EDITORIAL: Prairie backbone: Sask, Alberta say yes to freedom, rest of Canada says no

Here’s the plain truth: Saskatchewan and Alberta still believe in freedom of speech, freedom of expression, and freedom of religion. Much of the rest of Canada? Not so much.American Christian worship leader Sean Feucht planned a cross-country Let Us Worship: Revive in ’25 tour. What he got was a moving target. Halifax’s federal landlord pulled a permit over “evolving safety and security considerations.” Charlottetown and Moncton cited public safety, then the events scrambled into a church and a summer camp. Quebec City’s ExpoCité cancelled after reading Feucht’s profile. Gatineau’s National Capital Commission waved the security flag. Vaughan and Toronto balked on “health and safety” and “community standards,” pushing Toronto into a private site amid protests. Winnipeg denied a parks booking over “operational challenges.” Abbotsford followed suit, saying it couldn’t manage protests.That’s a national pattern, and it’s not subtle. If you hold views some officials dislike, they will find a way to push you out of public space. Call it “safety,” call it “standards,” the result is the same: last-minute venue changes, hurried phone calls, and a message to people of faith that their place in public life is conditional..EYRE: Yann Martel on Jesus, MAGA, and ‘fiction and the politician’.Then look west.Saskatoon approved Diefenbaker Park for August 21. City solicitor Cindy Yelland was clear: a permit isn’t an endorsement, and the city will reassess if real safety issues arise. That’s how a mature democracy works — manage risk, don’t muzzle speech. The mayor voiced concerns, and police are planning. Good. That’s responsible governance, not panic..Alberta went further. The province approved the Alberta Legislature grounds for August 22 — the symbolic front lawn of democratic debate. Lawyer Marty Moore, helping organizers, called it “good to see a government respect Canadians’ freedom of expression.” He’s right. Politicians are supposed to uphold fundamental freedoms when it’s controversial, not only when it’s convenient.Let’s be honest about what’s happening. Feucht is outspoken on 2SLGBTQ+ issues and abortion. Many Canadians disagree with him. In a free country, disagreement leads to counter speech, peaceful protest, and heavy police coordination — not a bureaucratic trapdoor. The Charter protects expression and religion. It doesn’t say “unless someone might get loud on Facebook” or “unless city hall thinks your views clash with community values.”.RUBENSTEIN: Moral relativism haunts the CBC’s coverage of the war in Gaza.Public safety? Always the first duty. But it’s also the first refuge of officials under pressure. Winnipeg’s own mayor acknowledged staff could have helped find a bigger venue instead of pulling the plug at Central Park. Exactly. Scale the site, add fencing, add medics, add police. That’s the job. You don’t cancel a parade because it might be popular. You plan for crowds.Contrast the Prairie approach with the rest: a string of cancellations that forced the tour into last-minute pivots — private halls, rural camps, anything that would take them. That churn wasn’t an accident; it was a tactic. The message: your faith can exist, but please keep it out of sight..This is why Western frustration grows. When federal bodies like Parks Canada yank permits in Halifax, and big city bureaucracies from Ontario to Quebec reach for the “safety” lever, the West notices. Saskatchewan and Alberta keep proving they will protect the same freedoms Ottawa and many city halls treat as negotiable. That isn’t a small gap. It’s a cultural divide.So ask the obvious question: if two Prairie provinces must constantly fight to practice what the Constitution already promises, what exactly are they getting from this Confederation? Equal respect? Equal space in the public square? Or endless lectures from distant boards and commissions that cave the moment leftist activism spikes?.WATCH LIVE: The horrors of communism are being forgotten.Saskatchewan and Alberta just gave Canada a civics lesson. They didn’t endorse a message; they enforced a principle. They didn’t duck; they planned. They didn’t hide faith; they accommodated it in public where it belongs in a free society. Meanwhile, other governments chose optics over obligation.Here’s the bottom line. If Canada can’t — or won’t — defend basic freedoms for people it finds unfashionable, the Prairies will keep looking for more control over their own affairs. More autonomy today. Maybe independence tomorrow. That’s not bluster. It’s the predictable outcome when two provinces carry the Charter while the rest keep trying to drop it.