Religious Freedom

Canada’s Catholic military bishop is questioning how meaningful the consultation was behind a new Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) policy restricting faith-specific prayer at official ceremonies.

Many have been shocked and dismayed by the new Canadian Forces General Instruction from the Commander of Military Personnel decreeing a “spiritual neutrality” upon all Canadian Armed Forces Chaplains.

A new Canadian Armed Forces policy that bars military chaplains from offering faith-specific prayers at official events with mandatory personnel attendance is drawing a response from military faith advisers as well as calls in Ottawa for its reversal.

“God etc.” In that two-word nutshell, the current federal government has expressed the fullness of its utter contempt for religious faith and religious believers. 

The Superior Court of Quebec ruled July 31 that the provincial government violated Harvest Ministries International’s (HMI) Charter rights by ordering the Quebec City Convention Centre (SCCQ) to cancel the Christian group’s “Faith, Freedom, Fire” conference in the summer of 2023.

Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL) President and General Counsel Phil Horgan has a warning to impart as Canada enters a new, uncertain landscape on July 18, the date when Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, comes into force.

Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, advanced out of the Senate on June 4 by a 45-13 vote, to be sent back to the House of Commons with no movement on providing protection for religious speech.

An amendment to stop the expungement of the good-faith religious text defence from Canada’s hate speech laws was voted down 4-3 (one abstention) by the Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights on June 1 during clause-by-clause consideration of Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act.

The Canadian Catholic community finally had its voice heard May 28 during the fourth and final Standing Senate Committee on Human Rights meeting on Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act.

There still appears to be space for large outdoor collective worship demonstrations in Quebec despite the passage of Bill 9 by the Quebec provincial government back on April 2.