BC ARPA groups have been initiating a quality discussion about the province's move toward full-time kindergarten over the past two weeks. Last week Monday Langley ARPA brought a panel of speakers to address a packed-house. The film of that event was used in the Bulkley Valley yesterday for a successful event there on the same topic. And tonight, Neil Dykstra, chair of Langley ARPA, was live on the air for over half an hour discussing this issue on Road Kill Radio (for the MP3, click here and here). To add to that, people are sending in letters to the editor and are writing the Minister of Education. The Reformed community, and the broader public is getting active like never before. Congratulations to the hard-working volunteers from the local ARPA's who are making this possible!
ARPA Note: Ray Pennings is the speaker for ARPA's upcoming event in Parliament on May 4th, 2010. Also, read the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada's press release about the budget here.
OTTAWA, March 4, 2010—Ray Pennings, Director of Research for Cardus, expressed concern that expressed concern that although today's federal budget rightly focuses on returning the books from deficit to surplus, it pays too little attention to imminent deficits in elder care, charitable service and broad social architecture.
By Neil Dykstra (Langley ARPA), for www.NoApologies.ca: All-day kindergarten is becoming reality in Canada. Ontario is beginning implementation in the 2010-2011 school year and plans to complete the conversion by September 2015. BC has a more aggressive timeline, converting half its kindergarten spaces to all-day for 2010-2011 and the rest in the next year. Some Canadian jurisdictions are studying the European systems that begin schooling as young as 3 years old for future programs. [Keep reading this article here.]
By David Daniels, ChristianWeek Columnist: Contending for biblically-informed moral values can be daunting for Christians in Canada's public square where religious values are increasingly shoved to the sidelines—to the realm of the private. But as John Redekop, then professor at Wilfred Laurier University, said some years ago: "Christians have a stewardship responsibility to be engaged in the political process of democracies." [Keep reading this article here.]
Feb 25, 2010, CCF Newsletter, CALGARY:The Canadian Constitution Foundation (CCF) today responded to the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal decision in Whatcott v. Saskatchewan Human Rights Tribunal, a case in which the CCF had intervened in support of free expression. In a decision released February 25, the 3-member court ruled that William Whatcott did not violate section 14(1)(b) of the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code by distributing flyers to oppose the teaching of homosexuality in Saskatoon’s public schools.
ARPA Note: This is a very worthy subject to bring up when you visit a Conservative MP or when you write Mr. Harper.
By Thaddeus M. Baklinski: OTTAWA, February 25, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Prime Minister Stephen Harper may be in a position to appoint seven or eight new judges to the Supreme Court of Canada, especially if he wins the next election. With seven of the nine current Justices eligible to retire with full pensions now, and an eighth eligible next year, Harper may soon be able to remake the Supreme Court.
ARPA Note: Consider sending in a letter to the editor of your local paper on this topic, given the upcoming federal budget. Also, be sure to read this follow-up article to the one below, which provides concrete suggestions for change.
Written by David Murrell Ph. D Thursday, 18 February 2010: Last December at the Copenhagen climate talks, a Canadian environmentalist group – the Climate Action Network – bestowed upon Canada its “Fossil of the Day” award, attacking the country for its supposed slowness in undertaking policies against global warming. Accepting the award was a the mayor of Toronto David Miller. The left-leading politician added his own attack on his country. [Keep reading this article here.]
By James Zekveld (February, 2010 - www.ARPACanada.ca): When a Christian enters into the realm of politics he faces many challenges. He is at war with a system that has been perverted to serve the interests of man rather than those of God. While he works toward a system that submits to the rule of Christ, he must simultaneously ensure that he is not compromising. Compromise is easy. A man can give up a basic Christian principle in order to obtain power, in the hopes that by having that power he can obey the rule of God. Meanwhile, what he supports can no longer be considered truly Christian. There is one basic rule that he must remember when he takes power. A ruler must be able to sacrifice himself for his sheep. If he rules for some other reason, he has given up a basic understanding of what authority is.
OTTAWA, February 18, 2010 (LifeSiteNews.com) - One of the first official reports to indicate the disastrous consequences of Canada’s long-term below, replacement birth rate was released in Ottawa today by Parliamentary Budget Officer Kevin Page. While pro-life leaders have been warning of the impending disaster for years as abortion and contraception have wreaked demographic havoc, the financial fallout is beginning to strike home to governments worldwide.
ARPA Note: Ray Pennings is the speaker for ARPA's upcoming event in Parliament on May 4th, 2010. Also, read the Institute of Marriage and Family Canada's 
By Neil Dykstra (Langley ARPA), for www.NoApologies.ca: All-day kindergarten is becoming reality in Canada. Ontario is beginning implementation in the 2010-2011 school year and plans to complete the conversion by September 2015. BC has a more aggressive timeline, converting half its kindergarten spaces to all-day for 2010-2011 and the rest in the next year. Some Canadian jurisdictions are studying the European systems that begin schooling as young as 3 years old for future programs. [Keep reading this article 
By David Daniels, ChristianWeek Columnist: Contending for biblically-informed moral values can be daunting for Christians in Canada's public square where religious values are increasingly shoved to the sidelines—to the realm of the private. But as John Redekop, then professor at Wilfred Laurier University, said some years ago: "Christians have a stewardship responsibility to be engaged in the political process of democracies." [Keep reading 
ARPA Note: This is a very worthy subject to bring up when you visit a Conservative MP or when you write Mr. Harper.
By James Zekveld (February, 2010 - www.ARPACanada.ca): When a Christian enters into the realm of politics he faces many challenges. He is at war with a system that has been perverted to serve the interests of man rather than those of God. While he works toward a system that submits to the rule of Christ, he must simultaneously ensure that he is not compromising. Compromise is easy. A man can give up a basic Christian principle in order to obtain power, in the hopes that by having that power he can obey the rule of God. Meanwhile, what he supports can no longer be considered truly Christian. There is one basic rule that he must remember when he takes power. A ruler must be able to sacrifice himself for his sheep. If he rules for some other reason, he has given up a basic understanding of what authority is.
OTTAWA, February 18, 2010 (