Tory MP tables religious freedom motion after smoke bomb attack in Montreal

MP Jamil Jivani wants "bubble zones" and stricter penalties for attacks on religious buildings following a smoke bomb attack at the Montreal church hosting Sean Feucht last week.

Alex Dhaliwal
  |   August 01, 2025   |   News   |   2 Comments

 

After a Montreal church event with a U.S. Christian singer faced protests and a smoke bomb attack, Conservative MP Jamil Jivani is calling on Ottawa to protect religious freedom.

Jivani submitted a motion Wednesday for the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage, which oversees culture, heritage and human rights, to address recent attacks on freedom of religion. 

Jivani was active on social media this week, addressing recent religious attacks across the country, saying, “We must protect religious freedom in Canada.”

Protests erupted following a July 25 service held by Republican Sean Feucht at Ministerios Restauración in Montreal. Known for his vocal opposition to gender ideology and abortion, Feucht gained prominence through his "Let Us Worship" gatherings, which defied COVID-19 restrictions and sparked a broader freedom movement.

MP Jivani’s remarks and the subsequent motion came after this service, where a smoke bomb was thrown on stage, causing damage to the church’s AC unit. Feucht caught the bomb and gave it to a supporter who threw it back outside, claiming it was an attempt to trigger fire alarms and force an evacuation into a waiting crowd of "nasty people."

The MP’s motion seeks federal recognition of freedom of religion as fundamental to Canadian heritage and acknowledges public disturbance over the attacks at Ministerios Restauración Church.

Feucht faced multiple venue cancellations across eastern Canada due to "security concerns," while others cited his "controversial" views for the revoked permits.

Montreal's Ministerios Restauración church was fined $2,500 for hosting a concert without a permit, which Sean Feucht insists was a service. "You don't need a permit to worship in a church," Sean Feucht said following the smoke bomb chaos. 

Jivani suggests the Standing Committee on Canadian Heritage examine "bubble zones" and recommend stricter penalties for attacks on religious buildings, with a report to follow in the House of Commons, to improve protections for religious communities and places of worship.

His motion highlighted a four-year surge in violence against religious communities, citing attacks on Jewish synagogues, Muslim mosques, and Hindu temples.

Meanwhile, over 100 Christian churches have been burned or desecrated across Canada in recent years. Attacks surged in 2021 after the Tk’emlups te Secwepemc First Nation announced possible remains of 215 children buried at a former residential school site.

A $12.1 million federal grant was provided for fieldwork to investigate claims, but the site remains unexcavated with no remains found.

Since the 2015 Truth and Reconciliation Commission report, 592 police-reported arsons have targeted places of worship in Canada, with 423 burnings and 90 arson attacks in 2021 alone.

As of January this year, only 12 people have been charged and one convicted of these crimes, prompting MP Marc Dalton’s Bill C-411 to impose harsher penalties, including a minimum five-year sentence for first offences.

In December 2024, MP Jivani denounced "anti-Christian bigotry" and supported the "Protect Christians Canada" petition, initiated by concerned Christians in his Durham Region constituency.

The petition has gained nationwide church support to strengthen religious freedom and protect Christian communities, but no updates have followed due to Parliament's January prorogation and the April 28 federal election.

LET US WORSHIP

25,893 signatures
Goal: 50,000 signatures
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Christian worship leader Sean Feucht is being shut down in Canada — six peaceful worship events cancelled simply for praising God in public. While pro-Hamas mobs are welcomed, public Christian faith is under attack. Stand with Sean to defend freedom of worship, expression, and assembly for all Canadians.

Will you sign?

Alex Dhaliwal

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Alex Dhaliwal is a Political Science graduate from the University of Calgary. He has actively written on relevant Canadian issues with several prominent interviews under his belt.

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  • Bernhard Jatzeck
    commented 2025-08-01 23:18:15 -0400
    In Canada nowadays, only those institutions and ideologies which are favoured by the Liberals are protected.
  • Bruce Atchison
    commented 2025-08-01 21:20:32 -0400
    Since abortion mills can have bubble zones, why not churches and other places of worship? Leftists get help but we believers in Christ are left out.