Village Council Reviewing Rental Policies After Speech By Founder Of One Of Canada’s Largest Anti-2SLGBTQ Groups

The village will be “reviewing our facility rental policy” after Tanya Gaw of Action4Canada spoke at a municipal venue.

Peter Smith
Canadian Anti-Hate Network



Source: Twitter


One east coast village is looking at changing its policies to forbid events held by organizations that target marginalized groups after an anti-2SLGBTQ organization held a talk at a local community centre this week. 

On Monday, Action4Canada (A4C) founder Tanya Gaw was a guest speaker during an event in the Village of New Maryland, NB, about 10 km outside of downtown Fredericton. 

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A broad Christian nationalist organization with chapters across the country, A4C lends its voice to a variety of social issues. Regularly pushing Islamophobic, conspiratorial, and anti-2SLGBTQ+ theories about the problems plaguing Canada and Western nations, the group is well-resourced and extremely active since its founding in 2019. 

The Canadian Anti-Hate Network has previously reported on the history and advocacy of A4C, the most recent of which has been campaigning against family-friendly events featuring drag performers. Many drag events intended for adults take place in age-restricted venues and do feature sexualized performances and themes. Family-friendly drag events feature performers in colourful costumes and high-energy performances that are suitable for children.

The organization makes regular claims about a network of child groomers, using 2SLGBTQ issues – all 2SLGBTQ issues – as a means of subverting the county’s Christian values. A4C also publishes a wide range of bizarre takes relating to subjects from 5G cellular phone technology, cannabis legalization, “political Islam,” and more. 

“Unbeknownst to us,” the village council wrote in a statement released on social media, “event organizers have invited a guest speaker that has previously openly and publicly expressed points of view that are not consistent with what our Council nor what we believe our community would support.” 

According to the statement, these views include that the struggle for 2SLGBTQ rights has been hijacked by radical activists who are attacking the core freedoms and rights of all Canadians, that there is a “harmful Marxist agenda” to destroy Canada’s foundational Judeo-Christian principles, and that “political Islam” is a threat to the “sovereignty and security” of the country.

“Our staff and Council will be reviewing our facility rental policy to ensure these types of activities are avoided in the future,” the statement adds. 

In a statement of her own, Mayor Judy Wilson-Shee apologized for the upset the rental had caused in New Maryland, adding she understands the impact it had on many residents. 

“We had rented the space in good faith and later, and closer to the time of the event, learned the event was not what was presented,” she said in the statement. “Moving forward in a positive manner, Council will be meeting with senior staff and seeking legal advice so as to be better prepared to respond to similar situations arising in the future.”

The group distinguished itself during the pandemic by providing printable Notices of Liability, which it encouraged members to deliver to public officials and law enforcement. A4C claimed the notices provided a type of legal protection against health mandates and opened up future avenues of legal recourse against a variety of levels of government.

Action4Canada is one of the largest and most well-funded far-right protest groups in Canada. Documents obtained by the Canadian Anti-Hate Network state that between August 16, 2021, to August 15, 2022, A4C reported pulling in a total revenue of $790,446.34.

The funds come from two sources, according to the filings, dues and donations. Chapter dues – collected from the membership of numerous local branches – account for only $59,724.13 or a little over 7.5 per cent of the total income. Donations make up the bulk of A4C’s cash flow, with a listed total of  $730,722.21, according to A4C’s “Profit and Loss” section.

In February 2023, A4C was banned from speaking during school board meetings in Mission, BC, after board Chair Shelley Carter told City News that Gaw used the meeting to spread hate propaganda.

 

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