Full Breakdown
Jamil Jivani and Jacob Mantle Address “Restore the North” Crowd at Liberty Church
By Drooid · · How we work
Event Overview
The “Restore the North” gathering was held at Liberty Church in Bowmanville, Ontario, as part of a touring series that previously stopped at Toronto Metropolitan University, Canada Christian College and the University of Calgary. The event was promoted as a defence of religious freedom and attracted a crowd of parents and supporters who waited for close to two hours before the speakers took the stage. MP Jamil Jivani and Conservative MP Jacob Mantle were the featured speakers.
Issues Raised by the Speakers
Religious-Freedom Framing
In practice, the evening’s remarks focused almost exclusively on a single faith tradition. While Muslim families and other diverse attendees were present, the speakers did not reference a local Muslim man who has been publicly accused of operating an illegal slaughterhouse—a case the author of the source material identified as a concrete example of religious-based harassment.
Bill C-9 and Scriptural Concerns
Jacob Mantle opened with a discussion of Bill C-9, describing it as a threat but offering no specific legislative passages or scriptural excerpts that he claimed had become “illegal.” When pressed about the status of Christian schools, Mantle responded only with a tentative “probably,” providing no concrete evidence of imminent legal action.
Gender and LGBTQ Claims
The claim has been widely debunked in public discourse. Jivani, responding to a question about school policy, condemned the teaching of homosexuality and labelled discussions of “gender ideology” as “nuts.” Both MPs framed the presence of LGBTQ people as a threat to the educational environment, suggesting that the mere existence of gay individuals should be excluded from schools.
Political Organising
The event also functioned as a networking hub. Jivani reportedly assisted anti-LGBTQ school-board trustee hopefuls in connecting with attendees, indicating a strategic use of the gathering for candidate recruitment.
Data & Statistics
- No specific scriptural passages were named as being prohibited under Bill C-9.
Official Statements & Responses
- Jamil Jivani opened by yelling that “Liberals hate you,” extending the accusation to neighbours, teachers and others who vote differently, and suggesting that their value is tied only to skin colour.
- Jacob Mantle linked Bill C-9 to a perceived danger to Christian schools, warned of “gender ideology,” and described alleged classroom practices involving multiple genders and animal identification.
Both speakers framed their remarks as defence of religious liberty while simultaneously presenting broad cultural and educational threats.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- No evidence was provided to substantiate the claim that schools teach children to identify as cats or that they present 23–50 gender categories.
- Mantle’s discussion of Bill C-9 lacked citation of any specific statutory language or judicial interpretation.
- The event’s focus on a single faith tradition omitted reference to a local Muslim individual allegedly targeted for his religious practices, despite the presence of Muslim families in the audience.
Why It Matters
The gathering illustrates how a religious-freedom narrative can be employed to advance a narrower ideological agenda, intertwining opposition to LGBTQ inclusion with criticism of federal legislation. By positioning cultural issues as existential threats, the speakers sought to mobilise parents and potential political candidates, potentially influencing local school-board elections and broader policy debates on religious expression and education in Canada.