In the News and Nation, we regularly highlight for you important stories from across Canada and the world. We hope to start conversations about how Christians ought to respond to the unstable world around us.
In this edition, we discuss the Canada Summer Jobs Program, Abortion Clinic Bubble Zones, Gender Neutral Pronouns, and Religious Discrimination (M-103).
Canada Summer Jobs Program
If you’ve had your finger on the pulse of religious issues in Canada, then you probably have heard about the Canada Summer Jobs Program. In short, the Canadian government requires applicants to affirm the right of abortion. The applicant guide explains:
To be eligible, the core mandate of the organization must respect individual human rights in Canada, including the values underlying the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (Charter), as well as other rights. These include reproductive rights and the right to be free from discrimination on the basis of sex, religion, race, national or ethnic origin, colour, mental or physical disability, sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. (bold text added)
Deina Warren explains: “For more clarity, the Guide specifies that women’s rights are human rights, including sexual and reproductive rights, which boil down to ‘the right to access safe and legal abortions.’ According to the Guide, ‘these rights are at the core of the Government of Canada’s foreign and domestic policies.'”
The government’s pressure on religious groups has caused an uproar in our nation. But as of yet the government has refused to update the application for the Canada Summer Jobs Program. On March 19th, 2018, the Opposition attempted bring pass a motion that would allow religious Canadians to receive funding. But as I wrote last week, “The House voted against this motion (93 yea, 207 nay).”
The future, therefore, seems dim when it comes to Christians applying for the program. And Christians (and other convictional religions) will almost certainly lack funding for their good, charitable work in Canada this year.
And yet the controversy has brought a key moral issue to the centre of public life: abortion. How will we as Christians respond? Sara Mohr asks the incisive question: “will we, as followers of Jesus, do more for these unborn children and their parents than simply fight for our right to receive grant money?”
Certainly, fighting for religious freedom in Canada is important. After all, it’s better to have the freedom to preach the Gospel than not to have it. But Christians should do more. But I would suggest that they are in fact doing more by standing firm in their convictions. By not signing the attestation in the application, many churches are underscoring their fundamental conviction that abortion is wrong.
Consider, for example, how churches responded when the federal government attempted to clarify what it meant in the application by explaining “that whatever ‘activities’ you conduct will respect that right” (i.e. reproductive rights including the right to abort). If the hope was that churches would sign the attestation with this updated explanation, then the government was sorely disappointed.
Many Christians perceived the government’s explanation as suspect because it seemed to be asking them to be duplicitous in their convictions. And so they still could not sign the attestation. Andrew Coyne comments, “Not surprisingly, the churches have been no more receptive to this updated opportunity to exchange their consciences for cash than they were the first.”
So here we find ourselves at one of the most important cultural moments of our decade. Will we remain silent on the issue of abortion or will we speak out? Will we follow Mohr who writes, “No abortion clinic in our country should be regularly unattended by Gospel proclaiming beacons of light, who are prepared to share love, truth, and practical help with people seeking abortion”?
Abortion Clinic Bubble Zones
But attending to abortion clinics in Canada can be costly as one man found out when he was arrested for doing that very thing. Kelly Egan explains, “Police said a man was arrested Wednesday near The Morgentaler Clinic on Bank Street and charged with several offences under the Safe Access to Abortion Services Act, which came into effect Feb. 1.”
The Safe Access to Abortion Services Act makes it illegal to protest abortion clinics if you are within 50 metres of the clinic. This new development creates problems for those who desire to protest or to offer help to those who are considering abortions in the Province of Ontario. The Safe Access to Abortion Serice Act forbids, “Advising a person to refrain from accessing abortion services.”
We’re hoping to release an article in the near future explaining just what this means practically. For now, it seems that in the Province of Ontario, you cannot advise someone to refrain from an abortion if you within 50 metres of a clinic. In short, you are not free to speak freely within these zones.
Gender Neutral Pronouns
The Canadian government has fought to make our national anthem gender inclusive. On February 7th, 2018, the national anthem of Canada was changed from “in all thy sons command” to “in all of us command.” The new anthem aims to be gender inclusive.
And this move fits with our current government’s pursuit of inclusivity. One only needs to remember the Prime Minister’s recent joke about using the term “peoplekind” instead of “mankind.” Why say peoplekind? Justin Trudeau explained, “‘We like to say ‘peoplekind,’ not necessarily ‘mankind,’ because it’s more inclusive.'” To be fair, the Prime Minister was making a joke. But the joke is only funny when the idea of “peoplekind” is plausible.
M-103 And Religious Discrimination
In 2017 the Canadian Government passed M-103, a motion that aimed to reduce systematic discrimination and included the phrase “Islamaphobia.” During relevant hearings, religious persons in Canada brought forward evidence of discrimination. Interestingly, Barbara Kay reports:
Indeed, among those testifying at the hearings, the only witnesses who brought actual evidence to bear on the assertion that religious bias was “systemic” throughout Canadian institutions were Christians. Representatives from Trinity Western University, the Christian Medical and Dental Society of Canada and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada all offered concrete examples of the state forcing, or attempting to force, counter-conscience beliefs and behaviours, most notably the practice of euthanasia. I am not being facetious when I suggest that Christians have a more evidence-based right than Muslims to feel they are victims of systemic institutional bias.
Whether or not Kay is correct that Christians face more institutional bias than Muslims, the evidence she cites should give us pause. Changes are coming to Canada. Consider Physician-Assisted Dying, The Trinity Western Case, or the LSUC Statement of Principles.
Christians will need to think carefully about their economic and vocational role in Canada. What does it mean to be a medical professional in 21st century Canada? Can I practice law as a Christian? Can we receive funding from the government as a charity?
These issues require intense pastoral thought and trust in the Lord who sits in heaven. While the nations rage, God sovereignly controls the nations. So let’s put our trust in the Lord of creation, while we struggle to make sense of the transformation of Canadian society.
What Do You Think?
What do you think of these stories? Comment on our social media platforms to let us know. How should we as Christians respond to the news across Canada and the world?
