Faith brings out the best in us

Faith brings out the best in usThose with faith are far more likely to help their fellow man By Ray Pennings and Andrew Bennett Christmas is one of the few times in Canada that religion makes a public appearance. Nativity scenes depicting the birth of Jesus Christ pop up on lawns. Radio stations belt out sacred music among generic holiday tunes.…

London murders wound us all

The killings demand empathy for the victims, but also renewed commitment to freedom of faith

London murders wound us allThe news from London, Ont. regarding a murdered Muslim family is horrifying. It is chilling even to write about a driver deliberately ramming his pick-up truck into a father, mother, grandmother, daughter, and son – leaving only the young boy alive but bereft of his family. The police-reported motivation behind the crime should make it…

Conversion therapy bill way off target

Conversion therapy bill way off targetParliament needs to find the courage to stand up for Canadians’ fundamental freedoms instead of allowing Bill C-6 to trample them. While the intent of the bill to criminalize harmful practices under the banner of “conversion therapy” is right and good, the effect of the bill would go much further, devastating our fundamental freedoms, like…

Whitewashing history fails to serve the common good

Beware the arrogance of the new age. Attempting to cleanse history is a fool’s or, worse, a tyrant’s errand

Whitewashing history fails to serve the common goodIn the interest of righting a genuine and grave historic wrong – the suffering of our Indigenous peoples – the historical hubris of our present Canadian age is distorting history yet again. Enter the City of Victoria and Sir John A. Macdonald. In removing his statue from in front of Victoria City Hall, the denizens…

Score one for religious freedom

Proposed amendments to Bill C-51 mean MPs understand that religious services and sacred spaces aren’t the same as any other public gathering

Score one for religious freedomSometimes Parliament works just the way the textbooks say it’s supposed to. Take for example the way the House of Commons justice committee dealt with Bill C-51, which aims to erase “outdated” parts of the Criminal Code. The committee held hearings. Government and opposition MPs listened to and questioned those who came to testify. Then…

Criminal Code changes put sacred spaces at risk

The federal government needs to affirm the importance of freedom of religion and conscience by preserving Section 176

Criminal Code changes put sacred spaces at riskIn June, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould tabled in the House of Commons omnibus legislation to amend the Criminal Code and Department of Justice Act. One of Bill C-51’s provisions should concern Canadians for what it proposes and says about the value we place on religious freedom and our understanding of sacred space. The bill would…