A Quebec authorities cupboard minister has taken the stand in a civil case over her choice to cancel an occasion in 2023 as a result of she thought it will promote anti-abortion views.
British Columbia-based Harvest Ministries Worldwide is suing the provincial authorities for $80,000 and looking for a declaration from the Superior Courtroom that the Christian group’s Constitution rights had been violated by the cancellation.
Housing Minister Caroline Proulx defended her choice to dam the “Religion, Fireplace, Freedom Rally” at Quebec Metropolis’s provincially owned conference centre in 2023, when she was chargeable for the tourism portfolio.
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She says she was shocked to find anti-abortion “misinformation” on the group’s web site.
The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, which is representing the plaintiffs, says the matter at subject is whether or not a spiritual group might be denied entry to a publicly owned venue due to its beliefs.
The Quebec authorities maintains that the correct to freedom of faith and non-discrimination applies solely to people, to not authorized entities.
Earlier within the day, Pastor Arthur Lucier, founding father of Harvest Ministries Worldwide, testified that the Quebec Metropolis gathering was not an anti-abortion occasion, however moderately a reconciliation occasion between the founding peoples of the Canadian federation.
Lucier instructed the court docket he was knowledgeable three weeks earlier than the occasion that the rental settlement had been cancelled and stated he approached 50 different venues with out success, calling the state of affairs “heartbreaking” for individuals who needed to attend.
Superior Courtroom Justice Alain Trudel is listening to the case on the Quebec Metropolis courthouse, the place legal professionals will make their closing arguments on Tuesday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first printed Feb. 23, 2026.
© 2026 The Canadian Press