US Vice President-elect JD Vance is supporting a Canadian Conservative MP’s stance on protecting Christian rights.
On December 3, Jamil Jivani, who represents the riding of Durham, Ontario, posted a video on X stating that Christians in Canada must be protected from “governments and corporations abusing their power in our country, and from anti-Christian bigotry.”
I’m sounding the alarm.
We must protect Christians in Canada from governments and corporations abusing their power in our country, and from anti-Christian bigotry.
I’ll present this petition in Ottawa in the new year.
Sign and share if you agree:https://t.co/YqyuQ7IBhL pic.twitter.com/boiE3v7Nyr
— Jamil Jivani (@jamiljivani) December 3, 2024
He encouraged those who supported the cause to sign a petition, which he’ll present in Ottawa in the new year.
That post caught the attention of Max Fawcett, a Canadian journalist and lead columnist for The National Observer.
Fawcett reposted Jivani’s video and shared his thoughts.
“So much of contemporary Conservatism revolves around cultivating and validating a sense of victimhood in groups that aren’t actually victims,” stated the journalist.
So much of contemporary Conservatism revolves around cultivating and validating a sense of victimhood in groups that aren’t actually victims. https://t.co/P5NxfJ3oqn
— Max Fawcett 🇨🇦 (@maxfawcett) December 5, 2024
That’s when Vance stepped in to defend Jivani’s comments.
“Canada has seen a number of church burnings in recent years thanks to anti-Christian bigotry,” wrote Vance on X.
“All over the world, Christians are the most persecuted religious group. Jamil is speaking the truth. Shame on journalists who refuse to see what’s obvious.”
Canada has seen a number of church burnings in recent years thanks to anti-Christian bigotry.
All over the world, Christians are the most persecuted religious group.
Jamil is speaking the truth. Shame on journalists who refuse to see what’s obvious. https://t.co/LKq146gTGc
— JD Vance (@JDVance) December 6, 2024
Jivani and Vance’s relationship goes beyond online commentary; the politicians are close friends and attended law school at Yale University together.
In a 2020 National Post column, Jivani noted that he performed at a Bible reading at Vance’s wedding.
Jivani and Vance reunited in person over the weekend in Washington, DC, where they also met with British Conservative Opposition Leader Kemi Badenoc.
Thanks to the VP-elect and @KemiBadenoch for a great conversation in DC. pic.twitter.com/aEBmDiSR9t
— Jamil Jivani (@jamiljivani) December 8, 2024
Their meeting came at a time when US-Canada relations have been tested by President-elect Donald Trump’s threats to implement significant tariffs on Canadian imports if border and drug issues are not addressed.
Trump reiterated his stance on tariffs in a recent Meet the Press interview with NBC News journalist Kristen Welker, which aired on December 8.
He also stated that the US annually subsidizes Canada for US$100 million and Mexico for US$300 million.
“We shouldn’t be subsidizing them. Why are we subsidizing these countries?” Trump asked. “If we’re going to subsidize them, let them become a state. We’re subsidizing Mexico, and we’re subsidizing Canada, and we’re subsidizing many countries all over the world.”
Trump previously made remarks about Canada becoming a US state during his meeting with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at his Mar-a-Lago resort in Palm Beach, Florida, earlier this month.
However, Canadian Public Safety Minister Dominic LeBlanc, who also attended the meeting, later clarified that Trump was joking.
“It was a three-hour social evening at the president’s residence in Florida on a long weekend on American Thanksgiving,” said LeBlanc, speaking to reporters before a December 3 cabinet meeting.
“The conversation was going to be lighthearted. The president was telling jokes. The president was teasing us, of course, on that issue. It is in no way a serious comment.”
With files from Irish Mae Silvestre