House Unanimously Denounces Rights Commission’s Claim That Christmas Holiday Is ‘Religious Discrimination’

Bloc Quebecois MP and House leader of the Bloc Québécois Alain Therrien rises during Question Period on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, on Oct. 5, 2023. Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press

The House of Commons has adopted a unanimous motion in support of Christmas which denounces the portrayal of the holiday by the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) as discriminatory.

Bloc Québécois MP Alain Therrien introduced the motion on Nov. 30 saying that the House recalls that “Christmas is a tradition celebrated in Quebec and Canada” and invites all to “unite as we approach the Christmas season.”

It adds that the House should “denounce” the commission’s statement that “‘Statutory holidays related to Christianity, including Christmas and Easter’, represent an ‘obvious example’ of ‘systemic religious discrimination’, and that this ‘discrimination against religious minorities in Canada is grounded in Canada’s history of colonialism.’”

Those statements appear in a discussion paper on religious intolerance published by the commission on Oct. 23.

The paper draws ideologically from a host of post-modern critical theories—such as critical race theory, queer theory, and postcolonial theory—to take aim at societal traits identified as discriminatory and dismantle systems said to be oppressive.

The paper says that Canadian society has been “constructed in a way that places value on certain traits or identities to the exclusion of others — for example, white, male, Christian, English-speaking, thin/fit, not having a disability, heterosexual, gender conforming.”

In a statement to The Epoch Times, CHRC spokesperson Véronique Robitaille said her organization would not comment on the motion.

Ms. Robitaille also said that the discussion paper is not a “declaration or report about Christmas.”

She says the topic was broached in the context of statutory holidays. The paper “explains that based on current Canadian law, providing a statutory holiday for one religion, and not providing reasonable accommodation for other religions may be discrimination,” she said.

“Canada has made a commitment to equity and inclusion.”

‘Polarization’

The Bloc’s motion follows the passing of a similar motion in Quebec’s legislature on Nov. 29, which rejected the “polarization” attempts made by the CHRC.

The motion tabled by the Bloc has similar language, saying that the House “denounce all attempts to polarize events that have been part of Quebec and Canadian heritage for generations.”

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre attempted to pass a similar motion with unanimous consent immediately after but there was opposition from at least one unidentified MP.

Mr. Poilievre sought to have the House “condemn the divisive statements” of the commission and “recognize the rich cultural traditions” that Christians and other Canadians share during this season.

The commission’s report was raised earlier this week in the House with Bloc Leader Yves-François Blanchet asking Prime Minister Justin Trudeau whether Christmas is “racist.”

“I wonder whether Santa Claus is racist. I wonder whether snow has become racist. Mr. Speaker, according to the prime minister, is Christmas racist?” he asked on Nov. 29.

“I’m very pleased to stand up and try to answer a totally ridiculous question. Obviously, Christmas is not racist,” Mr. Trudeau replied.

The prime minister also used the issue to criticize Conservatives by saying that their “climate denialism” is “putting future white Christmases at risk.”

“That is why, on this side of the House, we stand for Christmas,” said Mr. Trudeau.