The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada recently released a resource to help Ontarians better understand the potential implications of Bill 13, the Accepting Schools Act. To review the full document, download a copy of Ontario’s Bill 13, The Accepting Schools Act, and Anti-Bullying Initiatives: What You Need To Know, which is a compilation of the most… Read More
We recently received the following question from a reader: I was raised Christian and have been in the Church my whole life and to be honest, I have not heard any of my pastors talk about ‘parental rights’ before. Is this biblical, and if so, please provide supporting scripture. Thanks. EFC’s Don Hutchinson responds: In… Read More
Originally published in Faith Today, March/April 2012 By guest blogger: Bruce J. Clemenger, President, The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada Canada, like all countries, has a plurality of institutions its citizens participate in: family, place of worship, business, school, government, voluntary associations. Every one of these is oriented by a religion or faith – ultimately who… Read More
PRESS RELEASE – OTTAWA – This morning the Supreme Court of Canada released its decision in a case in which the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) intervened. S.L., et al. v. Commission scolaire des Chênes, et al., a case originating in Quebec, sought to address the issue of whether parents have the right to choose… Read More
By Don Hutchinson As originally published in the National Post on December 14, 2011. Dalton McGuinty, the man who would like to be remembered as Ontario’s “Education Premier,” has declared that all schools in his province — public, private and religious — must embark on anti-bullying initiatives, including the mandatory establishment of gay/straight alliance clubs… Read More
It’s two weeks ago now that we were in the Supreme Court of Canada presenting argument on the need for the assessment of potentially hateful behaviour to be about more than hurt feelings; and that criticisms of behaviour are not attacks against the person. You can find my comments from that day here. During the… Read More
As Don Hutchinson noted in his blog post last week, Catholic parents in the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) have been fighting to retain the integrity of the Catholic teaching in their schools. The school board’s equity policy, required as part of the Government of Ontario’s equity and inclusive education strategy, would (as drafted)… Read More
Ottawa hosted its Gay Pride Parade on the weekend. The mayor and other local politicians attended along with official representatives from the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. On Wednesday, the Toronto Catholic District School Board will vote on implementation of an Equity in Education policy, mandatory for all schools according to Ontario’s Premier and its Minister… Read More
Recently, the Toronto District School Board (TDSB) has become a national hotbed of controversy and the subject of much debate in regard to its wide-ranging approach to religious accommodation. The School Board, in the implementation of its Challenging Homophobia and Heterosexism curriculum, has made it clear that parents will be refused if they request to… Read More
Across the country, school boards are jumping on the bandwagon to implement equity and sexual orientation policies. Many of the objectives of these policies are laudable. Children should not be bullied, ridiculed, attacked or intimidated under any circumstance, or for any reason, and school boards are right to address it when it occurs. But what… Read More