Sen. Josh Hawley, R-Mo., wrote in a letter to the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom that the commissioners should consider placing Canada on the watch list for persecuting Christians, according to a press release.
“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. “Frankly, I would expect this sort of religious crackdown in Communist China, not in a prominent Western nation like Canada.”
In the letter to UCIRF Chair Nadine Maenza, Hawley cited a few examples where the Canadian government arrested Christian pastors for holding worship services that did not comply with unscientific and tyrannical restrictions, which the government imposed under the guise of protecting against the flu-like coronavirus.
Alberta authorities arrested Fairview Baptist Church Pastor Tim Stephens in May and again on June 14 for exercisng his God-given right to worship the Creator.
The second time that Canadian authorities arrested Stephens he was at home with his wife and children.
In video of the second arrest, stooge cops in Alberta put Stephens in the back of a car as his children weep, hold his hands through metal bars, and cry, “Bye daddy.”
Canadian authorities arrested Stephens for hosting an outdoor worship service in a park.
They discovered the Church gathering with a police helicopter that was apparently flying in search of violations of public health dictates.
Alberta authorities also arrested GraceLife Church Pastor James Coates for holding church services that violated public health orders.
“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,” Hawler wrote.
He said the religious freedom commission should “take whatever action is necessary to address and rectify this situation.”
