Pastor Tim Stephens of Fairview Baptist Church in <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/topic/alberta" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Alberta</a>, <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/canada" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Canada</a>, was acquitted by the province’s criminal court after he was charged with breaches of public health orders for opening his church despite government <a href="http://dailywire.com/topic/lockdowns" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lockdowns</a>.
Footage of police officers taking Stephens away from his <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/give-unto-caesar-alberta-pastor-jailed-again-after-police-helicopter-finds-secret-church-gathering-officer-quotes-jesus-to-justify-arrest" target="_blank" rel="noopener">sobbing children</a> went viral last summer as Canadian authorities made headlines for enforcing strict restrictions against public gatherings. Law enforcement at one point used a police helicopter to discover where his church had been secretly meeting after officers padlocked their building.
Stephens spent 21 days in jail and was served six provincial tickets for his alleged breach of public health orders. Four of the tickets had been dropped. The Provincial Court of Alberta cleared Stephens of the remaining tickets on Tuesday, according to a <a href="https://www.jccf.ca/pastor-tim-stephens-acquitted-today-on-charges-of-breach-of-public-health-orders/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">statement</a> from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms.
“This is vindication, not only for me, but vindication that the government grossly abused their power,” Stephens <a href="https://twitter.com/tim__stephens/status/1587504757337632768" target="_blank" rel="noopener">remarked</a> on social media. “In all of this, I rejoice since the gospel of Jesus Christ went forth in power, and Christ built his church. All glory to God!&#8221;
Stephens told The Daily Wire that all charges against him personally have now been nixed. However, one charge remains against Fairview Baptist Church, which the congregation intends to adjudicate. Lawyers from the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms filed a lawsuit against Calgary Police Service and Alberta Health Services for Stephens’ arrest in May 2021.
“While God has given me joy through this time and has poured out abundant blessings, it is important that government is held to account for its actions for the sake of everyone in our province and country,” Stephens commented.
Former Alberta Premier Jason Kenney was forced to resign since “putting pastors in jail turned out to be a terrible move,” according to Stephens. Premier Danielle Smith, who succeeded Kenney last month, has since <a href="https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/alberta-premier-exploring-pardons-for-covid-19-related-fines-and-arrests-1.6120925" target="_blank" rel="noopener">apologized</a> for the province’s violations of constitutional liberties and announced that she is accepting legal advice on pardoning those who were charged with violating lockdown orders.
“Our provincial government has certainly changed course,” Stephens continued. “Our federal government and other provincial governments still seem to have the appetite for mandates. Power can be hard to give up so it takes people of courage and conviction to do what is right in the face of coercion. That&#8217;s what we saw in Alberta. It became clear the restrictions were more based on political science than medical science. It is my hope that the church in Canada would be strengthened, and do the right thing before God.&#8221;
Lawmakers in the United States have expressed concern over the Canadian government’s actions toward pastors and congregants. Senator Josh Hawley (R-MO) mentioned Stephens in a <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-am-troubled-sen-hawley-asks-u-s-commission-on-international-religious-freedom-to-add-canada-to-watch-list" target="_blank" rel="noopener">letter</a> to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom asking the agency to consider adding Canada to its watchlist. He noted that Canadian believers were “forced to gather in secret, undisclosed locations to exercise their basic freedom to worship.”
There have been similar legal victories in the aftermath of lockdown policies by American pastors who defied the mandates. Pastor John MacArthur of Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, settled last year with local and state authorities, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/l-a-county-to-pay-400000-to-john-macarthurs-grace-community-church" target="_blank" rel="noopener">agreed to pay</a> the congregation a total of $800,000.

Canada court and steeple

‘All Glory To God’: Canadian Pastor Jailed For Opening His Church During Lockdowns Acquitted By Top Court

Pastor Tim Stephens Acquitted For Opening His Church During Lockdowns

Alberta

Canada

Christianity

Lockdowns

Religion

Religious Freedom

World

A four-time World Drivers&#8217; Championship winner on the Formula One circuit — who drives cars that voraciously consume gas and oil as he jets from race to race — was slammed after he wore a T-shirt at the Canadian Grand Prix condemning Canadian oil sands mining.
34-year-old German racer Sébastien Vettel’s t-shirt read “Stop Mining Tar Sands” with a picture of a pipeline, and added “Canada’s Climate Crime.”
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Sébastien Vettel, F1 Driver being based and awesome for the Canadian Grand Prix. <a href="https://t.co/hJXb2MpmZC">pic.twitter.com/hJXb2MpmZC</a>
&mdash; Ian B (@CanadianCentury) <a href="https://twitter.com/CanadianCentury/status/1537472303369437184?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 16, 2022</a></blockquote>
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“Mr. Vettel is just a man who loves to ride around at astonishing speeds in multimillion-dollar machines, which chug those dear old fossil fuels by the whale-load, in front of thousands of people who drive to his venues just to watch him,” Rex Murphy wrote in <a href="https://nationalpost.com/opinion/rex-murphy-hypocrisy-your-name-is-sebastian-vettel">The National Post.</a> “And he has illustrious associations, being sponsored by Aston Martin, with financing from Saudi Aramco, the world’s largest oil producer.”
“But, and it is a very good ‘but,’ when he has reached his next Grand Prix destination and the time comes to go to the racetrack, he travels from the hotel by bicycle!” Murphy pointed out.
Vettel <a href="https://twitter.com/Tommy_Slick/status/1537885557719638016">said during a press conference</a>, “What happens in Alberta is a crime because you chop down a lot of trees and you basically destroy the place just to extract oil and the manner of doing it with the tar sands mining, oil sands mining is horrible for nature.”
The Canadian Energy Centre, an Alberta provincial corporation mandated to promote Alberta&#8217;s energy industry, fired back.
<blockquote>@F1 driver Sebastian Vettel showcased his ignorance about Alberta’s #oilsands industry ahead of this weekend’s Montreal Grand Prix, calling the development “criminal.” Let’s discuss the heaping hypocrisy and open Vettel’s eyes to Canada’s achievements here: Formula One racing, a sport that relies on fossil fuels for pure entertainment, has admitted to its carbon footprint and indicated steps to reach net zero, bravo. That doesn’t change that fact that its current carbon emissions amount to 256,000 tonnes CO2 per season.</blockquote>
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Formula One racing, a sport that relies on fossil fuels for pure entertainment, has admitted to its carbon footprint and indicated steps to reach net zero, bravo. That doesn’t change that fact that its current carbon emissions amount to 256,000 tonnes CO2 per season.
&mdash; Canadian Energy Centre (@CDNEnergyCentre) <a href="https://twitter.com/CDNEnergyCentre/status/1537879194314711049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
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“Canada’s largest oil sands producers are addressing climate change by working together on an ambitious, actionable plan to reduce GHG emissions from oil sands production with the ultimate goal of net zero emissions,” CDN continued, “Since 2000, CCS projects in Canada, some tied to the oil sands, have safely stored more than 44 million tonnes of CO2, or the equivalent of taking more than 9.4 million cars off the road.”
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Since 2000, CCS projects in Canada, some tied to the oil sands, have safely stored more than 44 million tonnes of CO2, or the equivalent of taking more than 9.4 million cars off the road. <a href="https://t.co/4GQmOYDl9X">https://t.co/4GQmOYDl9X</a>
&mdash; Canadian Energy Centre (@CDNEnergyCentre) <a href="https://twitter.com/CDNEnergyCentre/status/1537879198404059136?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
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“In terms of decreasing its carbon footprint, oil sands #emissionsintensity decreased 27% since 2013, compared to 13% for other global producers. Total oil sands emissions – not just emissions/bbl – are expected to start going down in the next five years.”
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In terms of decreasing its carbon footprint, oil sands <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/emissionsintensity?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#emissionsintensity</a> decreased 27% since 2013, compared to 13% for other global producers. Total oil sands emissions – not just emissions/bbl – are expected to start going down in the next five years. <a href="https://t.co/6gG99BblvW">https://t.co/6gG99BblvW</a>
&mdash; Canadian Energy Centre (@CDNEnergyCentre) <a href="https://twitter.com/CDNEnergyCentre/status/1537879208948420608?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
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“Canada’s oil sands sector is often characterized as having a massive physical footprint on the environment, but as of 2018, energy development encompassed less than 1% of Alberta. #oilsands mining companies alone doubled the land reclaimed since 2009, reaching over 8,000 hectares in 2019. Oil sands producers have also collectively planted more than 25 million trees.”
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<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/oilsands?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#oilsands</a> mining companies alone doubled the land reclaimed since 2009, reaching over 8,000 hectares in 2019. Oil sands producers have also collectively planted more than 25 million trees. <a href="https://t.co/GVJuzDNrj1">https://t.co/GVJuzDNrj1</a>
&mdash; Canadian Energy Centre (@CDNEnergyCentre) <a href="https://twitter.com/CDNEnergyCentre/status/1537879213159550976?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
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“Canada’s industry’s strong environmental track record is thanks to large investments in technology &amp; environmental protection. Oil and gas producers are Canada’s largest spenders on energy cleantech, spending an average of $1B per year.”
“This is another instance of a celebrity with a net worth of $100M (who drives a sports car for a living) telling the 99% how foolish it is to rely on responsible sources of energy.”
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This is another instance of a celebrity with a net worth of $100M (who drives a sports car for a living) telling the 99% how foolish it is to rely on responsible sources of energy. To learn more about Canada’s leadership in <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/oilandgas?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#oilandgas</a> production, visit <a href="https://t.co/T4Mx0O1Fkl">https://t.co/T4Mx0O1Fkl</a>
&mdash; Canadian Energy Centre (@CDNEnergyCentre) <a href="https://twitter.com/CDNEnergyCentre/status/1537879218217811970?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 17, 2022</a></blockquote>
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&nbsp;

