It has become apparent to Molly Banerjei the Government of Ontario has no enthusiasm nor urgency to join with nearly 60 municipalities, three regions and the province of Saskatchewan in declaring December as Christian Heritage Month.

Ontario is not alone in not granting a provincial statutory declaration. British Columbia Premier David Eby outright refused the request because the “submission overlaps with recognized statutory holidays celebrating the Christian faith, notably Christmas.” The City of Vancouver denied the request as well.

Quebec, Manitoba and the territories are not a surprise as no municipalities within those jurisdictions have approved this endeavour, honouring the contributions, cultural legacy and inclusivity of Christian communities. In Atlantic Canada, only the Cape Breton Regional Municipality in Nova Scotia has signed on.

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Banerjei, the CEO of the Christian Heritage Month initiative, said Alberta will debate a motion in March and “we don’t anticipate any issues” with a provincial designation on track for December 2026.

The lack of movement in Ontario has been stupefying, considering Ottawa, Toronto, Brampton, Mississauga, Markham, Kingston and Barrie are among the 35 municipalities in Canada’s most populous province to participate, along with the Durham and York Regions.

“Ontario is being very problematic,” said Banerjei. “It is a Conservative government here in Ontario. Christians have supported this current government quite a bit, but it's not even a matter of Christian support; it's (about) doing the right thing.

“Ontario has recognized Hindu Heritage Month, Sikh Heritage Month, Islamic Heritage Month, along with a whole lot of other heritage months,” continued Banerjei. “When it comes to Christian Heritage Month, it appears to me they're not too keen on it.”

In 2024, Banerjei, who oversees the annual Christian Music Festival in Toronto, met with Premier Doug Ford multiple times. Banerjei said Ford requested she send the information to his office to see what could be done.

“I never heard back from him,” recounted Banerjei. “Fast forward to the middle of this year, June or July, I reached out to his office, and I said, ‘you know, someone was supposed to get back to us, and no one has.’ ”

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A staffer was informed that a petition campaign to garner a provincial Christian Heritage Month had accrued 10,000 names at the time, vastly beyond the 500-signature threshold needed to compel an official response from the government within 45 calendar days.

This revelation appeared to help the process get rolling again, but only briefly. Banerjei was put in touch with Minister of Citizenship and Multiculturalism Graham McGregor. She and her team were invited to attend a meeting with one of the minister's staff, Manvir Hundal, director of strategy and stakeholder relations.

During a sit-down, Banerjei described as “welcoming and cordial,” she was asked by Hundal why this cause is important. Banerjei touted how Christians “are the largest community, and we have made lots of contributions to the province of Ontario,” and “it's time to recognize our community's contributions, starting from the time when the first settlers came.”

She also highlighted the inclusivity of Christianity by citing that there are approximately 250 ethnicities present in Ontario, “and Christians belong to each and every one of them.”

Banerjei came to Canada after experiencing life as a religious minority in India, and upon her arrival with her husband Jay, they expected to commemorate their faith loudly and proudly.

“We came here, and now we’re told constantly, ‘you belong to the majority community, and therefore you make people feel comfortable, and therefore be quiet,’ ” said Banerjei. “That makes no sense, right?”

Banerjei provided the Register with her email communications with Hundal. The last time he offered a response was Aug. 12.

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The Register sent emails to Hundal and several other staff members in recent days in an attempt to secure any sort of statement regarding Christian Heritage Month. Calls were also made to the ministry and McGregor’s constituency office in Brampton. No response has been issued.

Despite not securing Ontario, the second annual Christian Heritage Month is poised to be robust. This occasion was to be commemorated in Toronto Dec. 6 with a multi-denominational Christian unity celebration at Willowdale Baptist Church.