THE CHRISTIAN JUSTIN TRUDEAU: HERE TODAY, GONE TOMORROW?

This post is not in defense of pro-life advocacy any more than it is favoring abortionist theories. It IS about principles of equal rights and a government seemingly determined to tread a very fine line in imposing unfairly on an underserving segment of our faith community.
  
In his memoir, Common Ground, our Prime Minister Justin Trudeau wrote that the tragic death of his brother Michale, prompted him to "welcome God's presence into my life" and to "reaffirm the core of the Christian beliefs I retain to this day." When the Ottawa Citizen probed those beliefs several years ago, a still virtually wet-behind-the ears Trudeau explained that some of those beliefs were shaped by his attendance at Alpha, a 12-week course in Christianity.

"I was schooled by Jesuits to a certain extent and my father certainly was Jesuitical in his thinking. So I’m always up for a great theological conversation and debate," he explained at the time. "The Alpha course – the message there was: Don’t feel you have to do it all alone. Put your trust in God every now and then. Be comfortable about saying I need help. And recognize that. It came at exactly the right time. Trusting in God’s plan. For someone as rational and scientific and logical and rigorous as I am to accept the unknowable and to re-anchor myself in faith was really, really important to me. And ended up being of solace at a very difficult time. Since that moment, I still consider myself and have re-found myself of a deep faith and belief in God. But obviously very aware of the separation of church and state in my political thinking,” Justin explained further.

Now turn the clock ahead to January of 2018 and you hear an entirely different Justin Trudeau speaking. Consider the following:

In a recent town hall meeting, the Prime Minister announced his reasoning for not permitting people of religious persuasion to apply for Canada Summer Jobs. By implication he said that those who seek to restrict abortion are "not in line with society".

The Canada Summer Jobs program provides over $200 million per year to fund some 70,000 students with seasonal employment. Just before Christmas, Trudeau changed the requirements for funding which now demands that applicants and employers sign a document to attest that they support women’s reproductive rights, and the rights of gender-diverse and transgender Canadians. Of course, no bible believing Christian can sign such a document therefore the result is clear, Christians need not apply.  They can obviously lie on the job application form and in the process denounce their beliefs.

In an online post Charles McVety of the Canada Christian College said "It appears that our Prime Minister does not recognize that each and every Canadian must be treated equally before the law and receive equal benefit including opportunity for students to be employed under the CSJ program."

McVety went on to emphasize that Canada's Charter of Rights and Freedom says: Every individual is equal before and under the law and has the right to the equal protection and equal benefit of the law. "Some may argue that his discrimination is not overt in that he does not explicitly name Christians; however, his descriptions are crystal clear. Christian individuals and organizations are at the forefront of fighting for person status of unborn children and protection of children from radical sex education teaching."

One would hope that Trudeau's discrimination is temporary; however, back when he was first elected as Prime Minister, he told local Toronto pastors that "Evangelical Christians are the worst part of Canadian society."  How Trumponean was that? OMG.  You can't get much more judgemental.

Hundreds of Christian organizations and thousands of Christian students have now potentially lost funding for this year's summer jobs. Church leaders have begun to push back. If the government is allowed to blatantly deny Christian students employment, it won't be long until other Christians feel the threat of losing their jobs simply for practicing what the Bible teaches. In fact, it has been reported that this prohibition has already expanded to other programs such as the Canada Service Corps including the YMCA.  See what I mean!

Late last week in an effort to suppress a burgeoning controversy, both Trudeau and Employment Minister Patty Hajdu said that the changes were not meant to affect all Christian organizations, but rather, only those whose "core mandate" was one of suppression of abortion rights. The implication was that other religious groups should simply check the box, knowing it was not meant to target them.

It all comes down to the group or organization’s “core” mandate, she noted. Many groups, including religious ones, have varying missions like spreading the word of God, helping the poor, and working to alleviate suffering in their communities. But their (*)core mandate is the key, she said adding "If that conflicts with the Charter or with other fundamental rights, that’s when there can be a problem."

