MPs on Wednesday criticized a report by the Canadian Human Rights Commission that described Christmas as “an obvious example” of intolerance and colonialism.According to Blacklock’s Reporter, the Commons was informed that people should have the freedom to celebrate the birth of Jesus without being harassed.“Just because you laugh doesn’t mean it’s funny,” said Bloc Québécois leader Yves-François Blanchet. “According to the Canadian Human Rights Commission, the simple celebration of Christmas – the tree, the family, the music, the gifts – is systemic racism. I wonder if good old Santa Claus is racist. I wonder if snow has become racist.”The Rights Commission, in a Discussion Paper on Religious Intolerance, singled out Christmas as an example of religious discrimination since it is Christian. “Canada’s history with religious intolerance is deeply rooted in our identity as a settler colonial state,” it wrote.Blanchet asked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to give more details about the Discussion Paper.“Is Christmas racist?” asked Blanchet. “Obviously, Christmas is not racist,” replied the prime minister.“I am welcoming a few dozen Québecers from immigrant backgrounds to celebrate Christmas in my riding in a few days,” said Blanchet. “Should I cancel because, according to the Canadian Human Rights Commission, celebrating Christmas is racist? That is the question I am asking.”“No,” replied the prime minister. “We all need to celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, all the different festivals.”Opposition Leader Pierre Poilievre interjected: “Allow me to be the first of the season to wish everybody a merry Christmas. We love our great Canadian traditions, including Christmas.”“On this side of the House, we stand for Christmas,” replied the prime minister.The Discussion Paper mentioned that understanding Christian bias is important for stopping intolerance.“Discrimination against religious minorities in Canada is grounded in Canada’s history of colonialism,” wrote the Commission. “This history manifests itself in present-day systemic religious discrimination. An obvious example is statutory holidays in Canada.”“Statutory holidays related to Christianity, including Christmas and Easter, are the only Canadian statutory holidays linked to religious holy days,” said the Discussion Paper. “As a result, non-Christians may need to request special accommodation to observe their holy days.”“If we want to end religious intolerance, it is important that we understand it,” wrote the Commission. “We need to understand how it persists, in what kinds of structures or practices it shows up and how it affects people’s lives. Most importantly we need to listen and amplify the voices of people with lived experience. They are the ones who have been fighting the longest for systemic change.”According to the Canadian Encyclopedia, people in Canada have celebrated Christmas since before the country was officially formed, with the first celebrations happening as early as 1641. Census data reveals that over 19 million Canadian adults identify as Christian, which is most of the adult population.
