Sarnia-Lambton Conservative MP Marilyn Gladu wants the federal government to designate December as national Christian Heritage Month.
She recently introduced a Private Member’s Bill in the House of Commons, noting that more than half of Canadians are Christian, according to the 2021 census.
Gladu said her bill, titled An Act Respecting Christian Heritage Month, is awaiting its numerical designation.
"As Canadians, we love to celebrate all different faiths in this country," said Gladu. "We have Sikh Heritage Month, Hindu Heritage Month, Muslim History Month and Jewish Heritage Month, but we don't have a Christian Heritage Month. There are 19.6 million Christians across Canada, according to the last census. I think it's only fair and right that we should have a month for Christians to celebrate their heritage, and what better month to pick than December?"
Gladu said December is the season of Advent, making it the perfect choice.
"There's the lighting of the hope candle, the love candle, the peace candle, and the joy candle. It culminates with the lighting of the Christ candle celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ, savior of the world," she said.
Gladu believes all parties in the house will support her bill.
"We already heard from the Bloc Quebecois about how important Christmas is in Quebec, and the Prime Minister has reiterated that Christmas is important to all Canadians. I know in Sarnia-Lambton, everyone very much enjoys the celebrations," she said.
Gladu said a Christian Heritage Month designation would also be advantageous to Canadian students.
"In the schools, they're actually using the different heritage months to teach children about the different religions and what they believe," she said. "So, I think it's important to have all of the major faiths represented. I also think that it's at a time when there's such a discussion about faith in the world. I think we as Canadians can get up and celebrate everyone's faith."
Gladu admitted that the process surrounding Private Member's Bills can be a very slow one.
"There are other routes through committees or through unanimous consent motions, that we might be able to accelerate this bill," she noted.
Right now, her bill is at first reading and likely won't come back for second reading until sometime in 2024.