Nova Scotia

Residents want MAGA musician's concert at Parks Canada historic site cancelled

Sean Feucht, a Christian rocker and rising star in the MAGA movement, is scheduled to perform Wednesday at the York Redoubt National Historic Site near Halifax.

Halifax MP urging Parks Canada to cancel Sean Feucht concert after hearing from constituents

Residents want MAGA musician's concert at Parks Canada historic site cancelled

22 hours ago
Duration 3:17
Some residents are calling on Parks Canada to cancel a performance by a U.S. singer and rising star in the MAGA movement at a national historic site near Halifax this week.

Some residents are calling on Parks Canada to cancel a performance by a U.S. singer and rising star in the MAGA movement at a national historic site near Halifax this week.

Christian rocker Sean Feucht has a concert scheduled for Wednesday night at the York Redoubt National Historic Site, a fortification constructed in 1793 to help protect the port city. It sits on a cliff overlooking the harbour.

Feucht, who unsuccessfully ran for U.S. congress as a Republican in 2020, is also a missionary and an author who has spoken out against the 2SLGBTQ+ community, abortion rights and critical race theory on his website.

"What I want to know is how this got approved in the first place," said Larry Stewart, who lives in Fergusons Cove, a small community next to the historical site.

Stewart is one of several residents who have voiced opposition to the planned concert, which they said goes against Parks Canada's guiding principles of inclusion and safety for all visitors. 

A group of residents stand outside at the historic site.
Several residents who live near the York Redoubt National Historic Site outside Halifax say it's inappropriate for Parks Canada to host the singer. (Galen McRae/CBC)

"It's completely inappropriate," said Eleanor Kure, a longtime resident of the area. 

Feucht has called for government policy in the United States to be based on traditional Christian values in the midst of a "spiritual war" in that country.  

His website calls on young people to stand up against the "progressive agenda being forced upon America."

The concert at the York Redoubt site on Wednesday kicks off a national tour Feucht said marks the "Summer of Revival in the nation of Canada."

"I think it's very upsetting," said resident Nancy Hunter. 

Feucht did not respond to a request for comment from CBC News.

MP urges Parks Canada to cancel

The residents who spoke to CBC News said they've never seen a concert being held at York Redoubt National Historic Site before. 

They said they only learned about the event after Parks Canada sent out an email over the weekend warning residents about potential noise and parking issues. 

Parks Canada did not respond before deadline to questions about how the concert came to be scheduled.

Shannon Miedema, the Liberal MP for the area, did not make herself available for an interview.

In an email to a resident that was provided to CBC News, Miedema said she's urging Parks Canada to cancel the concert after hearing from several constituents. 

"I have the utmost respect for the value of free speech, I do not believe this event aligns with Parks Canada's core values of respect for people, equity, diversity and inclusion, or integrity," the email read.

A drone shot of a fortification on a hill overlooking the ocean.
York Redoubt was constructed in 1793 at the entrance of the Halifax Harbour to help protect the port city. (Parks Canada)

The statement said Miedema is working with the appropriate parties to try to ensure the concert doesn't proceed.

If it does go ahead, residents said they'll protest the event. 

"I'll be there. Maybe with the Canadian flag. Maybe with a Pride flag," said Stewart.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Josh Hoffman

Reporter/Editor

Josh Hoffman is a reporter for CBC Nova Scotia. Josh worked as a local radio reporter all over Canada before moving to Nova Scotia in 2018.