Alberta government wanted to censor GraceLife church pastor on trial: lawyer

[Valin]

Global News

May 4 2021

A lawyer for an Alberta pastor accused of violating COVID-19 rules says the province’s health agency decided to penalize the church leader as a way to censor him.

James Kitchen has told the trial of James Coates in Edmonton that his client was charged the same day he preached a sermon criticizing Alberta’s leadership on the pandemic.

(Snip)

Kitchen says public-health orders meant to curb the spread of COVID-19 have violated the pastor’s charter rights to freedom of expression, assembly and worship.

Kitchen is a lawyer with the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, an advocacy group representing Coates.

[Valin]

 

[Valin]

May 5 2021

On last night's episode of The Ezra Levant Show, Sheila Gunn Reid joined Ezra to discuss the trial of Alberta pastor James Coates, who recently spent 35 days in jail for refusing to comply with public health restrictions on religious gatherings.