Alise Mills is a Vancouver-based strategic consultant and conservative commentatorLet’s get this out of the way: I’m not here to endorse Sean Feucht’s theology, politics, or his particular brand of music. The American Christian singer and activist is no stranger to controversy — and frankly, some of his past behaviour, such as his disregard for wildlife protections, ticks me off. But in one of the more ironic civic plot twists of the year, it wasn’t a Canadian constitutional scholar or elected official who reminded the country of its Charter rights — it was Feucht, guitar in hand, raising his hands to God, doing what many in power seem unwilling or unable to do: stand up for freedom of expression and within that, freedom of speech.Feucht’s tour across Canadian cities, including Vancouver, Edmonton, and Calgary, didn’t just spark media backlash and culture war hand-wringing — it revealed how alarmingly few Canadians, including some in positions of power, understand what the Charter actually means and what it protects..Multiple cities attempted to block or discourage Feucht’s events. Victoria tried to deny him a permit. Calgary threatened to cancel a city-owned venue. Our nation’s media such as our state broadcaster, the CBC framed his presence as controversial, even dangerous, so much so they adopted the persona of lobbyist to stop his tour. But when legal groups stepped in and Charter rights were asserted, those efforts quickly began to crumble. Feucht himself reminded these Canadian officials — and by extension, the rest of the country — that freedom of expression, speech, religion, and peaceful assembly are not optional features of democracy. They are fundamental, enshrined in Section 2 of the Charter.Multiple cities in Canada cancelled or revoked permits for Feucht’s planned public events, citing safety concerns or opposition to his views. In Montreal, a local church went ahead with a concert without a permit and was fined $2,500 by the city. Free‑speech legal groups, including the Canadian Constitution Foundation, decried these actions as violations of the Charter’s protections for freedom of religion, expression, and peaceful assembly under Section 2. When legal advocates got involved, municipalities backed down or were forced to defend constitutionally dubious decisions—highlighting the fundamental, non‑negotiable nature of these rights..Let that sink in. A Christian rock singer from California schooled Canadian mayors, city councillors, Senators, members of Parliament and journalists on our own constitution.It’s tempting to brush this off as a fringe story — just another messy intersection of faith, free speech, and politics. But the implications are serious. Canada’s civic literacy is in decline. Polls consistently show that Canadians have a hazy understanding of their own rights. Many can’t name what’s in the Charter, or even what it does. That’s bad enough on its own. But when those we elect and Canada’s lawyers don’t grasp it either, we have a bigger problem.Somehow, we've arrived at a place where rights are treated as privileges — granted or denied based on popularity, optics, or ideological comfort. That’s not how the Charter works. Or at least, it’s not how it’s supposed to work..This isn’t a defence of Sean Feucht’s views. I disagree with some of his. I also don’t think he’s always been a helpful ambassador for Christianity or real Conservative values. But my personal annoyance doesn’t override the law. Nor does yours. Nor should the subjective political leanings of a city council.Rights are not reserved for the politically correct or what social media says is acceptable. They apply to everyone — Christian musicians, environmental protesters, comedians, and yes, even those who say things that make us uncomfortable. It's not in spite of the Charter, it is the Charter.When politicians, city lawyers and their influencers pick and choose whose events are allowed to proceed based on content or ideology, they aren’t safeguarding the public. They’re engaging in unconstitutional discrimination.More troubling than Feucht’s visit was watching some in Canada’s press and public service celebrate the idea of silencing him. That’s a dangerous instinct in a liberal democracy. And if the Charter only gets dusted off when a case reaches the Supreme Court, then we’ve missed the point entirely.There’s a hard truth buried in this story: it took an American, with a guitar and a voice, to remind us of the freedoms we too often take for granted. That should embarrass us — and motivate us to do better.Civic literacy isn’t optional. If we expect to preserve our rights, we need to understand them. That starts with journalists who can tell the difference between protest and persecution, and politicians who know what’s actually in the Charter before making public declarations about what it supposedly allows.Whether you’re waving a Bible or a Pride flag, your rights don’t depend on whether a city bureaucrat, activist lawyer, journalist or a random influencer likes your message. If Feucht’s victory felt inconvenient or uncomfortable, good. It means it did its job.The Charter doesn’t guarantee comfort. It guarantees freedom.Alise Mills is a Vancouver-based strategic consultant and conservative commentator.
