Mississauga, Ont.’s City Council has declared December Christian Heritage Month and urges Premier Doug Ford to do the same for the rest of the province.
City Councilors unanimously passed a motion forwarded by City Councilor Brad Butt, Thursday to “recognize” the month of December as “Christian Heritage Month” As part of the motion, a copy of the resolution was sent to Ford and all of Mississauga’s MPPs to follow suit.
“Christianity is among the diverse faiths followed by Mississauga residents and one of the most followed religions in Canada and Mississauga,” the motion reads. “Christians have made valuable contributions to the cultural, social, religious, and humanitarian fabric of our City and have played an important role in shaping our diverse community.”
It says December is already among the holiest months for Christians, “commencing with the observance of Advent and culminating in the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, Christmas.”
The motion said the month is marked by several celebrations in the Christian calendar and celebrations that various Christian groups in Mississauga hold open to the public.
“Recognizing the month of December, which is a significant month in the Christian calendar, as ‘Christian Heritage Month’ provides an opportunity for all residents to celebrate the history, traditions, and teachings of the Christian faith, promoting understanding and appreciation of the diverse religious and cultural heritage of our City,” the motion said.
Butt, the city councillor who put forward the motion, told True North in an interview that he thought it was about time to add Christian heritage to the city’s extensive list of recognized cultural and religious celebrations.
“We did in Mississauga because we believe it’s important to recognize the Christian faith as being one that is important to many,” he said. “The people who live in our city, and equally as important to people who live in the province of Ontario and throughout Canada as well.”
He said Mississauga is one of Canada’s most diverse cities, with a large population of people from various denominations who practice the Christian faith.
According to 2021 census data, nearly half, 355,735, of the city’s 712,825 residents identified as Christian.
“I recognized through speaking to a number of different people in Mississauga and beyond, that this was one of the religious groups that we had not previously recognized in our city,” Butt said. “I thought it was time that we bring something forward to recognize December as Christian Heritage Month in the city of Mississauga.”
He said there are “dozens and dozens” of celebrations and flag raisings at the civic centre to recognize many different faith and cultural groups that call Mississauga their home.
“We light our clock tower different colours on a regular basis to recognize many different things that we should be celebrating as a municipality, depending on the day or the month,” he said. “We do a very good job in Mississauga, celebrating and embracing diversity. The motion passed unanimously. The mayor and all members of the council believe it’s appropriate that we also recognize Christian Heritage Month.”
Butt said he’s asking both the federal and provincial governments to now step up to the plate and do the same for Canadian Christians.
He said many other municipalities in Ontario, including Brampton, Mississauga’s northern neighbour, have already declared December Christian Heritage Month.
“There’s lots of good precedent for this. The provincial legislature has probably declared more heritage months than any legislature in the entire country,” he said.
He noted that the federal and provincial governments have already declared November Hindu Heritage Month and Lebanese Heritage Month.
A look at the extensive list of various heritage and culture-related celebrations recognized by the Ontario government’s Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism shows that the Ontario government recognizes no celebrations for December, while 23 various months are dedicated to heritage celebrations throughout the other eleven months.
“I think that’s great. Let’s celebrate that. Let’s have those months declared,” Butt said. “So certainly, I would encourage my colleagues in the provincial and federal governments to follow the lead of the city of Mississauga and give very serious consideration to declaring the month of December as Christian Heritage Month provincially and federally.”
Ontario’s Ministry of Citizenship and Multiculturalism responded to True North’s request to comment but did not provide a statement, while Ford did not respond before the deadline provided.