Fanning the Flames
The Sources of Canadian
Anti-Christian Rage
by Rory Leishman
Since the announcement on May 27, 2021, that a researcher using ground-penetrating radar had discovered an estimated 251 unmarked graves on the grounds of a former Indian Residential School near Kamloops, British Columbia, seven churches in Canada, all but one of them on First Nations lands, have been burned down in suspicious fires. Enraged vandals are also believed to have set fire to at least twelve other Canadian churches and to have desecrated dozens more with red and orange paint.
Who is responsible for this unprecedented outburst of anti-Christian rage in a country hitherto renowned for its commitment to peace, order, and good government? Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau pins much of the blame on the Catholic and Protestant agencies that ran the Indian Residential Schools (IRS) on behalf of the Canadian government between 1883 and 1996. In a statement on July 2, Trudeau said that vandalism and arson could not be justified, but "I understand the anger that's out there against the federal government, against institutions like the Catholic Church. It is real and it's fully understandable, given the shameful history that we are all becoming more and more aware of."
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Rory Leishman is a former lecturer in political science at the University of Western Ontario and national affairs columnist for the London Free Press. Now a freelancer, he writes a regular column for the Interim: Canada's Life and Family Newspaper.
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