By Don Hutchinson This week in Ottawa has been a roller coaster for social conservatives (socons) and theological conservatives (theocons). While people who fit in those camps often find alignment with capital “C” political Conservatives, the upper case and lower case “c” distinctions are significant as many also align with Liberals and New Democrats. For… Read More
By Don Hutchinson and guest blogger Rick Hiemstra, Director of Research, The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) does not generally engage in the number crunching of the government budget process. But we do believe that a budget is, fundamentally, a moral document, and as such that Biblical principles are relevant… Read More
(As originally published in the January/February 2012 issue of Faith Today) Journalists, politicians and concerned Canadians have all recently struggled to learn the proper pronunciation of Attawapiskat, and to comprehend the deplorable conditions of this northern Ontario community suddenly thrust into the national spotlight. The severe poverty and critical needs for health, housing and sanitation… Read More
According to the World Health Organization, approximately 13% of maternal deaths are the result of unsafe abortions. While this is more than a statistic, representative of tens of thousands of lives, it is also noteworthy that more than six times that number of lives might be saved through simple, fairly inexpensive initiatives the Canadian government… Read More
A couple of weeks ago, news broke that Canada has again “stepped up to the plate” to help Haiti’s earthquake recovery efforts, this time pledging $400 million in financial support and debt relief over the next two years. The commitment was made at the United Nations, and means that Canada will have a seat on… Read More
Today in the House of Commons, a motion put forward by the Opposition demanding that the Government’s child and maternal health plan cover a “full range” of family planning options, including contraception and abortion, was narrowly defeated by a vote of 144 to 138. This is the latest in a series of attempts by the… Read More
The party leaders were adamant that they did not want to debate abortion in the House of Commons. With Parliament prorogued, the debate has started in the media and the near vacant Centre Block. Last week, Prime Minister Harper announced that as President of the upcoming G8/G20 summit he intended for Canada to lead in… Read More
As civil society organizations, we unfortunately find ourselves often in a place of criticizing government for falling short of expectations or for failing to act, plan or respond. The all-too-frequent message to government leaders can frequently be whittled down to two simple words: do more. Just over two weeks ago, the nation of Haiti was… Read More
By Robyn Bright, Guest Blogger I set out this morning to write a blog about Haiti, to help wade through the rush of thoughts and emotions I have had and felt since Tuesday afternoon when we first heard word that an earthquake had hit the country. As countless newspapers, broadcasters and colleagues have made clear,… Read More
If you wanted to tick off the Roman Catholic Church, the mainline Protestant denominations and Evangelicals while undoing a longstanding relationship that has fostered improved human rights and strengthened sustainable development opportunities around the world, what single step could you take as the Government of Canada? Until Monday of this week, that was a question… Read More