AUTO-PRIX-AUS-F1

‘Heaping Hypocrisy’: 4-Time World Champion Race Driver Slammed For Calling Canada’s Oil, Gas Mining A ‘Crime’

Sebastien Vettel slammed for wearing anti-Canadian oil drilling T-shirt, calling mining a "crime"

Auto racing

Formula One

Oil and Gas

Jason Kenney, Premier of Alberta, Canada, has announced that several COVID-19 restrictions, including the COVID-19 vaccine passport which mandated proof of vaccine for entry into various businesses, will end at 11:59 p.m. local time Tuesday night.  This is the first in a three-step plan to eliminate the majority of COVID-19 rules by the end of February and comes after weeks of massive protests throughout Canada against the government&#8217;s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“Now is the time to begin learning to live with COVID,” Kenney <a href="https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2022/02/08/alberta-to-ends-its-vaccine-passport-system-begin-loosening-restrictions-for-children.html">said</a>. “These restrictions have led to terrible division.”
“We cannot remain at a heightened state of emergency forever. We have to begin to heal.&#8221;
Earlier on Tuesday, Kenney pledged to &#8220;fight&#8221; Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau&#8217;s vaccine mandate for Canadian truckers.
&#8220;If the Canada-USA trucker vaccine mandate wasn&#8217;t bad enough, now Justin Trudeau wants to bring in a mandate for truckers going between provinces,&#8221; Kenney tweeted.
&#8220;Alberta will fight this every step of the way &#8211; including in court, if we have to,&#8221; he declared.
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If the Canada-USA trucker vaccine mandate wasn&#39;t bad enough, now Justin Trudeau wants to bring in a mandate for truckers going between provinces.
Alberta will fight this every step of the way &#8211; including in court, if we have to.
📽 WATCH: ⬇ <a href="https://t.co/YvUTSgAj1t">pic.twitter.com/YvUTSgAj1t</a>
&mdash; Jason Kenney (@jkenney) <a href="https://twitter.com/jkenney/status/1491112177192763394?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 8, 2022</a></blockquote>
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Truckers, following in the footsteps of the Ottawa &#8216;Freedom Convoy,&#8217; have been blockading the U.S-Canadian border, demanding that the Canadian government drop all forms of COVID-19 mandates and restrictions.
Kenney alluded to those protests and other Canadians upset with the restrictions as part of his nighttime address Tuesday night, <a href="https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/alberta-ditches-proof-of-vaccine-program-at-midnight-masking-for-students-monday-1.5772684">according</a> to Edmonton CTV News:
<blockquote>The premier also talked about how pandemic rules have &#8220;inflamed&#8221; disputes amongst Albertans and &#8220;disrupted and even destroyed livelihoods.&#8221;
&#8220;We&#8217;ll never be able to do a full accounting of the extent of the pain and hardship that restrictions have caused,&#8221; Kenney said.
The premier added that many countries, states, and provinces are also removing restrictions as Omicron case numbers fade.
&#8220;We cannot remain at a heightened state of emergency forever. We have to begin to heal, and so Alberta will move on. But we&#8217;ll do so carefully, we&#8217;ll do so prudently, we will do so only if it does not threaten the capacity of our healthcare system,&#8221; Kenney said.</blockquote>
Prior to the announcement, political opponents accused Kenney of placating &#8220;criminals,&#8221; in <a href="https://edmonton.ctvnews.ca/alberta-ditches-proof-of-vaccine-program-at-midnight-masking-for-students-monday-1.5772684">reference to the truckers</a> leading the protests, CTV News noted:
<blockquote>“The sight of an elected government being bent to the will of criminals should be of grave concern to everyone regardless of their political beliefs,&#8221; NDP Leaders Rachel Notley said Monday.</blockquote>
While Kenney no longer supports the government mandating that businesses require proof of COVID-19 vaccine for customers, the Alberta premiere did say that he would support a businesses&#8217; right to choose if they wanted to have a vaccine passport of their own. Kenney cited the &#8220;free market&#8221; as part of his reasoning, but also added that he hoped Canada could move away from &#8220;all&#8221; pandemic measures.
<blockquote>RELATED:
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/new-freedom-convoy-fundraiser-raises-2-million-in-single-day-with-more-than-4-million-total">New Freedom Convoy Fundraiser Raises $2 Million In Single Day, With More Than $4 Million Total</a>
<a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/you-will-live-to-regret-this-jordan-peterson-blasts-ottawa-mayor-maligning-truckers-convoy">‘You Will Live To Regret This’: Jordan Peterson Blasts Ottawa Mayor Maligning Truckers’ Convoy</a></blockquote>
This is a developing news story; check back for updates.

