Ohio state lawmakers want to put Canada on the American government’s religious freedom watchlist because of COVID-19 pandemic restrictions..Canada would join 12 other countries on the list that are guilty of “severe” violations of religious liberties..Some of the other countries include Algeria, Azerbaijan, and Cuba..In Algeria, the government represses evangelical churches with closures and raids, while Cuba persistently harasses and intimidates Catholic priests and other religious leaders..The motion in the Ohio House of Representatives includes cases where church leaders were charged or jailed for ignoring COVID-19 public health measures that prevented church services and other large gatherings..One sponsor of the motion said that the restrictions on religious meetings made Canada one of the most repressive countries in the world..“While Ohio has stood up for religious freedom and protected the right to attend religious services, it is clear Canada has not done the same,” said Representative Reggie Stoltzfus, according to the Statehouse News Bureau..Canada’s actions are “very similar to what we see in Communist-controlled China,” said Stoltzfus..Canadian courts ruled that the restrictions on restaurants, bars, movie theatres, and other large gatherings, including religious services, did not violate the Charter of Rights’ religious freedom guarantee..The motion said that Canada did not follow the “civilized practice of protecting places of worship” from government disruption. .Multiple Canadian ministers were arrested for violating the COVID-19 public health restrictions and the motion mentions James Coates, Artur and David Pawlowski, and Tobias Tissen..Coates spent 35 days in jail for repeatedly violating the public health restrictions, including wearing masks and limiting the number of people at each service..In Ohio, they did not force churches and other places of worship to shut down, but their compliance was voluntary..The judge in Coates’ case said that “individual rights and freedoms are not absolute” when ruling on the case..The motion passed the Republican-controlled Ohio House of Representatives.
