There have been 463 reported cases of church arsons in Canada between 2016 and 2023, revealed the response to an Order Paper Question from Conservative MP Jamil Jivani.

In 2016, 35 churches burned. By 2021, the number spiked to 90 churches in a single year, coinciding with an explosion of anti-church rhetoric in the media and elsewhere. Even still in 2023, 74 more churches were targeted. 

Province by province? The Prairies, British Columbia, and Quebec were hotspots. In the worst years, over 30 churches were attacked in these regions alone.

These numbers are specifically arsons and do not include the thousands more acts of vandalism we know to occur regularly at Christian places of worship. You would think that this would spark urgent, national action. But instead, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau poured gasoline on the fire — figuratively speaking.

In 2021, Trudeau publicly stated that he understood why churches were being burned. Understood why. What kind of leader looks at the deliberate destruction of places of worship and expresses 'understanding' instead of condemnation?

His comments, of course, came as so-called 'mass graves' were alleged to have been discovered at residential school sites. But here's the truth: there were no confirmed mass graves. To this day, there is no evidence of mass burials. The claims were based on ground-penetrating radar anomalies and media sensationalism. Yet the narrative spread like wildfire, fuelling real destruction.

Churches, particularly those serving Indigenous and rural communities, were torched in acts of hate, justified by false claims and stoked by leaders who refused to speak the truth. Even when the evidence didn’t back the hysteria, the damage was done.

Now, the government points to its newly minted 'Canada Community Security Program,' announced in September 2024 — eight years after this crisis began. They're finally offering funding for locks, cameras, and temporary security guards. But let's be clear: this is too little, far too late.

Since 2016, only $2.5 million has been handed out to 92 churches under its predecessor program. Two-point-five million. That’s a rounding error in Ottawa and a pitiful response considering the scale of this crisis.

So where was the urgency back in 2021, when 90 churches burned in a single year? Why did Trudeau choose to 'understand' arson instead of condemning it? Why did his government sit on its hands while these sacred spaces were reduced to ash?

Let's be honest: if this were happening to any other religious group, the outrage would have been deafening. The media would be demanding accountability. Politicians would have mobilized immediately. But when it's Christian churches — symbols of Canada's deep Judeo-Christian roots — it's met with a shrug.

This isn't just arson, it's hatred. It's a direct attack on faith, community, and truth itself. It's time for Canadians to demand more than platitudes and press releases from their so-called leaders.

Justin Trudeau may 'understand' why churches are burning but real Canadians don't. We condemn it, and we demand that it stops.