It has become almost accepted wisdom in Canada that religion and politics should never mix. That doesn’t mean that politicians don’t like to talk about religion. On the contrary, many seem to enjoy talking about it as long as they can cast it in the most-damning light possible.
The current federal campaign is no exception. Citing the ties between the Conservative party and many religious social conservatives, Liberal strategists have been keen to trot out the tried-and-true “Conservatives have a secret agenda on abortion” line.
I acknowledge that there are some religious folks whose engagement with politics begins and ends with a few hot-button issues. That is their right, and I would be the last person to suggest that thoughtful debate on any subject should be belittled or declared off-limits.
Nevertheless, to use these individuals to caricature the rest of Canada’s faith communities does a grave disservice to many congregations, faith-based organizations and individuals trying to live out their understanding of God’s call to promote social justice. Indeed, faith groups have been at the forefront of those calling for meaningful change in a nation whose sins and weaknesses have been laid bare through the pandemic.
As director of Martin Luther University College’s Centre for Public Justice, I had the privilege of recently co-hosting — alongside faith-based organizations the Baha’i Community of Canada; Citizens for Public Justice; and Centre Oblat — A Voice for Justice — a national election forum.
In an effort to elevate political discourse and draw attention to issues that touched directly upon justice, human dignity and our responsibility for creation, we invited each of Canada’s four major political parties to come and discuss four key subjects: Indigenous reconciliation; climate justice; poverty; and xenophobia, including racial and religious intolerance.
The parties dispatched representatives who have never been afraid to speak of the role that their personal faith plays in their work and understand how politics and faith can work together: Charlie Angus (NDP); Garnett Genuis (Conservative); Elizabeth May (Green); and John McKay (Liberal).
What was perhaps most gratifying about the event was its collegiality. Everyone was thoughtful and respectful, acknowledging the complexities of the issues and the difficulty of finding solutions. Although they all spoke enthusiastically about their party’s policies — they are politicians, after all — the nasty partisanship often associated with events like these was noticeably absent.
Perhaps McKay set the tone right off the mark. Asked to comment on Indigenous reconciliation, he said he wouldn’t resort to “talking points” and later conceded he honestly didn’t know the path forward. How refreshing. McKay displayed the humility we rarely see in politics — especially in campaign hustings.
That doesn’t mean the conversation was a taste of saccharine and singing “Kumbaya” around a campfire. The four politicians were able to point to significant policy differences between them and other parties as well as hold each other to account for past promises that haven’t been transformed into action.
We need more discussions like this during elections. Our obsession with leaders debates and “knockout” punches does little to help voters understand issues or the positions of the parties. By taking a different approach, Canada’s faith communities were able show that a thoughtful conversation is possible while countering some negative stereotypes: They demonstrated that religion and politics can mix. And, done thoughtfully, the subjects are not mutually exclusive.
John Milloy, a former Liberal MPP and cabinet minister, is the director of the Centre for Public Ethics at Martin Luther University College. A video of the forum can be found at PublicEthics.ca.
OTTAWA – Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says the NDP is caving to political pressure from Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre when it comes to their stance on the consumer carbon price.
Trudeau says he believes Jagmeet Singh and the NDP care about the environment, but it’s “increasingly obvious” that they have “no idea” what to do about climate change.
On Thursday, Singh said the NDP is working on a plan that wouldn’t put the burden of fighting climate change on the backs of workers, but wouldn’t say if that plan would include a consumer carbon price.
Singh’s noncommittal position comes as the NDP tries to frame itself as a credible alternative to the Conservatives in the next federal election.
Poilievre responded to that by releasing a video, pointing out that the NDP has voted time and again in favour of the Liberals’ carbon price.
British Columbia Premier David Eby also changed his tune on Thursday, promising that a re-elected NDP government would scrap the long-standing carbon tax and shift the burden to “big polluters,” if the federal government dropped its requirements.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2024.
Simon Jolin-Barrette, minister responsible for consumer protection, has tabled a bill to force merchants to calculate tips based on the price before tax.
That means on a restaurant bill of $100, suggested tips would be calculated based on $100, not on $114.98 after provincial and federal sales taxes are added.
The bill would also increase the rebate offered to consumers when the price of an item at the cash register is higher than the shelf price, to $15 from $10.
And it would force grocery stores offering a discounted price for several items to clearly list the unit price as well.
Businesses would also have to indicate whether taxes will be added to the price of food products.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
Quebec legislature member Youri Chassin has announced he’s leaving the Coalition Avenir Québec government to sit as an Independent.
He announced the decision shortly after writing an open letter criticizing Premier François Legault’s government for abandoning its principles of smaller government.
In the letter published in Le Journal de Montréal and Le Journal de Québec, Chassin accused the party of falling back on what he called the old formula of throwing money at problems instead of looking to do things differently.
Chassin says public services are more fragile than ever, despite rising spending that pushed the province to a record $11-billion deficit projected in the last budget.
He is the second CAQ member to leave the party in a little more than one week, after economy and energy minister Pierre Fitzgibbon announced Sept. 4 he would leave because he lost motivation to do his job.
Chassin says he has no intention of joining another party and will instead sit as an Independent until the end of his term.
He has represented the Saint-Jérôme riding since the CAQ rose to power in 2018, but has not served in cabinet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