Canada semi

Alberta, Canada, To End Vaccine Passport By Midnight

Freedom Convoy

The Canadian pastor who was recently jailed when a police helicopter found where his outdoor congregation was gathering noted how his imprisonment allowed him to minister to his fellow inmates.
Pastor Tim Stephens of Calgary, Alberta, also addressed the implications of the ongoing <a href="https://thefederalist.com/2021/07/13/anti-christian-hysteria-has-grown-into-church-burning-terror-and-people-might-be-next/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">church arsons</a> in Canada, during an exclusive interview (video below) with conservative Canadian outlet Rebel News.
Stephens made <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-jailed-canadian-pastor-tim-stephens-released-after-international-attention" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">international headlines</a> in June after a police helicopter found his outdoor church service and Calgary Police took him to a maximum security prison while his young children sobbed.
Stephens said when his fellow inmates at the Calgary Remand Centre realized why he had been arrested, they considered it unjust.
&#8220;When they understood why I was there, they didn&#8217;t think it was right for me to be there,&#8221; said Stephens. &#8220;They would call me &#8216;pastor,&#8217; they would open up about their own problems and want counsel, want advice. Even inmates who were hardened atheists came to appreciate where I was coming from and we developed a good friendship among those other inmates there in jail.&#8221;
Stephens&#8217; experience in prison mirrored that of Pastor James Coates from Edmonton, who was also jailed for holding church services. As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/it-was-precious-to-me-canadian-pastor-jailed-for-holding-church-services-recounts-touching-moment-he-was-freed" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">highlighted</a>, Coates recounted in March how prisoners sought him out for spiritual help when they learned who he was.
&#8220;Once I got into [general population], I would have guys often come to my door and want to speak with me and would share difficulties in their life with me, and I would share the gospel with them,&#8221; Coates said. &#8220;We’d be talking through a door to each other, but I would share the gospel with them. That happened often, where guys would just come to me.&#8221;
Remembering the time when he was released, Coates said, &#8220;Just to kind of show the affection that we had for each other, in the moment I was leaving, I turned around … and I lifted up my hand to wave, and the doors of the pod began to shake as the men in their cells just banged on their doors as a sign of support, love, [and] affection.”
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-am-troubled-sen-hawley-asks-u-s-commission-on-international-religious-freedom-to-add-canada-to-watch-list" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘I Am Troubled’: Sen. Hawley Asks U.S. Commission On International Religious Freedom To Add Canada To Watch List</a>
Pivoting to the <a href="https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9790125/Dozens-Canadas-Christian-churches-burned-vandalized.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">dozens of churches</a> that have been torched in recent weeks from Nova Scotia to Vancouver, Stephens said there is &#8220;no question&#8221; that prevailing cultural attitudes are turning against Christians, especially because of their unwillingness to embrace the Left&#8217;s views of marriage, sexuality, and gender.
&#8220;Just look at how the Christian view of marriage and sexuality is seen,&#8221; he said. &#8220;It&#8217;s seen as backwards, as disgusting, as intolerable to say that marriage is between one man and one woman, and that things like homosexuality and transgenderism are against God&#8217;s creational norms. That&#8217;s seen as very offensive.&#8221;
Given the alleged correlation between the church burnings and lingering resentment about Canada&#8217;s Indian residential school program for indigenous children, Stephens acknowledged the tragedy of what took place at some of those schools.
Often administered by churches, Canada&#8217;s Indian residential school program was a government-funded program in the late 19th and 20th centuries that forced indigenous children into boarding schools to assimilate them to Canadian culture. Canadian churches and politicians have since apologized for the program, during which many children died from disease and suffered abuse.
Stephens claimed, however, that the program was ultimately a result of the Canadian government overstepping its legitimate authority, which he said they continue to do in other ways.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/give-unto-caesar-alberta-pastor-jailed-again-after-police-helicopter-finds-secret-church-gathering-officer-quotes-jesus-to-justify-arrest?%3Futm_source=twitter&amp;utm_medium=social&amp;utm_campaign=dwtwitter" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘Give Unto Caesar’: Alberta Pastor Jailed Again After Police Helicopter Finds Secret Church Gathering; Officer Quotes Jesus To Justify Arrest</a>
&#8220;It&#8217;s a tragedy what&#8217;s happened,&#8221; he said of the schools. &#8220;But the blame cannot be placed solely on the Christian church. What has happened then is actually what&#8217;s happening now, when the government is taking responsibility in areas that are not theirs to exercise responsibility.&#8221;
Placing primary blame for the government&#8217;s residential school program on churches, Stephens said, is similar to when Nero started the Great Fire of Rome and blamed it on Christians in the first century.
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="EXCLUSIVE: Pastor Tim Stephens first interview following release from jail" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ATYi3OlVpMM?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/dark-days-church-arsonists-plunging-canada-toward-kristallnacht-levels-of-evil-journalist-warns" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘Dark Days’: Church Arsonists Plunging Canada Toward ‘Kristallnacht’ Levels Of Evil, Journalist Warns</a>

Persecuted Christian

WATCH: Jailed Canadian Pastor Hunted By Police Copter Talks Church Arsons, Recounts Ministering To Inmates

Arson

Suspected arsonists torched a Protestant Vietnamese church in Calgary, Alberta, on Sunday, in the latest attack against Canadian Christians following the discovery of unmarked indigenous graves at residential school sites once run by the Catholic Church.
The Calgary Vietnamese Alliance Church, a congregation made up mostly of refugees from southeast Asia, suffered extensive damage to its sanctuary during the blaze.
“We are refugees with no means. We escaped from Vietnam to come here to get more freedom, to live and we think it was a good country — and now it happened to our church,” Pastor Thai Nguyen <a href="https://www.thecountersignal.com/news/calgary-refugee-church-arson" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> The Counter Signal on Monday.
Sunday was the first Sunday that the church was legally allowed to gather in person since Alberta <a href="https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/alberta-lifts-nearly-all-covid-19-rules-in-stage-3-releases-guidelines-for-workplace-safety-and-kids-activities" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">entered</a> into Stage 3 of its mandatory COVID-19 rules on July 1. A visibly discouraged Nguyen explained that since their building has been burned, they have been forced back online.
Referring both to the arson attacks and the government lockdowns, he added, &#8220;Maybe it is not safe to be here in Canada compared to Vietnam.&#8221;
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="TERRORIST ATTACK on Refugee Church in Calgary" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/_UbBTlnYilc?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, whose province bears the distinction of having <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-new-documentary-details-government-crackdown-on-canadian-christians-likens-to-communist-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">jailed</a> more Christian pastors than any other democratic country, condemned the church attacks, tweeting, &#8220;Another appalling arson attack on an Alberta Church. The Alliance House of Prayer has congregations of Vietnamese &amp; Filipino Canadians. Many of the Vietnamese came here as refugees. These acts of hatred targeting the diverse Christian community must end.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-new-documentary-details-government-crackdown-on-canadian-christians-likens-to-communist-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WATCH: New Documentary Details Government Crackdown On Canadian Christians, Likens To Communist China</a>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Another appalling arson attack on an Alberta Church. The Alliance House of Prayer has congregations of Vietnamese &amp; Filipino Canadians. Many of the Vietnamese came here as refugees. 
These acts of hatred targeting the diverse Christian community must end.<a href="https://t.co/RlHxoHjKCu">https://t.co/RlHxoHjKCu</a>
&mdash; Jason Kenney (@jkenney) <a href="https://twitter.com/jkenney/status/1412101362792292355?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 5, 2021</a></blockquote>
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<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jul/04/canada-burned-churches-indigenous-catholicism" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Several churches</a> have been burned and some completely destroyed in Canada since hundreds of unmarked indigenous graves have been discovered at sites of residential schools in Saskatchewan, Manitoba, and British Columbia.
The residential school program, for which Canadian churches and politicians have since apologized, was a government-funded program in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that forced indigenous children into boarding schools to assimilate them to Canadian culture. For a time they were run by Christian churches.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/trudeau-demands-papal-apology-on-canadian-soil-for-unmarked-indigenous-graves" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trudeau Demands Papal Apology On Canadian Soil For Unmarked Indigenous Graves</a>
Some indigenous Canadians who were involved in the residential school program condemned the attacks. As the CBC <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/residential-school-survivors-end-church-arson-1.6090511" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a>:
<blockquote>During a news conference Monday, residential school survivor Jessie Malcolm condemned the vandalism while fighting back tears.
&#8220;It&#8217;s not going to bring back anybody,&#8221; she said.
Jenn Allan-Riley, a Sixties Scoop survivor and the daughter of a residential school survivor, said the acts of vandalism are sowing discord between Indigenous people and the rest of Canada.
&#8220;Burning down churches is not in solidarity with us Indigenous people,&#8221; Allan-Riley told the news conference.
&#8220;Whoever is doing this, you&#8217;re going to wake up a very ugly, evil spirit in this country,&#8221; she said.</blockquote>
Ten instances of suspected church vandalism occurred in the Calgary area on Canada Day last week, the holiday that marks the Dominion of Canada’s establishment in 1867. The suspected crimes prompted a statement from the Calgary Police, who also offered commentary on the residential school program.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">
Officers are investigating vandalism at 10 churches. 
We must never forget residential schools are a part of our legacy that destroyed the lives of so many Indigenous families. But vandalism like this only creates further division, fear and destruction.<a href="https://t.co/ufMGOlJ4X6">https://t.co/ufMGOlJ4X6</a>
&mdash; Calgary Police (@CalgaryPolice) <a href="https://twitter.com/CalgaryPolice/status/1410717881638088705?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 1, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/failed-state-protesters-in-canada-topple-statues-of-queens-victoria-elizabeth-ii-as-police-look-on" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘Failed State’: Protesters In Canada Topple Statues Of Queens Victoria, Elizabeth II As Police Look On</a>

ALBERTA, CANADA – JULY 01: Firefighters inspect the damage at the Roman Catholic St. Jean Baptiste church destroyed by fire in Morinville, Alberta on Thursday, July 1, 2021.

