Wife of jailed Canadian pastor speaks out: ‘This isn't the country I grew up in’

Pastor James Coates was arrested in Canada for holding a church service against coronavirus regulations and his wife, Erin Coates, is now speaking out against the injustices of the country that raised her.

"This is definitely not the nation that I grew up in," she told "Tucker Carlson Tonight" Thursday. "For a while, I think our freedoms have just been slowly stripped from us, and so slowly over time that we didn’t even realize it."

Coates said that her husband, a pastor who’s "given his life to sacrifice and love other people," being behind bars is not shocking to anyone, illustrating how Canadians are becoming desensitized to their stripped freedoms. 

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"We are on a dangerous road right now," she said. "And I think because we’ve just been in the pot for so long, boiling, that people aren’t really realizing the danger that we’re facing as a nation."

As officials internationally pick and choose who is prosecuted for disobeying pandemic orders, the pastor’s wife said she believes her husband was singled out by an "enemy" who is against the Christian faith.

"Yes, we have an absolute, real enemy and he uses people to target the ministers of God," she said. "We know that through scripture; we know that through church history. And so I really believe that they are being targeted in our country."

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James Coates was denied bail but is reportedly set to be released in the near future, still facing at least one charge. His wife reported he’s having a hard time in prison.

"He’s not able to shepherd the people that he loves, he’s not able to challenge his mind, he’s not able to serve in the way that he loves to serve people," she said. "This is hard on him."