Faytene Grasseschi

She grew up in Slave Lake, Alberta, the second of three daughters of Dave Kryskow, a former professional hockey player. While attending Simon Fraser University in Vancouver she joined a Pentecostal church. She then became a student at the Pacific Life Bible College, an affiliate of the Foursquare Church located in Surrey, British Columbia. After leaving the college she spent time working for religious charities Hope for the Nations and Neighbour Link in Liberia and Vancouver's Downtown Eastside respectively. {{Cite web |title=About |url=https://www.votefaytene.ca/faytene |access-date=2024-02-02 |website=Vote Faytene |language=en}}{{rp|153–158}}{{Cite web| title = Faytene Grasseschi| work = EMCI TV| access-date = 11 December 2023| url = https://emcitv.com/faytene-grasseschi/}}

Grasseschi has founded and led a number of organizations and campaigns.

4 MY Canada (Motivated Young People for a Stronger Canada) was founded in 2005 to mobilize young people against "the secular society we live in today", which was seen as resulting from "the sexual revolution, New Age and women’s (choice) movements".{{Cite web| last = Tuns| first = Paul| title = MY Canada's national siege sought to confront today's culture| work = The Interim| access-date = 11 December 2023| date = 8 December 2007| url = https://theinterim.com/activism/youth-activism/my-canadas-national-siege-sought-to-confront-todays-culture/}} In the summer of 2005 she led a group of young Christian conservative activists on a "Siege: Storm the Hill" tour of 8 cities to defend "traditional values".{{Cite book |last=McDonald |first=Marci |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vDDwk6U6o98C |title=The Armageddon Factor: The Rise of Christian Nationalism in Canada |date=2011 |publisher=Random House of Canada |isbn=978-0-307-35647-5}}{{rp|164}} This was the first of several annual "sieges" held in Canadian cities, including Toronto in 2006 and Saint John, New Brunswick in 2007. The 2006 event focused on prayers for "reconsideration of gay marriage, a Liberal private member's bill that would outlaw abortion after 20 weeks of gestation, and Conservative efforts to raise the age of sexual consent to 16 from 14".{{Cite news| last = Bailey| first = Sue| title = Young Christians hope prayers will push MPs to 'restore morality'| work = Canadian Press NewsWire| location = Toronto| date = 15 July 2006}} As one of 4 MY Canada's activities, she led "Josiah Teams" of young people from across the country to Ottawa to meet with their Members of Parliament. In 2006 the organization set up its headquarters in the Vanier neighbourhood of Ottawa.{{Cite news| page = F6| last = Dreher| first = Christopher| title = In Ottawa, faith makes a leap to the right:Conservative religious groups enjoy a quiet boom due to issues like gay marriage | work = The Globe and Mail| location = Toronto| date = 23 September 2006}} 4 MY Canada is now headquartered in Quispamsis, New Brunswick.

Grasseschi has previously been a critic of same-sex marriage through her 2009 book Marked, where she considered that the legalization of same-sex in Canada could result in people "marrying animals," and declared her commitment to "continue fighting against it."{{cite news |title=PCs should have banned Grasseschi from running, Green candidate says |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/pcs-should-ban-grasseschi-from-running-1.7084403 |access-date=24 January 2024 |work=CBC News |date=16 January 2024}}

Grasseschi and her husband Robert are the directors of V-KOL Media Ministries.{{cite web |title=Snap Shot: What We Do |url=https://www.v-kol.com/vision |website=V-KOL Media Ministries |access-date=16 January 2024}} As well as Faytene TV, her television program which "looks at current affairs from a faith-based perspective" V-KOL, a registered charity in Canada, administers funds for the Canadian Prophetic Council, of which she became the head in 2022, and TheCRY, which runs prayer gatherings online and in person.{{cite web |title=V-KOL Media Ministries |url=https://www.canadahelps.org/en/charities/campus-ministries-international/ |website=CanadaHelps |access-date=12 December 2023}} The charity's primary objective, as stated at its Canada Revenue Agency information page, is "advancement of the Christian faith".{{cite web |title=V-KOL Media Ministries - Quick View |url=https://apps.cra-arc.gc.ca:443/ebci/hacc/srch/pub/dsplyQckVw?selectedCharityBn=891117772RR0001&selectedFilingPeriodIndex=&isSingleResult=false |website=Canada Revenue Agency |access-date=16 January 2024}}