Church Of Vietnamese Refugees Torched In Latest Apparent Anti-Christian Arson In Canada

Vietnam

Pastor Tim Stephens of Calgary, Alberta, who was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/give-unto-caesar-alberta-pastor-jailed-again-after-police-helicopter-finds-secret-church-gathering-officer-quotes-jesus-to-justify-arrest" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">jailed</a> last month after a police helicopter found his outdoor church service, was released from prison Thursday after his case drew international attention.
Stephens&#8217; jail sentence at the maximum-security Calgary Remand Centre had reportedly been extended to July 12 last week, but the court order under which he was arrested was rescinded on July 1 as Alberta <a href="https://edmontonjournal.com/news/local-news/alberta-lifts-nearly-all-covid-19-rules-in-stage-3-releases-guidelines-for-workplace-safety-and-kids-activities" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">enters</a> into Stage 3 of its mandatory COVID-19 rules.
In an interview with Rebel News, which also captured footage of him as he reunited with his family, Stephens expressed gratitude. &#8220;Today is a very thankful day,&#8221; he said. &#8220;I&#8217;m thankful that the restrictions are done and rescinded, including the court orders that go along with that.&#8221; He also thanked his legal counsel at the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, as well as those in the community who supported him and his family.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/judge-finds-canadian-pastor-guilty-of-contempt-for-holding-worship-services-other-pastor-has-jail-sentence-extended" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Judge Finds Canadian Pastor Guilty Of Contempt For Holding Worship Services; Other Pastor Has Jail Sentence Extended</a>
&#8220;But most of all, I&#8217;m thankful for God, I&#8217;m thankful that he&#8217;s built his church, that he&#8217;s sustained our church at Fairview Baptist Church. I&#8217;m thankful that he strengthened me, my wife, and our family, and that through this people have come to know the saving love of the Lord Jesus Christ through this. People have been strengthened in this country and around the world, and so for these many reasons I&#8217;m thankful.&#8221;
He added &#8220;there is still a road ahead of us for justice, for truth, for our province[.]&#8221;
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Pastor Tim Stephens Released From Calgary Remand Centre" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/oPYaGulhL9k?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/give-unto-caesar-alberta-pastor-jailed-again-after-police-helicopter-finds-secret-church-gathering-officer-quotes-jesus-to-justify-arrest" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a>, Stephens made international headlines when Calgary Police showed up at his house to arrest him a second time after a police helicopter found where his church was gathering outside after authorities locked his church building.
After blaming the pastor for creating the unpleasant situation, the arresting officer suggested that obeying Alberta’s lockdown order was like when Jesus said Jews should pay taxes to the Roman government. “Even God said, you know, ‘Give unto Caesar what is Caesar’s,’ right? So we’re not getting into this philosophical debate,” he argued.
“And the gathering of the church is not Caesar’s,” Stephens retorted. “So that’s why we’re gathering.”
Despite his release and the repeal of the court order, Stephens faces another court date on July 14. Also facing an upcoming court date is Pastor Artur Pawlowski, who recently <a href="https://video.foxnews.com/v/6261812956001/#sp=show-clips" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> Fox News host Jeanine Pirro that he faces potentially four years in prison for holding church services in violation of Alberta&#8217;s Public Health Act. In addition to being found guilty of contempt of court order, Pawlowski explained that he has also been found guilty of &#8220;inciting people to come to church.&#8221;
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-am-troubled-sen-hawley-asks-u-s-commission-on-international-religious-freedom-to-add-canada-to-watch-list" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">urged</a> the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (<a href="https://www.uscirf.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">USCIRF</a>) to consider adding Canada to its watch list because of how the country has treated pastors and churches in the name of COVID-19.
“Frankly, I would expect this sort of religious crackdown in Communist China, not in a prominent Western nation like Canada. Canadian authorities’ arrest of faith leaders and seizure of church property, among other enforcement actions, appear to constitute systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom,” Hawley wrote in part.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-new-documentary-details-government-crackdown-on-canadian-christians-likens-to-communist-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WATCH: New Documentary Details Government Crackdown On Canadian Christians, Likens To Communist China</a>

Screen Shot 2021-07-02 at 10.51.38 AM

WATCH: Jailed Canadian Pastor Tim Stephens Released After International Attention

Pastors Artur Pawlowski and Tim Stephens both experienced setbacks in their battles with Alberta authorities Monday when a judge found Pawlowski and his brother guilty of contempt and Stephens had his prison sentence extended.
Pawlowski and his brother David, who made international headlines in May when they were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nazi-cowards-calgary-police-arrest-polish-pastor-who-refused-to-allow-police-health-officials-to-disrupt-service" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">arrested</a> in the middle of a busy highway on their way home from church, were found guilty of contempt of court order by Court of Queen&#8217;s Bench Justice Adam Germain for holding services at their Fortress (Cave) of Adullam Street Church in defiance of Alberta&#8217;s Public Health Act.
Artur was found guilty on two counts and David found guilty on one.
In an exclusive reaction given to <a href="https://www.rebelnews.com/pastor_artur_guilty_for_contempt_of_court_for_hosting_worship_services" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rebel News</a>, who is also raising money for his legal defense fund, Pawlowski said he was &#8220;saddened&#8221; by the court&#8217;s ruling, and claimed Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and members of his cabinet should be also be found in contempt of court order for violating their own COVID-19 lockdown rules when they were secretly photographed dining on the top of the Federal Building in Edmonton earlier this month.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/premier-of-canadian-province-jailing-pastors-caught-violating-own-covid-19-rules-24-times-during-one-dinner" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Premier Of Canadian Province Jailing Pastors Caught Violating Own COVID-19 Rules 24 Times During One Dinner</a>
&#8220;The level of hypocrisy right now is unbelievable,&#8221; he said. &#8220;The level of double standards that we see right now in our system, it&#8217;s shocking, it&#8217;s heartbreaking, and saddens me greatly. Because what kind of a country are we going to have when the ministers that are putting the orders, they themselves do not care about those orders? They&#8217;re breaking their own mandates and they don&#8217;t care about the justice system.&#8221;
After explaining how the tactics of Alberta authorities echo those of the communists who ran Poland when he grew up there, he asked viewers to pray for him and his brother, who potentially face further imprisonment at their sentencing on July 27.
&#8220;I need your prayers. Please pray so this evil, this great evil that we&#8217;re witnessing in our country is going to be revoked, broken, and what else can I say? We will keep speaking the truth, we will keep fighting for the future of this country so Canada will stand strong and free.&#8221;
&#8220;O Canada, we stand on guard for thee,&#8221; he added, quoting the Canadian national anthem.
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="EXCLUSIVE: Pastor Artur reacts to guilty verdict in contempt case" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/PeUDlPGXtAY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
&nbsp;
During a recent interview with The Christian Post, Pawlowski <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/jailed-canadian-pastor-alleges-double-standard-for-muslims-regarding-lockdown-enforcement" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">claimed</a> authorities are singling out Christian pastors for lockdown violations while leaving Muslims undisturbed.
Pastor Tim Stephens of Fairview Baptist Church, also from Calgary, <a href="https://www.rebelnews.com/pastor_tim_stephens_to_remain_in_jail_until_july_12_court_date" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">learned</a> Monday that his sentence at the Calgary Remand Centre will be extended until July 12. Stephens was arrested for a second time June 14 after a police helicopter found where his congregation was gathering outside. The arresting officer quoted the New Testament in an apparent attempt to justify arresting the pastor while his young children sobbed.
By spending almost a month in a maximum-security prison, Stephens will join Pastor James Coates of GraceLife Church in Edmonton, who spent 35 days at the Edmonton Remand Centre. Police and health authorities later raided Coates&#8217; church at dawn, locked it, and barricaded it behind three layers of fencing. His congregation has since secretly been meeting underground.
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="UPDATE: Pastor Tim Stephens to remain in jail until July 12 court date" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TlJBiLOFTFk?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) on Thursday <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/i-am-troubled-sen-hawley-asks-u-s-commission-on-international-religious-freedom-to-add-canada-to-watch-list" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">urged</a> the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (<a href="https://www.uscirf.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">USCIRF</a>) to consider adding Canada to its watch list because of how the country has treated pastors and churches in the name of COVID-19.
“Frankly, I would expect this sort of religious crackdown in Communist China, not in a prominent Western nation like Canada. Canadian authorities’ arrest of faith leaders and seizure of church property, among other enforcement actions, appear to constitute systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom,” Hawley wrote in part.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-new-documentary-details-government-crackdown-on-canadian-christians-likens-to-communist-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WATCH: New Documentary Details Government Crackdown On Canadian Christians, Likens To Communist China</a>

