'UNDER ATTACK': MLAs 'defend' Kelowna's 'Keep Christ in Christmas' sign

Central Okanagan MLAs say they are "fighting" and "defending" the Christian religion after the City of Kelowna removed a controversial sign on a Nativity scene that read “Keep Christ in Christmas”. But if Conservative Party of BC MLAs Kristina Loewen, Tara Armstrong and Gavin Dew plan on doing more than talking about it, they aren't saying. iNFOnews.ca asked the MLAs for comment on Kelowna's decision to remove the sign after a complaint from the Kelowna Atheists, Skeptics, and Humanists Association. Loewen responded by recording a video statement on X.com and emailed it. "So I just wanted to come on here as one of your MLAs and in unity with the other MLAs from the Kelowna and West Kelowna areas and just let you know that we believe that it's an important detail that Christmas is a Christian holiday and that it's important to acknowledge and remember and defend," Loewen said. "When one religion is under attack, all other religions can be attacked. So we will be standing united and defending all British Columbians' rights to religion and freedom of expression — speech, thought, belief." Kelowna-Lake Country-Coldstream MLA Tara Armstrong reposted Loewen’s video. “A great message from my colleague and friend. I’m proud to be part of a team that stands up for what’s right,” Armstrong said. All three MLAs were involved in a similar controversy this week. All three signed a letter calling on party leader John Rustad to demand a formal apology from another MLA https://infotel.ca/newsitem/conservative-bc-controversy/cp293502195 who denounced comments from a former Vancouver Police Board member who argued, "the exclusion of Christians should not be the price we pay for multiculturalism.” The annual nativity scene display was set up by a local branch of the Knights of Columbus, a Catholic organization. "This message is not merely festive, it is political, advocating for a specific religious interpretation of the holiday," the atheist association wrote in its letter to council. The city said the sign was removed because it did not comply with its permit and offered no other explanation.    Canada is a diverse country that respects and embraces people from all cultures and religions. This is one of the things that attract so many to our great country. Any attempt to take Christianity out of Christmas is an attack on religious freedom and a threat to all people of… pic.twitter.com/Sbm2fk2IYj https://t.co/Sbm2fk2IYj — Kristina Loewen (@Kristina4BC) December 12, 2024 https://twitter.com/Kristina4BC/status/1867288423587078517?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw   Nina George, the association’s spokesperson, said removing the sign is about the separation of church and state, rather than an attempt to prevent people from celebrating the holiday how they choose. “This isn't a like or dislike situation,” the association’s spokesperson Nina George previously told iNFOnews.ca. “This is about the government showing responsibility and being neutral to religions.” To contact a reporter for this story, email Jesse Tomas mailto:jtomas@infonews.ca  or call 250-488-3065 or email the editor mailto:news@infonews.ca . You can also submit photos, videos or news tips to the newsroom mailto:tips@infonews.ca  and be entered to win a monthly prize draw. Find our Journalism Ethics policy here. https://infotel.ca/newsitem/code-of-ethics/it106782 We welcome your comments and opinions on our stories but play nice. We won't censor or delete comments unless they contain off-topic statements or links, unnecessary vulgarity, false facts, spam or obviously fake profiles. If you have any concerns about what you see in comments, email the editor in the link above. SUBSCRIBE to our awesome newsletter here https://infotel.ca/newsletter .