As secular media continue to gaslight concerns about rising hostility toward Catholics, another church has burned in Western Canada.
The latest burning occurred on Feb. 21 when a fire “destroyed Sts. Peter and Paul Church” in Garden River, Sask. This burning has merited the RCMP comment of “suspicious.” It is an odd choice of words when churches continue to burn across Canada and Canada’s political establishment ignores rising hostility toward Catholics.
The Catholic Civil Rights League says “85 Catholic churches have been set ablaze or vandalized” in Canada. During the same time, Catholics suffered “from the biggest spike in hate crimes.” Violence is rising against a shrinking number of Catholics. Catholic parishes and charities are anxiously waiting to see if the federal government will strip their charitable status — a horrible policy recommendation that would effectively eliminate all Catholic charities. It would also impact thousands of the most vulnerable served by Christian charities, including refugees and those struggling with addiction.
Hoping and waiting for politicians to do the right thing does not work. Against these ongoing threats, Catholics need to build a coalition of political champions at all levels of government who will protect them.
Representing nearly a third of Canada’s population (according to the 2021 census) should come with some political clout. Still, Canada’s political environment is increasingly hostile to Catholics. We need to advocate effectively to secure our place in Canada and generate favourable policy outcomes for our families and communities. The timing could not be better to secure this objective.
There will be a federal election in Canada that could happen as soon as this spring or as late as October 2025. Catholics cannot afford to miss another opportunity to strengthen their advocacy. Despite what secular media and culture tell Catholics, we should not be ashamed of our faith.
Look around in our communities, where the most vulnerable suffer from addiction, economic uncertainty, and moral disorder. We can confidently rely on our faith’s timeless teachings, through Scripture, encyclicals like Rerum Novarum, and the life of Christ to offer the vulnerable compassion in a broken world. We cannot afford to meekly stand by and hold these timeless truths back.
I offer five suggestions to advocate effectively:
1. Host public debates again to mobilize and coalesce Catholic votes
The Archdiocese of Vancouver launched a successful all-candidates debate in the October 2019 federal election. Hundreds of attendees weighed the options and walked away with a clearer sense of what each party offered (or did not offer). Dioceses across Canada should host similar debates at the provincial, municipal, and school trustee levels. If parties decline or do not respond to invitations to debate, it’s their loss.
2. Streamline advocacy
Hundreds of lay associations overlap advocacy efforts. These organizations should coalesce their activities and pool resources. Catholics cannot afford to get in each other’s way (even with the best intentions).
3. Target engagement with relevant decision-makers
Measure progress by building influential relationships with staff and the policy victories they’ve gained for Catholics. Forget spamming inboxes with form letters that go unread.
4. Pick the best policy package offered and remain collaborative
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s departure means there will be a new Liberal prime minister. It has been a rough nine years for Catholics under Trudeau, to say the least.
Will circumstances fare better under Trudeau’s presumed replacement, Liberal leadership candidate Mark Carney, who himself is Catholic? If Carney has no policy commitments for Catholics, then they should consider Pierre Poilievre’s Conservatives, who promise to pass an anti-arson act, which would impose five-year jail sentences for first offenders convicted of attacking places of worship, and to grow a coalition to support harassed Christians.
Why stop there? Perhaps Catholics can get more policy mileage out of the Conservatives, especially if Carney starts to offer his own commitments. Whoever the candidate is, Catholics should remain collaborative and find something to work on, even if it is small. Adjust support if another politician delivers something better.
5. Do not be afraid—pray and draw inspiration from Christ
Catholics cannot be faithful if they are not civically engaged. Pray for clarity on how best to live civically in the public square. We are a participatory democracy and should not be afraid to protect our families and parishes. Otherwise, our faithful and country are both at a loss.
Benjamin Lamb is a senior consultant at Wellington Advocacy who served as a ministerial adviser in Ontario government ministries.