Judge Finds Canadian Pastor Guilty Of Contempt For Holding Worship Services; Other Pastor Has Jail Sentence Extended

Persecution

A Polish-Canadian pastor who was arrested and jailed for holding church services in defiance of Alberta’s Public Health Act alleged that provincial health officials and law enforcement apply a different standard to Muslims who violate lockdown orders.
Pastor Artur Pawlowski, who made international headlines when he was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nazi-cowards-calgary-police-arrest-polish-pastor-who-refused-to-allow-police-health-officials-to-disrupt-service" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">arrested</a> in the middle of a busy highway on his way home from church, <a href="https://www.christianpost.com/news/canadian-pastor-says-govt-has-personal-vendetta-against-him.html?clickType=link-most-popular" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> The Christian Post (CP) that authorities pick on Christians because they know they will not fight back.
Pawlowski, who <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/sickening-polish-pastor-who-threw-gestapo-calgary-police-from-church-gets-another-visit-kicks-them-out-again" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">went viral</a> for videos that showed him forcefully ejecting police from his church, claims authorities started harassing him almost as soon as the pandemic started. They ordered him in March 2020 to shut his church and stop caring for the poor, but he refused, &#8220;concluding that by issuing &#8216;orders to stop feeding them [and] giving them necessities of life, they were sentencing them to death. [And] some of them did die,’” according to CP.
When health ministers refused his request for an exemption to their mandates, Pawlowski said he was issued a fine and threatened with arrest and more fines up to $1 million. He drew police attention, particularly when he invited members of the community to a Christmas celebration after authorities effectively canceled the holiday last year. Officers recorded him at the event, he said, after which they began to go after him at his church.
Pawlowski noted, however, that Albertan authorities do not seem as zealous to shut down Islamic events.
As CP further <a href="https://www.christianpost.com/news/canadian-pastor-says-govt-has-personal-vendetta-against-him.html?clickType=link-most-popular" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a>:
<blockquote>Pawlowski asserted that as law enforcement repeatedly descended on his church services, “the mosques were fully operational.” He asserted that “no one harassed them, no one interfered with them.”
“Not one imam was being harassed or intimidated. And to this day, there’s not one Imam or one Muslim that has a ticket, even though we have video evidence and pictures [of] them gathering even recently through the whole Ramadan by the thousands,” he added. Pawlowski’s YouTube channel includes a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bP7gvo9xyRQ" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">video</a> of a gathering of thousands of Muslims that took place on the last day of Ramadan, the holiest month in the Muslim calendar.
Pawlowski estimated that “about 2,000 people, maybe more, were there.” He painted a picture of the event for CP, saying, “As he [an Imam] is speaking, people are chanting, many do not wear masks, there is no physical distancing.”
The pastor singled out Alberta Premier Jason Kenney, Canada’s equivalent of a state governor, for criticism. He cited a <a href="https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=516473359394327" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">video</a> Kenney posted on his Facebook page on the same day that the Ramadan service took place, where he thanked the Muslim community “for the care that you’re showing to others in keeping gatherings smaller and outdoors and following the public health measures.” Pawlowski called the premise of that video “a lie,” adding, “we know they are not upholding the rules and regulations.”
Pawlowski attributes the disparate treatment of religious gatherings among the two religions to fear: “If they did that to an Imam, Muslims in the mosques, their heads would be chopped off.”</blockquote>
Pawlowski went on to say that even though he has criticized authorities in blunt, harsh ways, he has forgiven them.
“I have forgiven those villains, I have chosen to say what Jesus said, ‘Forgive them, they know not what they do,’” he said, adding that he hopes “those people that raised their hands against God and God’s church will repent and … receive the peace and the joy that I have no matter what [the] circumstances are.”
Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) on Thursday urged the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (<a href="https://www.uscirf.gov/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">USCIRF</a>) to consider adding Canada to its watch list because of how it has treated pastors. Other Canadian pastors who were placed in maximum-security prison include James Coates, who was imprisoned for more than a month, and Tim Stephens, who awaits his June 28 trial in prison after being arrested when a police helicopter found his church gathering outside.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/can-religious-liberty-survive-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Can Religious Liberty Survive COVID-19 And The New Gnostics?</a>

Architectural details of Jam’e Masjid Mosque in Toronto, Canada

Jailed Canadian Pastor Alleges Double Standard For Muslims Regarding Lockdown Enforcement