In 2019 Grasseschi helped to get the anti-abortion film Unplanned distributed in Canada by organizing a petition threatening to boycott Cineplex, the country's dominant theatre chain, unless it agreed to screen the film.{{Cite news| last = Sumanac-Johnson| first = Deanna| title = How Unplanned made it to 56 theatres across Canada | work = CBC News| url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/entertainment/unplanned-anti-abortion-movie-journey-to-56-theatres-1.5208979 | date = 13 July 2019}} The Canadian media was generally critical of Unplanned. The Globe and Mail,{{Cite news|url=https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/reviews/article-anti-abortion-film-unplanned-is-a-disgusting-piece-of-propaganda-that/|title=Anti-abortion film Unplanned is a disgusting piece of propaganda that may endanger the health of women|last=Hertz|first=Barry|date=July 10, 2019|work=The Globe and Mail|access-date=July 10, 2019| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190815163856/https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/film/reviews/article-anti-abortion-film-unplanned-is-a-disgusting-piece-of-propaganda-that/ | archive-date=2019-08-15 | url-status=live}} the Ottawa Citizen{{cite web |last1=Knight |first1=Chris |title=Movie review: Anti-abortion film Unplanned is useless propaganda and poorly made cinema packed with lies {{!}} Ottawa Citizen |url=https://ottawacitizen.com/entertainment/movies/anti-abortion-film-unplanned-is-useless-propaganda-and-poorly-made-cinema-packed-with-lies/wcm/2b2b90a2-4f9f-4d27-8ce8-466c454ce50b |website=Ottawa Citizen |access-date=July 16, 2019 |date=July 11, 2019}} and the Toronto Sun{{cite news |last1=Braun |first1=Liz |title=Anti-abortion movie 'Unplanned' social and political propaganda |url=https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/braun-anti-abortion-movie-unplanned-social-and-political-propaganda |newspaper=Toronto Sun |access-date=July 16, 2019 |date=July 9, 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716165724/https://torontosun.com/news/local-news/braun-anti-abortion-movie-unplanned-social-and-political-propaganda | archive-date=2019-07-16 | url-status=live }} all described the film as dishonest religious, social, and political propaganda. Christian news programs such as Salt + Light Hour were supportive of it.{{cite web |title=SLHour: Unplanned {{!}} A Featured Interview with Abby Johnson |url=https://saltandlighttv.org/blogfeed/getpost.php?id=90404 |website=Salt and Light Media |access-date=July 16, 2019 |date=March 30, 2019}}

Grasseschi moved to New Brunswick in 2020.{{Cite news| last = Poitras| first = Jacques| title = Breakaway believers warn N.B.'s PC party of 'Dominionist' religious movement| work = CBC News New Brunswick| url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/dominionist-religious-movement-christian-conservatism-1.6916154 | date = 25 July 2023}} In December 2020 she lost to Mel Norton in a vote for the Conservative Party of Canada nomination in the federal riding of Saint John—Rothesay.{{cite news |last1=MacDonald |first1=Gary |title=Norton Wins Saint John – Rothesay Conservative Nomination |url=https://newsysj.ca/norton-wins-saint-john-rothesay-conservative-nomination/ |access-date=12 December 2023 |work=NEWS YSJ |date=19 December 2020}}

