Minister Caroline Proulx orders convention centre to cancel “Faith Freedom Fire” conference
On June 1, 2023, Quebec Minister of Tourism Caroline Proulx instructed Pierre-Michel Bouchard, CEO of the Société du Centre des congrès de Québec (Quebec City Convention Centre Organization), to cancel the rental contract of the “Faith, Freedom, Fire” conference organized by Harvest Ministries International (HMI). The conference was scheduled to occur between June 23 and July 2, 2023. HMI is a Christian organization based in British Columbia.
Minister Proulx and CEO Pierre made no secret of the fact that their decision to cancel the contract was motivated by their disdain for HMI’s position on abortion. One day after making this pronouncement, Minister Proulx proudly stated in a press scrum that she had instructed the CEOs of various companies under her jurisdiction that such events would no longer be held in their establishments as they were “against the fundamental principles of Québec.”
The decision to tear up a contract that had been signed months earlier was applauded by Quebec Premier François Legault, who said, “We’re not going to allow anti-abortion groups to put on big shows in public spaces.”
The “Faith, Freedom, Fire” conference had nothing to do with abortion.
Government of Quebec advised to reinstate rental contract
On June 5, 2023, our lawyers sent a warning letter to the Government of Quebec, advising them to reinstate the contract by noon on June 8. The letter read, “Even if the theme of the Rally were “anti-abortion” (we deny it), your decision to ban my client from the Convention Centre–and from all similar provincial Crown properties– would be abusive, discriminatory and an attack on the fundamental freedoms of expression and religion, without a shred of reasonable justification. Yet you attached the label ‘anti-abortion’ to an event that was nothing of the sort. There were no so-called ‘anti-abortion’ speeches, performances, screenings or themes on the programme. Your public statements and the termination of the Contract are eerily reminiscent of the events in Roncarelli v. Duplessis.”
At the time, Pastor Art Lucier of HMI estimated that unexpected cancellation resulted in a financial loss totalling $450,000. At the time, he stated, “Everyone has the right to express their convictions and deeply held values, even if they are in the minority or unpopular. In Quebec, as in the rest of Canada, state arbitrariness, censorship, and discrimination have no place.”
The convention centre did not reinstate the contract.
Justice Centre launches constitutional challenge against Government of Quebec
In response, Montreal lawyer and Justice Centre Director of French Canada Olivier Séguin filed a constitutional challenge against the Quebec government for violating the Charter freedoms of HMI and for engaging in unjustified discrimination.
In May 2024, Mr. Séguin cross-examined Quebec’s Minister of Tourism and her Chief of Staff in the presence of a Quebec Superior Court judge. Quebec’s two witnesses appeared to be evading their responsibilities through delay tactics. It seems that the decision to cancel the conference was motivated by religious intolerance.