COVID

Islam

Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO) on Thursday urged the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (<a href="https://www.uscirf.gov" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">USCIRF</a>) to consider adding Canada to its watch list after several pastors have been jailed in the country for keeping their churches open.
“I am troubled that our Canadian neighbors are effectively being forced to gather in secret, undisclosed locations to exercise their basic freedom to worship,” Hawley wrote in a letter (full text below) to USCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza and the Ambassador of Canada to the U.S. Kirsten Hillman.
&#8220;Frankly, I would expect this sort of religious crackdown in Communist China, not in a prominent Western nation like Canada. Canadian authorities’ arrest of faith leaders and seizure of church property, among other enforcement actions, appear to constitute systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom,&#8221; Hawley continued.
Hawley singled out the case of Pastor Tim Stephens, who awaits his June 28 trial at the maximum-security Calgary Remand Centre, which made <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-remand-centre-covid-outbreak-1.5822434" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">headlines</a> for reportedly triple-bunking inmates despite outbreaks of COVID-19 at the facility. As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/give-unto-caesar-alberta-pastor-jailed-again-after-police-helicopter-finds-secret-church-gathering-officer-quotes-jesus-to-justify-arrest" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a>, Stephens was arrested June 14 for the second time after a police helicopter found where members of his Fairview Baptist Church were secretly gathering outdoors. The congregation had been forced out of their building after authorities locked it.
Hawley also mentioned Pastor James Coates of GraceLife Church, who drew international attention earlier this year when he was imprisoned for more than a month in the maximum-security Edmonton Remand Centre. After he was released, Alberta Health Services (AHS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-pastor-and-lawyer-defiant-after-canadian-police-raid-barricade-church-at-dawn" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">raided</a> his church facility at dawn, locked it, and barricaded it behind three layers of fencing. Coates&#8217; congregation has since been forced underground and meets in an undisclosed location.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-new-documentary-details-government-crackdown-on-canadian-christians-likens-to-communist-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WATCH: New Documentary Details Government Crackdown On Canadian Christians, Likens To Communist China</a>
&#8220;Unfortunately, Senator Hawley is correct,&#8221; Jay Cameron told The Daily Wire, who is the litigation director at the Calgary-based <a href="https://www.jccf.ca" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms</a>, which represented both Stephens and Coates in court. &#8220;Canada&#8217;s escalating aggression toward religious freedom calls for international scrutiny.&#8221; He went on to say that both federally and provincially, Canada &#8220;has abandoned the plain written text of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which states that Canada&#8217;s first fundamental individual right is freedom of conscience and religion.&#8221;
&#8220;Along with increasing shifts away from freedom and democracy toward authoritarian government, Canada has seen marked incidents of aggression toward freedom of religion,&#8221; Cameron continued. &#8220;For example, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms represents pastors who have been imprisoned under Premier Jason Kenney&#8217;s government in Alberta for gathering peacefully in the exercise of their faith. These churches are gathering in secret because their churches have been seized and barricaded by government; they are forced to change the location of their meetings because &#8216;health&#8217; officials actively hunt them to punish them with heavy fines, arrest, and incarceration.&#8221;
Cameron said Stephens is in jail because he and his congregation chose to exercise their rights &#8220;instead of bowing the knee to oppressive, tyrannical, and arbitrary health orders that politicians sneak around and themselves do not follow.&#8221; He also mentioned the case of Pastor Henry Hildebrandt and his Church of God in Aylmer, Ontario, which faces <a href="https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/aylmer-pastor-takes-swipe-at-london-mosque-vigil-amid-more-court-fines" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more than $270,000</a> in fines and legal fees. Hildebrandt recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/our-country-is-slipping-pastor-whose-church-was-locked-by-police-warns-of-growing-state-tyranny" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">spoke</a> to The Daily Wire about the ordeals his church is facing.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/premier-of-canadian-province-jailing-pastors-caught-violating-own-covid-19-rules-24-times-during-one-dinner" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Premier Of Canadian Province Jailing Pastors Caught Violating Own COVID-19 Rules 24 Times During One Dinner</a>
Read the full text of Hawley&#8217;s <a href="https://www.hawley.senate.gov/sites/default/files/2021-06/Hawley-Letter-USCIRF-Canada.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">letter</a> below:
<blockquote>Dear Chair Maenza:
One of the most fundamental human rights is the freedom to practice one’s faith according to the dictates of one’s conscience. Last year, I urged the Department of Justice to bring federal lawsuits to uphold the rights of houses of worship burdened by unjust restrictions. Now I am writing to express my deep concern that this freedom is in peril across our nation’s northern border.
In recent months, there have been numerous instances of Canadian pastors being arrested and jailed for holding worship services that do not comply with COVID-19 restrictions. On June 14, Pastor Tim Stephens of Fairview Baptist Church in Calgary, who was previously arrested in May, was arrested again at home in front of his wife and children. Media outlets captured heartbreaking video of the pastor’s children sobbing as they held their father’s hand through the barred window of a police car. Pastor Stephens’ alleged violation was holding an outdoor worship service in a park, which was apparently discovered by a police helicopter flying overhead.
Other Canadian pastors, such as Pastor James Coates of GraceLife Church in Spruce Grove, have similarly faced arrests and enforcement actions. Authorities reportedly seized and fenced off the GraceLife Church building in April, which sparked a protest of hundreds of people in opposition to the move.
I am troubled that our Canadian neighbors are effectively being forced to gather in secret, undisclosed locations to exercise their basic freedom to worship. The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms states that “[e]veryone has the following fundamental freedoms,” which include the “freedom of conscience and religion.” The arrests and actions taken to enforce overly burdensome and unjustified orders, however, do not seem to live up to this praiseworthy statement. Frankly, I would expect this sort of religious crackdown in Communist China, not in a prominent Western nation like Canada.
Canadian authorities’ arrest of faith leaders and seizure of church property, among other enforcement actions, appear to constitute systematic, ongoing, and egregious violations of religious freedom. I urge the Commission on International Religious Freedom to take whatever action is necessary to address and rectify this situation, and consider adding Canada to the Commission’s Watch List.
Thank you for your attention to this pressing matter.
Sincerely,
Josh Hawley 
United States Senator</blockquote>
Related: 
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/give-unto-caesar-alberta-pastor-jailed-again-after-police-helicopter-finds-secret-church-gathering-officer-quotes-jesus-to-justify-arrest" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘Give Unto Caesar’: Alberta Pastor Jailed Again After Police Helicopter Finds Secret Church Gathering; Officer Quotes Jesus To Justify Arrest</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-jailed-alberta-pastor-released-on-bail-recounts-harsh-imprisonment-and-blasts-evil-canadian-politicians" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WATCH: Jailed Alberta Pastor Released On Bail; Recounts Harsh Imprisonment And Blasts ‘Evil’ Canadian Politicians</a></li>
</ul>

Sen. Josh Hawley

‘I Am Troubled’: Sen. Hawley Asks U.S. Commission On International Religious Freedom To Add Canada To Watch List

Freedom of Religion

Josh Hawley

A group of pastors and protesters gathered around the Calgary Remand Centre in Alberta to support Pastor Tim Stephens, who was jailed earlier this month after a police helicopter <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/give-unto-caesar-alberta-pastor-jailed-again-after-police-helicopter-finds-secret-church-gathering-officer-quotes-jesus-to-justify-arrest" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">found</a> where his congregation was meeting outside.
Heavy police presence hovered over the gathering, according to video of the event from Rebel News (see below), but the demonstration remained peaceful despite many of the participants expressing disgust toward the Alberta government for how they are treating Stephens and other pastors.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/premier-of-canadian-province-jailing-pastors-caught-violating-own-covid-19-rules-24-times-during-one-dinner" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Premier Of Canadian Province Jailing Pastors Caught Violating Own COVID-19 Rules 24 Times During One Dinner</a>
Among the participants in the protest was Pastor James Coates of GraceLife Church in Edmonton, who drew international attention earlier this year when he <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/it-was-precious-to-me-canadian-pastor-jailed-for-holding-church-services-recounts-touching-moment-he-was-freed" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">spent</a> more than a month in maximum-security prison for continuing to hold church services in defiance of the Alberta Public Health Act.
After he was released, Alberta Health Services (AHS) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-pastor-and-lawyer-defiant-after-canadian-police-raid-barricade-church-at-dawn" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">raided</a> his church in the early morning and barricaded it behind three layers of fence, forcing the congregation to meet in secret.
&#8220;What our country is doing right now is it&#8217;s losing its entire identity, and everything that we&#8217;ve enjoyed in this country to this point is being systematically and fundamentally redefined and [altered],&#8221; Coates told the crowd, pointing out how Critical Race Theory (CRT) is one of the ways Western nations are being dismantled from the inside.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/this-is-about-power-black-theologian-voddie-t-baucham-exposes-demonic-ideology-behind-crt-blm-anti-racism" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘This Is About Power’: Black Theologian Voddie T. Baucham Exposes ‘Demonic Ideology’ Behind CRT, BLM, Antiracism</a>
&#8220;This country, the whole Western Civilization as we know it, is being systematically altered,&#8221; Coates continued. &#8220;And all we&#8217;re going to do in the mean time is proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The whole thing is going to come down and we are going to claim Christ all the way to the grave. And we&#8217;re going to preach the Gospel to all those who hate him and hate us, and we&#8217;re going to appeal to them to be reconciled to God. And may God work through his grace by our preaching to reconcile hearts to himself.&#8221;
&#8220;But this thing&#8217;s coming down, folks,&#8221; Coates added. &#8220;This country is dying, it&#8217;s on life support, if there&#8217;s any life in it at this point.&#8221;
WATCH:
<iframe loading="lazy" title="Pastors, protesters gather at Calgary Remand Centre to support jailed Pastor Tim Stephens" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/S_c8HNVu6WY?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
Another person who spoke at the event was Pastor Trevor Stephens, who is Tim Stephens&#8217; brother and associate pastor of Victory Baptist Church near Edmonton. &#8220;What&#8217;s happened here is reprehensible,&#8221; Stephens said. &#8220;Jailing a pastor for being obedient to God for an injunction that really doesn&#8217;t apply to him. But our family&#8217;s just so grateful for people to show up and show support for Tim.&#8221; Stephens also warned that the way government is overreaching during the COVID-19 pandemic will not stop with the virus.
Speaking to the crowd, Stephens specifically addressed his brother&#8217;s arrest and how the officer who arrested him &#8220;dared to cite Scripture to a pastor to defend their actions.&#8221;
&#8220;Anyone who saw the video footage can see clearly who the more principled man was,&#8221; Stephens said. &#8220;One of the Scriptures the police officer twisted was this: &#8216;Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar&#8217;s,&#8217; to which we would say, &#8216;Absolutely and amen.&#8217; Part of the passage he was quoting was the response of Jesus [to someone] who brought him a coin, tempting him. Jesus asked the question, &#8216;Whose is this image and superscription?&#8217; To which they replied, &#8216;It was Caesar&#8217;s.'&#8221;
&#8220;Jesus then answered and said — and this is the full verse — &#8216;Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar&#8217;s, and to God the things that are God&#8217;s,'&#8221; he added.
Related:
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/give-unto-caesar-alberta-pastor-jailed-again-after-police-helicopter-finds-secret-church-gathering-officer-quotes-jesus-to-justify-arrest" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘Give Unto Caesar’: Alberta Pastor Jailed Again After Police Helicopter Finds Secret Church Gathering; Officer Quotes Jesus To Justify Arrest</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-new-documentary-details-government-crackdown-on-canadian-christians-likens-to-communist-china" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">WATCH: New Documentary Details Government Crackdown On Canadian Christians, Likens To Communist China</a></li>
</ul>

