Hugh Mackenzie
Huntsville Doppler
The Charter of Rights applies to everyone
Something happened in Ottawa recently that has left me squeamish. It hasn’t received a lot of attention and it probably will not, in this populist world we live in. In some ways it was a routine announcement about federal government funding for summer jobs. But this year there was a catch. An organization applying for the funding had to “attest” that its core mandate would respect individual human rights in Canada, including the values underlying the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms as well as other rights. So far so good. It’s hard to argue with that, right?
But then the Trudeau government had to dig deeper. They go on to say that the ‘rights’ to which applicants for funds had to “attest”, will include reproductive rights and the right to be free from discrimination by sex, religion, race, national or ethnic origin, colour, or mental or physical disability, or sexual orientation, or gender identity or expression. That statement, in part, poses a real problem to some faith- based organizations who, like others, depend on federal funding for summer programs for young people.
To be clear, I would not be welcome in the Right to Life Camp. I believe in the right of women to control their own bodies. The folks on the other side of this issue may throw me out as well, because I do not believe in murder and therefore believe that any decision to end a pregnancy, except in extreme medical circumstances, should be made before a fetus is viable outside of the womb. That is just my opinion. I respect the right of others to have different views.
There are a number of people and organizations who as a matter of faith, that is by virtue of their religion, do not believe in abortion. That is their right under our Canadian Constitution. To deny them funding based on their religious convictions or to require them to “attest” to something which in conscience they cannot is discrimination, pure and simple. It flies in the face of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
Whatever it is that the Trudeau government wanted to accomplish in relation to the “attestation” they required from organizations seeking access to the summer jobs program, surely could have been accomplished with a simple requirement to comply with the law of the land and with the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Why then go the extra mile and include issues such as reproductive rights that are guaranteed to raise the ire of faith-based organizations? Could it possibly be all about politics, all about Trudeau playing to a part of his political base who support abortion rights? Surely not!
Perhaps in the great scheme of things, this initiative by the Trudeau government is not that big a deal. It may be easy to say that if organizations can’t get with the program, they shouldn’t ask for the handout. I see it differently.
The issue related to conditions applied to the Federal Summer Jobs Program, effectively requiring agreement to abortion issues in order to secure funding to provide jobs to students, is not just a “kerfuffle” as stated by the Prime Minister. It is, in my view, a fundamental challenge as to who we are as Canadians and it is a serious blow to the very diversity of our country to which our Prime Minister claims to be such a huge champion. I have little doubt that this matter will end up before the Supreme Court.
In Canada today, faith-based organizations, especially those who totally oppose abortion, are a minority and minorities are a major reason for the existence of documents like the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. No government has the right to choose some of these rights and freedoms over others under any circumstances and certainly not just because it may be popular. To allow it in this instance, when it may not be terribly important to many people, is to legitimize a slippery slope leading to other rights and freedoms being ignored for the sake of expediency or at the whim of politicians. Because, if that happens, some day, it will come back and bite us on the butt.
Don’t miss out on Doppler! Sign up for our free newsletter here.
A predictable, and sadly a regrettable consequence of the growing toxic ideological and political polarization around this public policy issue of women’s reproductive rights that we are witnessing in a number of countries, especially in the United States.
In this particular case if one explores the backstory, we see evidence of religious fundamentalists – mainly some Christian social conservative evangelicals and ‘dominionists,’ who have been significantly influenced and supported by the militant pro-Trump American ‘Christian right’ on this contentious issue – and political strategists associated with the governing Liberals who failed to acknowledge religious sensitivities, duking it out in the public square over funding-access to a federal program.
To be fair and to illustrate the ideological/political divide, it should be noted that Stephen Harper’s Conservative government – composed of a number of conservative evangelical Christians in key cabinet positions, including Harper himself – had its own ideological litmus-test, and in 2010 started defunding a significant number of pro-choice women’s groups and Canadian international aid groups that included abortion as part of their maternal care policy even though these were often life-saving procedures.
Nevertheless, this ill-conceived Liberal initiative with its contentious ‘attest’ does nothing to bridge this great divide, nor does it help to nurture the contemporary Canadian values of diversity and tolerance. Meanwhile, yes, it’s great legal fodder for the Supreme Court of Canada, with no apparent easy solution.
interesting
it gives one pause
should tax dollars be going to groups that teach young people antipathy toward those who are not heterosexual, for example?
I wonder how government administrators will enforce it and make the determination as to whether a particular group should be funded.
I do agree that it would be less divisive to leave those details out and expect groups to comply with the laws of the land.
However, saying that they would not receive government funding is not saying they can’t believe what they want to believe, it is only saying they will not receive tax support for it.
Canadian’s rights are slowly being eroded. Some comments in the past by Trudeau about fundamentai Christian ‘s as being a problem in Canada are becoming worriesome. Beginning to see a trend.
I am having a difficult time considering “reproductive rights” to be “abortion rights”. Rather, it sounds more like the right to reproduce or not. And if I had to choose only one, it sounds like the right to reproduce; without the government sterilization programs applied to the mentally disabled in the past.
The far more important attestation refers to freedom of discrimination based on “sexual orientation, gender identity or expression. Personally, I am thrilled to see our government withhold funds from organizations who are prejudiced against any of these groups.
Trudeau possibly based this decision on the general opinion of Canadians, 77% of whom support abortion rights, which presumably means they don’t believe faith-based groups should be able to forbid women to choose. (https://globalnews.ca/news/3290006/support-for-abortion-rights-strong-in-canada-but-poll-shows-we-are-middle-of-the-pack-globally/) If that’s “playing to a part of his political base who support abortion rights,” Hugh, you’ve got to admit that it’s a pretty darn big part of his political base, actually more than his entire political base, as I don’t think 77% of Canadians voted Liberal.
Thank you for this Commentary and for bringing awareness to the public on this policy. I agree with you. I am very disappointed with the Prime Minister and his policies around so called inclusiveness, equality and freedoms. There are many of us, and I would say beyond a minority, that value the lives of the truelly vulnerable. We are told that we have freedoms and we have a right to our beliefs. Yet our tax dollars, that are happily being collected, are not being distributed back fairly to all programs that truelly reflect the beliefs of all Canadians.
Very well said!!!
I may personally not agree with everyone in the world concerning “choices”…
But isnt that because ” We” individually have been given “Our Own Minds” and
“Free will”…!?!…
Here is where heart motivation and intentions can be hidden…
Respect for Every Person that makes up ‘Humanity’ on this Earth.. equals to me:
my brothers and sisters!
I have a Huge Family!!
So respecting “Their Opinions”
is important! And so is mine!
Otherwise people keep talking “At oneanother” but never being heard!! The voice is lost in a hum of offence…
Its not about who is right or wrong.. I hear these “Words” by Hugh encouraging us “ALL”
to make sure it stays
“Open & Free” in Canada!
This exclusion of some by Trudeau stops that! We have to stop being double minded and reacting in fear.
Every “Voice” is important!
Thank You that I can share..
My Voice too!