Bill to establish Christian Heritage Month introduced

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This article was published 10/01/2026 (279 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Does Manitoba need a Christian Heritage Month? Carrie Hiebert, the Progressive Conservative MLA for Morden-Winkler, says yes.

Hiebert introduced a private member’s bill, The Christian Heritage Month Act, late last year to establish the month of December as Christian Heritage Month in the province.

For Hiebert, who describes herself as a person of faith, the month is needed because of the many contributions Christians have made to the province.

“It is important to bring awareness to the Christian faith and the meaningful role it contributes to Manitoba,” she said in introducing the Bill. “Christians give back in many ways, through charitable works, community service, support for families and care for the vulnerable.”

The goal is not to promote Christianity, Hiebert said. It’s just about acknowledging its positive impact in Manitoba.

“We have the most amazing country,” she said, adding that Party leader Obby Khan, a Muslim, supports the bill. “People are free to worship as they want.”

The idea for a Christian Heritage Month originated with Molly and Jay Banerjei, an evangelical couple in Toronto.

In December 2023, the couple said they felt moved by the Holy Spirit to create a month to celebrate Christian heritage — just as Canada currently celebrates Sikh, Jewish and Muslim heritage months — and to counter what they feel is a sidelining and oppression of Christianity in Canada.

To get the word out, they sent e-mails to churches and politicians across the country. They also launched a social media campaign, including one appealing to Manitobans, encouraging them to contact their provincial representatives.

To date, over 50 towns and cities in Canada have responded, with Toronto, Calgary, Ottawa, Saskatoon, Kingston and Nanaimo all declaring December as Christian heritage month in their communities, along with the province of Saskatchewan. So far, no community in Manitoba has done it.

“Now it’s your turn, Manitoba,” Molly says in a video directed at people in this province.

In addition to getting Manitoba to declare a month for Christian heritage, the couple would like to see it become a national commemoration. Currently, there are no bills or motions in Parliament to that effect, although the Conservative Party has a petition about it on its website.

The Banerjeis acknowledge that Easter would actually be a more appropriate time for a Christian Heritage Month — it’s a much more important date in the Christian liturgical calendar than Christmas. But the problem with that is Easter floats between March and April; you can’t choose one month. Plus, April is already Sikh Heritage Month.

How do local Christian leaders feel about the idea?

Mark Hughes, pastor of the evangelical Church of the Rock, supports it; he thinks it will help counter what he sees as the anti-religious narrative that is currently dominating our culture.

Gerald Michalski is lead pastor at Soul Sanctuary. Together with his leadership team, Michalski applauded the bill. But he offers a caution.

“In a world scrambling for recognition and validation, we believe that Christians should be the last people chasing after applause,” he said. “Our identity isn’t anchored in public approval, cultural trends or political favour, but rather it is rooted in Christ alone. When we forget this, we risk trading eternal significance for temporary recognition.”

Rocky Baronins is High Councillor for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He doesn’t think a special month for Christianity is necessary. Speaking personally, he noted that Christianity is already the largest religion in the province, and it has been dominant for so long.

Plus, he noted, for some people, Christianity has not been a good thing. “Christians, historically and in the present, have also been among the greatest perpetrators of antisemitism and Islamophobia,” he said. “Until we fully reckon with that reality, setting aside a month to recognize Christian Heritage feels unwarranted.”

When Michael Wilson, the Minister at Charleswood United Church, first heard the idea, a question that occurred to him was “what is Christian Heritage? Christianity is not a cultural group nor an ethnicity, it is first and foremost a faith. It certainly isn’t practised for recognition or to be celebrated.”

Noting that there are a number of different Christian traditions in Manitoba, he also wondered which Christian heritage we might be celebrating. “I’m not negative on this, I just think it is really complicated,” he said.

Jason Zinko is the local bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada. He opposes the idea. “On the surface, it is presented as a response to an anti-religious sentiment that is increasing in society,” he said. But Zinko believes “this is an attempt for some religious communities to prioritize their religion over others without any consultation with the wider Christian community.”

He also worries that “showing dominant cultural favouritism in this way” could result in further marginalization of minority religions and groups. “I might be more supportive of this bill’s potential in combating anti-religious sentiment if it also included support for other religions beyond Christianity,” he said.

Ultimately, whether or not Manitoba gets a month to celebrate Christian heritage is up to the politicians, although individual Manitobans can also make their opinions known. The bill may come up for a vote in spring.

faith@freepress.mb.ca

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