WATCH: Protesters Gather Around Calgary Prison To Support Pastor Arrested After Police Helicopter Found Outdoor Church

The legal organization that has been advocating in court on behalf of jailed pastors and harassed churches in Canada released a documentary earlier this month detailing how the federal and provincial governments are increasingly resembling communist China.
&#8220;The Government War on Worship,&#8221; which was released by the Calgary-based Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms and can be <a href="https://www.jccf.ca/the-government-war-on-worship/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">viewed</a> below or on their website, begins by highlighting how Christians are brutally persecuted in China despite the guarantee of religious freedom in the Chinese Constitution.
The film then pivots to draw parallels between China&#8217;s tactics and how churches in Canada have been treated since the COVID-19 pandemic emerged from the communist state.
&#8220;It&#8217;s exactly like communist China,&#8221; said Justice Centre president John Carpay in the video, who also <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/exclusive-pastor-and-lawyer-defiant-after-canadian-police-raid-barricade-church-at-dawn" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">spoke</a> to The Daily Wire in April. Speaking of the case against Edmonton pastor James Coates, who was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/canadian-pastor-held-in-solitary-confinement-after-defying-covid-19-order" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">arrested</a> in February and whose GraceLife Church was <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/john-macarthur-commends-underground-church-in-canada-reads-heartfelt-letter-from-jailed-alberta-pastor" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">forced underground</a> after police <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/police-shut-down-church-of-alberta-pastor-who-was-imprisoned-for-holding-church-services" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">barricaded</a> their building, Carpay said, &#8220;Pastor Coates and GraceLife Church have been quite public about the fact that they are continuing to meet and worship every Sunday, and they&#8217;re doing so in secret. And in rural Alberta, there are thousands and thousands of big barns and all kinds of private properties where church services can be held and are being held.&#8221;
&#8220;There&#8217;s no science to back this up,&#8221; Carpay said regarding the lingering lockdowns. &#8220;But the more clear that it becomes that there&#8217;s no science to back up these orders, the more repressive they become and the more aggressive the government becomes in enforcing these unscientific public health orders.&#8221;
Carpay went on to note that because his clients have legally challenged the constitutional validity of the public health orders themselves, provincial governments are being pushed to defend them by putting forward scientific evidence in court to justify them. As The Daily Wire has reported, however, judges are quite willing to <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/canadian-judge-tosses-jailed-pastors-charter-challenge-against-church-lockdowns" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">toss</a> such challenges, as happened during Coates&#8217; court hearing earlier this month.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/can-religious-liberty-survive-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Can Religious Liberty Survive COVID-19 And The New Gnostics?</a>
The documentary goes on to recount the case of <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nazi-cowards-calgary-police-arrest-polish-pastor-who-refused-to-allow-police-health-officials-to-disrupt-service" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pastor Artur Pawlowski</a>, who was arrested in the middle of a busy highway on his way home from his Calgary church and dragged into a police van after he refused to allow health bureaucrats to interrupt his services. As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/watch-jailed-alberta-pastor-released-on-bail-recounts-harsh-imprisonment-and-blasts-evil-canadian-politicians" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a>, Pawlowski alleged that some of the prison guards mistreated him and mocked him for his Christian faith.
The film then touches on the arrest of Pastor Tim Stephens, also of Calgary, whose Fairview Baptist Church was locked by authorities when they continued to congregate. Stephens was later released after the Justice Centre argued that the court order under which he was arrested did not apply to him, but last week he was arrested again when a police helicopter found where his church was secretly gathering outdoors.
As The Daily Wire <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/give-unto-caesar-alberta-pastor-jailed-again-after-police-helicopter-finds-secret-church-gathering-officer-quotes-jesus-to-justify-arrest" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">reported</a>, the arresting officer quoted Jesus in an attempt to justify driving the pastor to prison while his young children wept.
Also mentioned is the case of Pastor Henry Hildebrandt and his Church of God in Aylmer, Ontario, which was also locked by authorities when they continued to gather. The church and its pastors, who continue to meet outdoors, face <a href="https://lfpress.com/news/local-news/aylmer-pastor-takes-swipe-at-london-mosque-vigil-amid-more-court-fines" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">more than $250,000</a> in fines and legal fees. Hildebrandt recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/our-country-is-slipping-pastor-whose-church-was-locked-by-police-warns-of-growing-state-tyranny" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">spoke</a> to The Daily Wire about the ordeals his church is facing.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/our-country-is-slipping-pastor-whose-church-was-locked-by-police-warns-of-growing-state-tyranny" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘Our Country Is Slipping’: Pastor Whose Church Was Locked By Police Warns Of Growing State Tyranny</a>
Several members of GraceLife Church also speak in the film about what it has been like to have their church singled out. Among them is Dr. Donna Klay, a health care professional who mentioned how many of her patients are falling ill because of the stress induced by the seemingly perpetual lockdowns.
&#8220;We know that stress is the biggest negative actor in our immune systems,&#8221; Klay said. &#8220;And the lockdowns have caused so much stress on my patients and, I think, on many Albertans, that that has been a big factor in people becoming ill.&#8221;
Klay went on to predict that the fallout from the lockdowns &#8220;will be felt for generations.&#8221;
Achnes Smith, another GraceLife member, said, &#8220;When Pastor James was taken to prison, I think government thought that we would scatter. They firmly believed that we were following a man. So, instead of us all scattering and the church not meeting, the exact opposite happened. Because of the media attention that was brought to our church and to Pastor James, people started coming from far and wide.&#8221;
&#8220;Some people drove five hours to come to our church service,&#8221; Smith continued. &#8220;And our attendance doubled. My husband and I met many people who were hungry, who were hurting, who were absolutely so lonely, that they were willing to drive hours to come to our church. And they would walk in the door and they would see us all talking with each other, counseling each other, hugging each other, and they said, &#8216;It is like I can breathe again. Can we please come to your church?’”
Smith said many of those who came were &#8220;at the point of emotional and mental breakdowns.&#8221; She also talked about how her father, who was subjected to slave labor for refusing to obey an order from the Third Reich to fight against his own countrymen, would be &#8220;absolutely astounded&#8221; by what the Canadian government is doing.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/premier-of-canadian-province-jailing-pastors-caught-violating-own-covid-19-rules-24-times-during-one-dinner" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Premier Of Canadian Province Jailing Pastors Caught Violating Own COVID-19 Rules 24 Times During One Dinner</a>
&#8220;The underground church is not just in China anymore,&#8221; the documentary soberly concluded, noting how Alberta now holds the record for the most Christian pastors arrested in any democratic country.
WATCH:
<iframe class="wp-embedded-content" sandbox="allow-scripts" security="restricted" title="The Government War on Worship" src="https://rumble.com/embed/vfp675/?pub=4#?secret=sHbsfy1QCZ" data-secret="sHbsfy1QCZ" width="750" height="422" frameborder="0"></iframe>
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/give-unto-caesar-alberta-pastor-jailed-again-after-police-helicopter-finds-secret-church-gathering-officer-quotes-jesus-to-justify-arrest" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘Give Unto Caesar’: Alberta Pastor Jailed Again After Police Helicopter Finds Secret Church Gathering; Officer Quotes Jesus To Justify Arrest</a>