In the summer of 2023 Grasseschi started a campaign called "Don't Delete Parents" in support of the New Brunswick government's revisions to Policy 713, the education department's policy on LGBT students, specifically those relating to students identifying as transgender. Among the changes was the removal of a requirement for teachers to "respect the name and pronoun choices of students under 16 in the classroom, without notifying parents if that's what the child wanted".{{Cite news| last = Poitras| first = Jacques| title = Christian conservative group recruiting thousands to back embattled N.B. premier| work = CBC News New Brunswick| url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/christian-conservatives-support-nb-premier-1.6905862 | date = 14 July 2023}} The changes were controversial, with several government members of the Legislative Assembly supporting a motion to refer the matter to the province's Child and Youth Advocate for review.{{cite news |last1=Alam |first1=Hina |title=LGBTQ policy in N.B. schools violates Charter rights of kids: child advocate |url=https://globalnews.ca/news/9897214/lgbtq-policy-in-n-b-schools-violates-charter-rights-of-kids-child-advocate/ |access-date=12 December 2023 |agency=The Canadian Press |publisher=Global News |date=15 August 2023}} The controversy, along with concerns about Premier Blaine Higgs's leadership style, led to calls for a review of his leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party of New Brunswick.

Grasseschi's Don't Delete Parents campaign, which was "administratively served by" 4 MY Canada, encouraged people to sign a petition in support of Higgs. The campaign's other goals were to pledge support for "pro-parent" political candidates, and to promote the idea that tax dollars should "follow the family" if parents chose to withdraw their children from the public school system in favour of home schooling or private schools.{{Cite news| last = Poitras| first = Jacques| title = No plans to let parents shift tax dollars out of public schools, N.B. premier says| work = CBC News New Brunswick| url = https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/higgs-no-shift-school-taxes-1.6909232 | date = 18 July 2023}}{{cite web |title=3 Goals |url=https://www.dontdeleteparents.ca/3goals |website=Don't Delete Parents | access-date=12 December 2023}} Grasseschi suggested that New Brunswickers who had signed the pro-Higgs petition could ensure he would survive a leadership review by "buying that [party] membership and making your voice heard".

Also in 2023, messaging on the 4 MY Canada website encouraged New Brunswickers to join the Progressive Conservative party in order to be able to vote for "the strongest pro-parental rights and common sense conservative candidate in your riding's nomination election".{{cite web |title=It's time to get ready to VOTE New Brunswick! |url=https://www.4mycanada.com/ |website=4 MY Canada |access-date=12 December 2023}}

On December 19, 2023, Grasseschi won the Progressive Conservative party nomination in the riding of Hampton-Fundy-St. Martins by acclamation.{{cite news |last1=Poitras |first1=Jacques |title=PCs choose Christian conservative as first candidate for 2024 election |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/progressive-conservatives-christian-candidate-1.7064801 |access-date=20 December 2023 |agency=CBC News New Brunswick |date=20 December 2023}} The sitting Member of the Legislative Assembly, Gary Crossman, had announced that he would not be running in the next election, scheduled for 2024, and the only other candidate for the nomination had withdrawn earlier, stating that there was a "misalignment of my beliefs and values with the current structure of our party".{{cite news |last1=Poitras |first1=Jacques |title=Higgs PCs face more internal division over party's direction |url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/nb-higgs-pcs-internal-division-1.7044086 |agency=CBC News New Brunswick |date=30 November 2023}} Premier Higgs, who attended the nomination meeting, thanked the members "for recognizing the conviction, the determination and the pure ability" of Grasseschi.

In the 2024 New Brunswick general election, she was defeated by Liberal candidate John Herron.{{Cite web |date=2024-10-22 |title=PC candidate who was symbol of Higgs's rightward shift defeated |url=https://ca.news.yahoo.com/pc-candidate-symbol-higgss-rightward-041922697.html |access-date=2024-10-22 |website=Yahoo News |language=en-CA}}

{{2024 New Brunswick general election/Hampton-Fundy-St. Martins}}

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Category:Canadian Pentecostals

Category:Canadian Christian religious leaders

Category:Living people

Category:People from Quispamsis

Category:Year of birth missing (living people)