Parks Canada under fire over Trump-backing musician's Halifax concert
American Christian rocker and missionary Sean Feucht is scheduled to begin his Canadian tour at the York Redoubt, a national historic site in Nova Scotia, on Wednesday night.
Feucht is known for speaking out against abortion rights and the LGBTQ2 community. He unsuccessfully ran as a Republican in California's 3rd congressional district in 2020.
He has also hosted worship concerts to protest COVID-19 restrictions and has previously visited the president for a faith briefing at the White House.
Todd Smith and his family live across the street from the York Redoubt site and say they left the U.S. to get away from the MAGA movement after President Donald Trump was re-elected.
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Now, it's followed him right to his doorstep.
'I can't explain the level of frustration and I guess anger that I have that we've moved all the way up here to get rid of it and it's really literally slapping us in the face across the street,' he said.
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Todd Smith, who lives across the street from York Redoubt, says he's upset a MAGA-supporting musician is performing at the Parks Canada site. Mitchell Bailey/Global News
Amid recent 51st state taunts from Trump, many are taking issue with an advocate for the U.S. president performing at a historic Canadian site.
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'We see Canada as a place that is opening to everybody. And what's happening across the street is not opening to everybody,' said Smith.
Other residents in the neighbourhood also want the show cancelled, and are planning to protest outside the venue if it goes ahead.
'I protested when I was in my early 20s, I can protest again,' said Marilyn Howard.
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York Redoubt is a 230-year-old site operated by Parks Canada and isn't known for musical events.
'How did it happen? Who approved it? Did they even check it out? You know, it's kind of unbelievable how they can let someone just not even question it,' said neighbour Leslie Lee.
Global News reached out to Parks Canada to ask why the concert is being held there but didn't hear back by deadline.
'When I first heard about it, I was pretty ticked off. This is a national historic site. It's funded by the taxpayer,' said neighbour Thomas Lee.
The Halifax show is the start of a 11-concert tour across Canada, with shows in Charlottetown, Moncton and Quebec City scheduled for later this week.
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While Feucht describes himself as a musician, missionary, author and activist, his religious and political views — including his stance on abortion, gender, and the LGBT community — have made him a polarizing figure. He's also been closely aligned with the Make America Great Again (MAGA) movement and is an ardent supporter of U.S. President Donald Trump and his administration. WORSHIP FROM THE WHITE HOUSE 😱😱😱 Still cant believe this happened!!! And the sound of praise from this place is circumventing the world! We do this AGAIN at the US Capitol steps on Tuesday, July 22nd at 5pm!! We keep striking the ground! 🔨🔨🔨🔨 #LetUsWorship The cancellation began in Halifax earlier this week, where Feucht was scheduled to play at the York Redoubt National Historic Site until his permit was pulled by Parks Canada, which cited 'heightened public safety concerns.' 'Due to evolving safety and security considerations based on confirmation of planned protests, input from law enforcement, and the security challenges with the configuration of York Redoubt, Parks Canada has reassessed the conditions of the permit and potential impacts to community members, visitors, concert attendees and event organizers,' the agency wrote in statement to National Post. The show did proceed, albeit 70 kilometres northeast from its original site, when a farmer in Shubenacadie opened up his field. A video shared to Feucht's social media channels show farm equipment knocking down tall grass to make space for parking. Canadians are clearing hay for a parking lot tonight.🤣🤠 There is a RESILIENT & HUNGRY CHURCH rising in this nation! #LetUsWorship 'They can cancel our permits across Canada but they cannot steal our joy,' Feucht posted to X along with a video of people dancing to music in the field. 'See you tomorrow PEI and Moncton!' The City of Charlottetown, also citing 'evolving public safety and security concerns,' had already cancelled a Thursday morning scheduled for Confederation Landing. Feucht, however, had already secured a new location at the home of the Faithworks Centre Church , a Christian church in North Wiltshire, just outside the capital. So many say Canada is too far gone. But here's the church of Prince Edward Island on a Thursday morning (after 2 venues cancelled). New Brunswick is tonight! #LetUsWorship A day earlier, the city had initially said there was little it could do 'from a legal standpoint,' but made it clear they stand with the '2SLGBTQ+ community' as it began Pride Fest 2025 celebrations this week. Liberal MP Sean Casey had also called for the show to be cancelled. 'While I fully respect the right to freedom of expression, I do not believe this event reflects the values of inclusivity and respect that define the City of Charlottetown or the Government of Canada,' he wrote on Facebook. Feucht's Thursday show at Moncton's Riverfront Park was also cancelled the day prior after the city deemed it didn't comply with its facilities' code of conduct and represented a 'potential risks to the safety and security of community members, event attendees, and organizers.' Feucht's social media plea for 'any bold pastors/churches' willing to host the evening concert was answered by Bar None Camp in Taxis River, almost 200 kilometres northwest of Moncton in the middle of the province. Also axed on Wednesday were Feucht's scheduled performances in Quebec City and at the Jacques-Cartier Park North in Gatineau, overseen by the National Capital Commission, who cited 'concerns about public safety and security' in a statement to National Post. 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My official Statement on the Let Us Worship Canada Tour 🇨🇦🙏🏽 Here's the hard truth: If I had shown up with purple hair and a dress, claiming to be a woman, the government wouldn't have said a word. But to publicly profess deeply held Christian beliefs is to be labeled an… The second leg of the tour is scheduled to return to Western Canada in late August with consecutive shows in Winnipeg (20th), Saskatoon (21st), Edmonton (22nd), West Kelowna (23rd) and Abbotsford (24th). Our website is the place for the latest breaking news, exclusive scoops, longreads and provocative commentary. Please bookmark and sign up for our daily newsletter, Posted, here .
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