December is the best month of the year for Christian Heritage month.
“What better month to pick than December? It starts with the season of Advent, the lighting of the hope candle, the lighting of the love candle and the lighting of the peace candle and joy candle and culminates in the lighting of the Christ candle as we celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ at Christmas, the saviour of the world,” she said.
Bill comes after Canadian Human Rights Commission suggested Christian holidays are ‘colonialism’
Gladu’s bill comes only shortly after an uproar occurred in the House of Commons after the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) suggested that those who celebrate Christian holidays, including Christmas, are exhibiting intolerance, and perpetuating so-called “settler colonialism.”
The CHRC was slammed for making the suggestion in a document it published on October 23 titled “Discussion Paper On Religious Intolerance,” which suggested that holidays such as Christmas and Easter are forms of discrimination and religious intolerance.
Last week, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was forced to admit that he said “Christmas is not racist” after MPs questioned the CHRC report in the House of Commons.
Indeed, most MPs condemned the report.
Yesterday, while speaking to her Christian Heritage Month Act, Gladu brought up the CHRC report and reminded Trudeau that he spoke out against it.
“We heard the Bloc speak last week about the importance of Christmas in Quebec. We heard the Prime Minister talk about the importance of Christmas to all Canadians,” she noted.
“I hope all my colleagues will join me in supporting this private member’s bill to make December Christian Heritage Month. Merry Christmas.”
Canada is historically a nation founded on Christian ideals and principles. The European settlers that came to Canada, from France and then later from what is the modern-day United Kingdom, were Christian and included missionaries who came to try and spread the faith to the local Indigenous populations.
Canada has observed Christmas since 1641, well before its official founding, according to some historical records. Despite this, the CHRC said that the nation’s “history with religious intolerance is deeply rooted in our identity as a settler colonial state.”
In 2021, a federal court directive mandated that all references to Christmas holidays be removed from all court calendars. However, the directive did not come from a complaint but instead was an internal decision.