Quebec minister defends herself in Superior Court in anti-abortion event cancellation case

Former Tourism Minister Caroline Proulx had to defend her decision to cancel an event organized by an anti-abortion group at the Quebec City Convention Center in 2023 in Superior Court on Monday.

The trial, presided over by Judge Alain Trudel, opened Monday morning at the Quebec City courthouse, where a larger room quickly had to be found to accommodate the participants and observers in attendance.

Harvest Ministries International, a Christian organization based in British Columbia, accuses Quebec of violating its rights and freedoms. It is now seeking $80,000 in damages.

On Monday, Proulx testified that her office had been alerted by a journalist in the spring of 2023 that the “Faith, Fire, Freedom Rally” was to be held at the Quebec City Convention Center at the end of June.

The Convention Center, like the Olympic Stadium and the Palais des congrès in Montreal, is a Crown corporation.

Proulx said she was “shocked” by the Harvest Ministries website. The home page stated that “the most dangerous place for a child in Canada is its mother’s womb.”

The minister explained to the judge that it was this “misinformation” that prompted her to cancel the event.

“It is completely false to claim that the most dangerous place for a child in Canada is its mother’s womb,” she said. “What this implies (…) is that women are dangerous.

“This is contrary to the values of the state. The state is firmly pro-choice, and as a government, we must ensure that this message is very clear to the public.”

She explained that she returned to the website after canceling the event and read that “several leaders” in the country were under “demonic” influence.

She quoted this passage in court: “We pray for reform that will lead to the rewriting of the laws of the country and declare that God will have dominion from coast to coast.”

“God will not rewrite the laws in Quebec, Your Honor, and God will not dictate to women in Quebec how and when they can dispose of their bodies,” the minister insisted during her testimony.

Proulx also reported that on June 1, 2023, she spoke with Michel Labrecque of the Olympic Stadium, who confirmed that he had previously refused to host an event, “Vulves et bulles” (Vulvas and Bubbles), because he deemed it “inappropriate.”

She acknowledged in court that she had forbidden the president and CEO of the Convention Center, Pierre-Michel Bouchard, from helping Harvest Ministries find another venue. “It wasn’t his job,” she explained.

Looking back, would she make the same decisions again? “I would make exactly the same decisions, with just as little hesitation,” she replied to her lawyer’s questioning.

As a reminder, Premier François Legault had supported his minister, stating that “anti-abortion groups should not be allowed to hold large events in public institutions.”

Proulx served as Minister of Tourism from 2018 to 2025. In September 2025, she was appointed Minister Responsible for Seniors. A month later, she was given responsibility for Housing and the Status of Women.

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“Not an anti-abortion event”

Earlier in the day, the prosecution called its sole witness, Pastor Arthur Lucier, founder of Harvest Ministries International.

Lucier introduced himself in English as the father of three children, married for 34 years. He claimed to have organized an anti-abortion rally in Edmonton in 2019 that attracted 3,000 people.

Lucier shared his belief that Jesus Christ, before he was born, already lived and existed in the womb of his mother, the Virgin Mary.

Quoting extensively from the Bible, he explained that God had said to Jeremiah, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you.” “All of this is very emotional for me,” he told the judge.

However, he emphasized several times that the gathering planned in Quebec City was not an “anti-abortion” event.

“The main theme of our event was reconciliation” between the founding peoples of the Canadian federation, he said. He had also planned a “healing” activity on the Plains of Abraham.

Art Lucier said he learned that his lease was going to be terminated in a newspaper article, just 21 days before the event was to take place.

It was “confusing,” he testified. “Our brothers and sisters in Quebec really wanted it to happen.” According to him, several participants had already purchased their plane tickets.

He reportedly approached about 50 other venues in Quebec City, to no avail. He then wondered whether a religious organization could really be denied access to a public place because of its beliefs.

On this point, the government maintains that the right to freedom of religion and non-discrimination applies only to individuals, not to legal entities.

The trial is set to continue on Tuesday with closing arguments from the lawyers.

–This report by La Presse Canadienne was translated by CityNews