[1] Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper announced the Office of Religious Freedom as part of his political campaign during the 2011 federal election.
[2] On 31 March 2016 the Office of Religious Freedom was closed by the newly elected government of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.
[7] Bob Rae, the then-interim Liberal leader, agreed that religious freedom is an important value but questioned how the office would fit into Canada's broader efforts to address human rights issues.
[8] A representative of the Canadian Council on American-Islamic Relations raised concerns as to whether the office was too Christian focused, since the person appointed to lead it was a Catholic.
"[10] Harper stated that Chinese diplomats were upset that he had "singled out religious persecution in China"[11] during his announcement of the establishment of the office.