The Canadian Human Rights Commission says it received so much backlash following its report last fall that described Christmas as a discriminatory holiday rooted in “colonialism,” that it became concerned with staff safety.
Parliament also unanimously denounced the report’s portrayal of the holiday as discriminatory.
An employee in the Commission’s Policy, Research and International Division created the report, but the author’s name was censored, according to records obtained by Blacklock’s Reporter under an Access to Information request. The name of the author was the only part of the report that was redacted.
The redaction was implemented under section 17 of the Access to Information Act.
“The head of a government institution may refuse to disclose any record requested under this part that contains information the disclosure of which could reasonably be expected to threaten the safety of individuals,” the act reads.
Although safety was deemed an issue by the government agency, no specific threats were outlined in the documents to explain the reason for the redaction, according to Blacklock’s.
Though the name of the author is blacked out, the documents show the writer spent two years revising the report.
“The Policy, Research and International Division began working in mid 2021 on a discussion paper on religious intolerance,” the commission said.
“The paper is intended to be a public resource acknowledging this issue in Canada and giving a very high level overview,” the documents said. The paper was reportedly reviewed by a “network of stakeholders for advancing racial equality” and a “Decolonization and Anti-Racism Consultation Committee” before its publication.
No one vetting the report questioned the statements made about Christmas. In fact, it received glowing reviews all around from Commission managers.
“Great job!” director of policy Tabatha Tranquilla wrote in an internal email to the unnamed author. “It’s not an easy subject for sure and I think you’ve done well. I really like it!”
Religious Intolerance Report
The report, titled “Discussion Paper On Religious Intolerance,” linked statutory holidays related to Christianity as discriminatory, saying that while Christmas and Easter are paid public holidays, holy days from other religions are not.“As a result non-Christians may need to request special accommodation to observe their holy days and other times of the year where their religion requires them to abstain from work,” the report said.
The paper pointed to Canada’s “identity as a settler colonial state” as a chief reason for its “religious intolerance.”
The report went on to say that in order to “end religious intolerance,” Canada must understand “how it persists, in what kinds of structures or practices it shows up and how it affects people’s lives.”
“No one is free until we are all free,” the report added. “Many societies including our own have 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 or fit, not having a disability, heterosexual and gender conforming. Because of this many people are facing various forms of discrimination.”
While Human Rights Commissioner Charlotte-Anne Malischewski applauded the report and congratulated the author for “getting these important materials into final form,” according to the Access to Information documents, some MPs took a dim view of the findings.
Bloc House Leader Alain Therrien introduced a motion condemning the report, calling it “incredible we have to remind people Christmas is not discriminatory.”
The unanimously-supported motion asked Parliament to “denounce the comments of the Canadian Human Rights Commission,” “denounce any attempt at polarization” over Christmas and “unite during this Christmas period.”
The Nov. 30, 2023, vote came just a day after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked during Question Period if he believed Christmas is “racist.”
“Obviously, Christmas is not racist,” he replied. “This is a country of diversity, a country that celebrates not just our personal individual beliefs, but we share and celebrate the events of our neighbours too. That’s what makes this country so rich.”
Despite apparent concerns at the Canadian Human Rights Commission that the recognition of Christmas may be offensive to non-Chrisitians, a 2022 survey says otherwise.
“The only people who are opposed to it are the secular fundamentalists,” he said.
Christians and non-Christians alike get caught up in the good spirit of the holiday, he said, calling it “one of Christianity’s major cultural gifts to the world.”
“You’re caught up in the music, you’re caught up in the rush, you’re caught up in the messages,” he said. “It’s the one time of year when we expect other people to behave better.”
