A Liberal MP is under fire for dismissing church arsons, some near his Hamilton riding, as “conspiracy theories,” as first reported by Juno News.

During House of Commons debate on hate-crime legislation, Liberal MP John-Paul Danko accused Conservatives of “repeating conspiracy theories” instead of addressing “real hate crimes.”

“If we want to talk about real hate crimes — I'm talking about Jewish members … covering their identity in public — that's the hate … this bill seeks to address.”

A Liberal MP accused me of peddling "conspiracy theories" and quoting "alt-right" media for talking about the 120+ churches that have been burned or vandalized on the Liberals' watch. I will always stand up against real hate and defend free speech. pic.twitter.com/hbX79Qx1oU

— Andrew Lawton (@AndrewLawton) October 4, 2025

Conservative MP Andrew Lawton accused the MP, and more broadly the Liberal Party, of downplaying anti-Christian violence, sparking a social media debate. Danko responded by accusing Conservatives of dividing Canadians.

The Liberal MP for Hamilton West earlier dismissed “alternative news” reports of church arsons as “alt-right” propaganda, despite a recorded 123 instances of arson or vandalism since 2021.

This year, at least five churches have been set ablaze, including vacant churches in Winnipeg and Newfoundland, a Catholic church in rural Saskatchewan, and a joint Anglican-Lutheran church in Manitoba.

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The most recent arson took place September 21, which destroyed the century-old All Saints Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Bellis, Alberta. 

This follows pushback from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre, who pledged tougher penalties for religion-based hate crimes, like arson, stating Christians and their places of worship are being targeted.

First time a federal politician has rightly called the church burnings “terrorist attacks”

These crimes against Christians didn’t happen in a vacuum.

Legacy media and Liberal/NDP residential school "mass graves" rhetoric fueled the violencepic.twitter.com/54hHUNhFDm

— Cosmin Dzsurdzsa (@cosminDZS) September 29, 2025

“One hundred churches have been burned,” Poilievre said in response to a Juno News query. “Christians may be the number 1 group that are victims of hate-based violence. But, of course, it's not politically correct to say that.”

Since 2015, 463 police-reported burnings have occurred at churches. This was the same year the Truth and Reconciliation Commission published its uncorroborated report claiming 4,100 residential school child deaths.

Before the report, there were typically 13 arsons annually. In 2021, police recorded 90 arson attacks. This follows Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation of Kamloops discovering 215 alleged graves, which they now refer to as anomalies since no remains have been found.

“Frankly, Canadians of all faiths, including Christians, deserve to worship in peace,” Poilievre told reporters on September 29.

His statement echoes prior remarks from 2024. “There is never a justification to burn down a church, and we as Conservatives have called for stronger criminal sanctions for arson against all who carry out these attacks.”

In June 2024, Conservatives tabled Bill C-411, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (arson — wildfires and places of worship), to address the carnage. If found guilty under the proposed amendments, an individual would spend a minimum of five years in jail for a first offence and seven years for any subsequent offences. 

The bill only received a first reading on June 19, 2024. It lapsed when then-prime minister Justin Trudeau prorogued Parliament. No parliamentary committee to date has examined arson attacks on places of worship.