A Conservative MP is blaming the “Liberal-NDP coalition” for blocking his motion to condemn an attempted arson at the Blessed Sacrament Parish church in Regina, Sask.
Before Wascana, Sask. MP Corey Tochor could finish reading his proposed motion, which required unanimous consent, to condemn the attack, MPs from the Liberal and NDP benches yelled “No!”
Tochor said it was a “shameful” display.
“Yesterday I asked for unanimous consent to condemn the attempted arson at the Regina church. But they did not allow me to,” he posted on X. “It is shameful that this NDP-Liberal coalition refuses to condemn these hateful attacks and will shut us down when we attempt to raise the issue.”
Regina firefighters rushed to the historic 118-year-old Catholic church which had been set on fire by a mask-wearing arsonist early Friday morning.
Security footage of the attempted arson was released later that day by Fr. James Hentges, a priest at the Blessed Sacrament Parish church.
A masked arsonist can be seen approaching the office entrance of the church, dumping the contents of a jerry can on the back steps and setting the church on fire before running away.
Firefighters saved the historic church – the oldest Catholic church in Regina – from being completely destroyed, however due to the damage caused by the arsonist, there will be no scheduled eucharist until Ash Wednesday on February 14, according to the church.
The Regina Police Service is continuing its arson investigation and the suspect is still at large. Anybody with information is encouraged to contact Regina police or Crime Stoppers.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre posted to X Monday saying he’s “thinking of the Blessed Sacrament Parish Catholic community after their centuries-old church was vandalized by arson.”
Liberal MP Anthony Housefather also condemned the arson attempt on social media saying, “The idea that one would try to burn down a church is a sickening attack not only on its congregants and on Christians but on the values we are supposed to share as Canadians.”
The attempted arson of the Blessed Sacrament Parish is the 100th church attack to have occurred in Canada since First Nations bands claimed in the spring of 2021 to have located the remains of children in unmarked graves at the sites of former Indian residential schools.
The attack at the Regina church was the 46th arson attempt on a church. Since True North began tracking church attacks in 2021, at least 33 have been completely burned to the ground.
Although Liberal and NDP MPs quickly shut down this motion to condemn the latest church burning in Saskatchewan, in October 2022, a motion from NDP MP Leah Gazan to condemn Canada for committing genocide against First Nations people was agreed on by all 338 MPs.
As of Tuesday morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has yet to comment on the latest arson attempt.
