Abbotsford MLAs, MP demand city lets Sean Feucht perform

After the City of Abbotsford pulled the plug on Christian singer Sean Feucht’s upcoming worship concert, John Rustad, multiple local MLAs, and one MP are demanding the decision be reversed.

After the City of Abbotsford pulled the plug on Christian singer Sean Feucht’s upcoming worship concert, BC Conservative Leader John Rustad, multiple local MLAs, and one MP are demanding the decision be reversed.

The City of Abbotsford became the eighth Canadian municipality to deny or cancel a permit for the U.S. Christian singer. Abbotsford initially cited vague “security concerns” about impending protests and cancelled Feucht’s August 24th event in Mill Lake Park on Tuesday.

The city in a statement, said “the event could potentially attract significant numbers of protesters and counter-protesters.”

But critics say the excuse amounts to censorship.

Rustad noted the absurdity that Islamist speakers who advocate for sharia and jihad are allowed free expression in Canada while peaceful Christian singers are not. Rustad pointed to the ongoing Canada-wide tour by Imam Ustadh Abu Tamiyyah and past controversial comments by Younus Kathrada.

Abbotsford-Langley MLA Harman Bhangu also took a stand, publishing a letter calling on Abbotsford Mayor Ross Siemens and city council to reconsider.

“Public worship is a constitutionally protected expression of faith—not a threat. Denying access to public space based on potential protest sets a dangerous precedent: it empowers disruption and penalizes peaceful assembly,” Bhangu wrote in the open letter to Abbotsford’s mayor, council and the city.

Bruce Banman, the BC Conservative MLA for Abbotsford South and party whip, similarly called out the city in a video posted on X. He said the event provides an opportunity to reflect on the direction Canada is headed.

BC Conservative MLA for neighbouring Chilliwack North, Heather Maahs also condemned the cancellation.

Sukhman Gill, the federal Conservative MP for Abbotsford–South Langley, claimed the city's cancellation of the event undermines the freedom of expression and religion guaranteed by the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

“Preventing this gathering undermines these fundamental rights and sets a troubling precedent for our democracy,” Gill said in a post on X. “You don't have to agree with Sean Feucht to be concerned. When the government suppresses dissenting beliefs, it infringes on the fundamental freedoms that countless Canadians have fought and sacrificed for.”

The representative of Abbotsford claimed in a statement to True North that the decision “was not based on the particular singer or the content of his concert.

“The City believes that the event could potentially attract significant numbers of protestors and counter-protesters in addition to attendees,” it said. “These factors… make the community safety considerations of the proposed event extremely difficult to mitigate.”

Notably in 2023, Abbotsford was the site of dueling protests during the Million March for Children which went on without a hitch.

When asked if it had considered the Charter of Rights and Freedoms before making the decision, and to respond to criticisms - beyond that the cancellation is politically motivated - the city repeated that it made its decision based on its legal authority under the City of Abbotsford’s Outdoor Special Event, Filming & Activities Bylaw “for community safety reasons.”