“I don’t think there’s anything conflicting in the statement that an organization’s primary mandate and that the job description (for the student) respect the Charter of Rights and other fundamental rights. Each organization will need to make a decision about checking off the attestation box “based on their own comfort level,” the minister added.

This "solution," however, shows a complete lack of awareness of what it means to be ethical. Here, the Liberals are advocating regular Canadians mimic their practice of equivocation and mutable morality, which we've seen in their about-face on electoral reform, as well as the prime minister's own ethical breaches. That Trudeau and his team are apparently so at ease encouraging conservative Christians and other religious Canadians to betray their conscience should cause many across the country great unease. Even those who are solidly pro-choice will appreciate the dangers inherent in that precedent.

Another aspect of the Liberals' reasoning should give the public even greater cause for concern.

When asked to justify holding back grant money from organizations they deem too dedicated to a pro-life position, the Liberals have implied that to give such groups funding would violate the charter and, thus, Canadian law.

Hajdu explained: "Our ministry believes in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and these are fundamental expectations of Canadians, and we stand up for those rights — and we [will] ensure that the money that we disperse on behalf of Canadians is not used in a way that violates those hard-won rights."

But here's the thing: there are no rights being violated here. 

Hajdu's nod to "hard-won rights" is a reference to the Supreme Court's landmark 1988 Morgentaler decision. But that decision didn't recognize a constitutional right to abortion under the Charter. While it did nullify Canada's existing abortion law, the Court left it to Parliament to come up with new legislation that would balance the rights of women with the state's interest in the protection of the fetus, within the bounds of the charter.

Indeed, commenting at the time of the decision, law professor Daphne Gilbert wrote, "The Morgentaler decision didn't say a woman has a constitutional right to abortion, it didn't go that far."

Canada is the only Western nation without any law regulating abortion. Successive governments have avoided crafting such legislation for fear of dividing the country, but the Liberals have discovered an easier solution: simply make people believe that a law already exists. (One, incidentally, that just happens to match Liberal ideology exactly).

Conservative Christians and those of other faiths supporting pro-life positions should not be subjected to an ideological purity test to qualify for federal funding. The beliefs they hold about abortion are completely within the bounds of the law and can be voiced upon and advocated for freely and publicly. Even organizations that are solely dedicated to opposing abortion contravene no law.

Their only "crime" is that their values don't align with those of our prime minister. It's ironic that Trudeau insists Canadians support "diversity and inclusion," when he himself does not.

All of which leads me to ask: Was Trudeau lying in his memoir when he firmly attested to his Christianity or has something happened since he took office to change his beliefs?  Perhaps he has been ill-advised...Could be that he has forgotten about separation of  church and state...Then again maybe he is just a confused, mixed up young man who does not yet know what he believes.  Surely it has nothing to do with a political death wish.

As I stated in an earlier Facebook comment, I have defended Justin Trudeau from the word go as he has adjusted to the responsibilities of the highest office in the land, but in this case he has gone a step too far and there will be consequences.  I also acknowledge that there will be those who will misread, misinterpret and disagree with my premise by going off on unrelated tangents-- it was ever thus in a public democracy where the world of electronic social media provides a platform for all and sundry.  

Personally, however, I am gravely disappointed and concerned about the future of our country.  It is doubly disturbing that in today's Canada -- and in most Western democracies, for that matter -- you can get away with criticizing or victimizing a Christian far more readily than you can for criticizing a Muslim, even if you're talking about the same social beliefs.  God, in your mercy, help us!

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UPDATE: Faith-based organizations say it’s wrong to think their religious beliefs are separate from their (*)core mandate. Some groups who don’t have a stance on abortion feel it’s wrong to be forced to take a side by signing the attestation. Others are also opposing the attestation on the principle that it violates the Charter’s right to religious freedom. It is not just Christian groups who are expressing concerns. Earlier this week, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Jewish and other organizations gathered in Mississauga (at the initiative of a Conservative MP) to discuss the attestation and consider potential next steps in speaking out against it.