Historic wooden church is torched in Canada as conservative leader warns of growing wave of anti-Christian behavior

Sign up for our US Editor's Picks newsletter to get all the biggest exclusive storiesSee more Daily Mail on Google - save us as a Preferred Source Published: 19:13 EDT, 31 August 2026 | Updated: 20:58 EDT, 31 August 2026 The leader of Canada's Conservative Party is sounding the alarm about anti-Christian violence after a more than 100-year-old church was destroyed by an alleged arsonist.The Saint-Simon church in the Acadian Peninsula, which is in New Brunswick northeast of Maine, burned to the ground last week after it was intentionally set on fire, according to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP). Authorities responded to the fire shortly after 4am, but it had already consumed much of the church, which was empty at the time. No one was harmed, but the historic building is considered a total loss. Gilles Mallet, 68, was arrested and charged with arson for allegedly starting the blaze. The RCMP did not release a suspected motive.The Saint-Simon church is believed to have been the largest wooden church in New Brunswick and was a staple of the town's Catholic community.Member of Parliament (MP) Pierre Poilievre, who is also the leader of Canada's Conservative Party and Official Opposition, told Juno News: 'One hundred churches have been burned.''Christians may be the number one group that are victims of hate-based violence. But, of course, it’s not politically correct to say that,' he added. Poilievre said that Canadians of all religions 'deserve to worship in peace.' Saint-Simon church in Canada was burned to the ground by an alleged arsonist last week. The building was more than 100 years old The building, believed to have been the largest wooden church in New Brunswick, was destroyed in the early morning fire He has previously accused politicians in Canada's Liberal Party, which holds a majority in the country's House of Commons, of dismissing anti-Christian violence.Following a 2025 report by the conservative Canadian media organization True North that catalogued 123 instances of church arsons or vandalisms since 2021, Liberal MP John-Paul Danko accused his Conservative counterparts who cited the figure of 'repeating conspiracy theories.'Danko further said the government should direct its attention to 'real hate crimes' rather than 'quoting alt-right, so-called alternative news.' 'I’m talking about Jewish members in my community who are covering their Jewish identity in public, that is the hate that we’re talking about,' he said. Conservative MP Andrew Lawton, whom Danko had been criticizing with his statement, responded on X and said: 'I will always stand up against real hate and defend free speech.' According to the Canadian government's official data, there have been 463 arsons at religious institutions from 2016 to 2023. No figure specifically tracks arsons at churches. Canadian Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre said that 100 churches have been burned and that 'Christians may be the number one group that are victims of hate-based violence' A 68-year-old man named Gilles Mallet was arrested and charged with arson for allegedly burning Saint-Simon church, which is pictured before the fire Conservative MPs introduced a bill in 2024 that would have mandated a minimum five-year sentence for first-offenders convicted of burning places of worship, and a minimum seven-year sentence for repeat offenders. The bill's progress was abruptly ended in January 2025 after former Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced he was stepping down and Canada's parliament was suspended while the Liberal Party chose a new leader. Since then, it has not been reintroduced, and it is unclear if there are renewed plans for the bill.