Government War on Worship

WATCH: New Documentary Details Government Crackdown On Canadian Christians, Likens To Communist China

China

A Baptist pastor in Calgary, Alberta, was arrested a second time Monday after a police helicopter discovered where his church had been secretly gathering since authorities locked their building.
Pastor Tim Stephens of Fairview Baptist Church also debated the legal and theological grounds of Alberta&#8217;s public health orders with the arresting officer, who quoted Jesus twice before driving the pastor to jail while his young children wept.
According to exclusive footage of the incident recorded by Rebel News (video below), officers showed up at Stephens&#8217; home to arrest him for allegedly violating a court order by leading an outdoor church service with hundreds of other Christians on June 6.
&#8220;A police helicopter was deployed to search for and detect this gathering, and to collect evidence against Pastor Stephens of non-compliance with public health restrictions,&#8221; according to a <a href="https://www.jccf.ca/category/news-releases/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">press release</a> from the Calgary-based Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which is legally representing Stephens and other Canadian pastors being prosecuted by provincial governments. Stephens was <a href="https://www.rebelnews.com/post_jail_interview_pastor_tim_stephens_on_his_arrest_his_church_and_his_faith" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">imprisoned</a> before in May until his legal counsel argued that the court order under which he had been arrested did not apply to him.
After first claiming in a press release that the illegal service had been held inside the locked church building, Calgary Police Service and Alberta Health Services issued a correction stating the gathering was outside but still failed to comply with current COVID-19 restrictions, according to <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7950499/calgary-pastor-tim-stephens-arrested-covid-19-june-14/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Global News</a>.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/can-religious-liberty-survive-covid-19" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Can Religious Liberty Survive COVID-19 And The New Gnostics?</a>
As he left his home while his children began to cry, Stephens referenced when Alberta Premier Jason Kenney and members of his cabinet were <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/premier-of-canadian-province-jailing-pastors-caught-violating-own-covid-19-rules-24-times-during-one-dinner" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">caught breaking</a> their own COVID-19 rules this month during a dinner at the Sky Palace on top of the Federal Building in Edmonton.
&#8220;It&#8217;s incredible, it&#8217;s incredible,&#8221; he said. &#8220;They can have their gathering in the Sky Palace, and yet a pastor who gathers for church outside is being arrested. Because the rules certainly don&#8217;t apply to everyone equally, and they&#8217;re not enforced to everyone equally. Like, why is it pastors that keep getting arrested from this?&#8221;
After tussling with Stephens regarding the legality of Alberta&#8217;s church lockdowns under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, the officer then seemingly attempted to justify what he was doing by quoting the New Testament.
When Stephens said Christ commanded his followers to gather together, the officer interrupted him, saying, &#8220;And he also told us wherever two or three are gathered, there he is in the midst of us, so we don&#8217;t need a huge gathering.&#8221; Stephens responded by implying the officer was taking the verse from Matthew 18 out of context.
After blaming the pastor for creating the unpleasant situation, the officer later suggested that obeying Alberta&#8217;s lockdown order was like when Jesus said Jews should pay taxes to the Roman government. &#8220;Even God said, you know, &#8216;Give unto Caesar what is Caesar&#8217;s,&#8217; right? So we&#8217;re not getting into this philosophical debate,&#8221; he argued.
&#8220;And the gathering of the church is not Caesar&#8217;s,&#8221; Stephens retorted. &#8220;So that&#8217;s why we&#8217;re gathering.&#8221;
At length, Stephens was hauled away in a barred police car and taken to Calgary Remand Centre, where he awaits his June 28 trial.
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<iframe loading="lazy" title="Pastor Tim Stephens arrested on new charges after &#039;underground&#039; church services" width="500" height="281" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KkLS6w2bmX8?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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Rebel News reporter Adam Soos, who has been covering the arrests of several pastors in Alberta, told The Daily Wire that all of them remain hopeful despite their ordeals.
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/nazi-cowards-calgary-police-arrest-polish-pastor-who-refused-to-allow-police-health-officials-to-disrupt-service" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘Nazi Cowards’: Calgary Police Arrest Polish Pastor Who Refused To Allow Police, Health Officials To Disrupt Service</a>
&#8220;As they&#8217;ve said repeatedly, they know Christ is victorious in the end and that this is a battle that they&#8217;re simply chipping in what they can do, but that they know that they&#8217;ve already won,&#8221; Soos said. &#8220;They know that they&#8217;re doing the right thing and while they weep, naturally, at the concept of &#8230; their father or husband being walked away to prison, inevitably the fact that they know they&#8217;re doing the right thing and honoring their God comes first and foremost.&#8221;
&#8220;So there&#8217;s joy amid tears, there&#8217;s prayers,&#8221; Soos continued. &#8220;But they&#8217;ve had so much support, such a sense of community. The congregation was growing. I don&#8217;t think that they could fit back in their building if the government allowed them back in. They&#8217;ve just grown and grown throughout all of this.&#8221;
Opposition to Stephens and other recalcitrant pastors nevertheless remains prevalent in Calgary. &#8220;It&#8217;s very satisfying to arrest the leaders of these congregations,&#8221; Calgary Ward 9 Councillor Gian-Carlo Carra <a href="https://globalnews.ca/news/7950499/calgary-pastor-tim-stephens-arrested-covid-19-june-14/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">told</a> Global News regarding Stephens&#8217; arrest. &#8220;But there will be other people who step up, I understand. All we can do as individuals is to do the right thing and to do right by our neighbors and to obey the restrictions.&#8221;
Pastor Henry Hildebrandt, who recently <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/our-country-is-slipping-pastor-whose-church-was-locked-by-police-warns-of-growing-state-tyranny" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">spoke</a> to The Daily Wire about the punishment his own church has received from Ontario, responded to Stephens&#8217; arrest with a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DIy6Oycttkw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">video</a> in which he rebuked the police as well as much of the Canadian public for their supine response to tyranny.
“I just listened to the heart-wrenching arrest of Pastor Tim Stephens – unbelievable, unbelievable,&#8221; Hildebrandt said in part. &#8220;It just is so hard to understand that we are in Canada and what is happening. But perhaps things have to get a little worse before we will be vindicated, before people will wake up and recognize how wrong it is. It’s very sad to see that a dear family like this, the little children have to suffer under this only because we have so many, so many that will not take a stand, so many that will not rise up.”
&#8220;What must it be like to be one of those officers?&#8221; Hildebrandt later said. &#8220;What must it be like to have totally lost heart, totally lost compassion, and do just like they did during the Nuremberg trials, where one after another one came and said, &#8216;I just did my job, I just did my job.&#8217; It&#8217;s awful, it&#8217;s just awful. But may God use this to wake up more people. God help us.&#8221;
Related: <a href="https://www.dailywire.com/news/our-country-is-slipping-pastor-whose-church-was-locked-by-police-warns-of-growing-state-tyranny" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">‘Our Country Is Slipping’: Pastor Whose Church Was Locked By Police Warns Of Growing State Tyranny</a>

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