Commentary
In a free society, should government-owned facilities be available only to people who hold the “right” opinions? The Superior Court of Quebec has given a clear “non.” Justice Alain Trudel has ordered Quebec Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx to pay $60,637 in general and punitive damages to Harvest Ministries International after she ordered the cancellation of its contract to use the Centre des congrès de Québec for a Christian conference.
This case is about whether government officials can use their control over public property to censor (and effectively punish) citizens who hold what are deemed controversial opinions.
Harvest Ministries rented the Quebec City convention centre in February 2023 for its “Faith, Freedom, Fire” prayer and worship conference. The event was scheduled for June 22 to July 2 and was expected to attract more than 1,200 people per day. The contract was signed. People from across Canada made travel plans and bought airline tickets….