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Justice and Freedom

28 Jun 2018 Trinity Western University Considering Next Steps

Posted at 08:00h in Education, Justice and Freedom, Public Theology 0 Comments
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(Lighthouse News - June 28, 2018) Trinity Western University continues to evaluate this month's Supreme Court of Canada decision on its application to open a Law School. The court ruled that law Societies in BC and Ontario were justified in refusing to admit graduates of that proposed school to the bar in their respective provinces. The ruling said that TWU’s community covenant, under which students and staff pledge, among other things, to only engage in sexual activity inside the bounds of heterosexual marriage, was discriminatory against the LGBTQ community, and...

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27 Jun 2018 Important: Alberta Court Rules against Injunction for Bill 24

Posted at 18:26h in Education, Family, Justice and Freedom 0 Comments
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TWU ruling cited as precedent Update: We have published a new article with analysis of this decision here. Less than two weeks after the Supreme Court of Canada’s decision against Trinity Western University, a coalition of parents and independent schools in Alberta, including all of the Reformed schools in the province, has lost an application for an injunction to delay implementation of Bill 24, “An Act to Support Gay-Straight Alliances”.  Among other things, the law makes it illegal for anyone in the education system - be that in public, private, or parochial...

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26 Jun 2018 Important Update: Bill 24 Injunction Ruling Expected This Week

Posted at 14:18h in Education, Family, Justice and Freedom 0 Comments
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(Lighthouse News - June 26, 2018): A ruling is expected by the end of this week in the first round of a court battle over Alberta's Bill 24. That is the bill that mandates every school to institute gay-straight alliance (GSA) clubs on request from any student, and to hide information about students from their parents, along with a threat of denying funding or accreditation if they don’t comply. A coalition of parents, Christian schools (including the Reformed schools in the province), and others are taking the Alberta government to court...

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19 Jun 2018 Post-TWU: A time for courage

Posted at 15:35h in Blog, Education, Justice and Freedom, Public Theology, Sexuality 0 Comments
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by Mark Penninga I’m often asked whether political and legal developments in Canada get me down. And my honest answer is that they rarely do. I’m often amazed and encouraged by the impact we can still have when we seize the freedom God has given us and take action. But I admit that last Friday’s Supreme Court of Canada TWU decision really hurts. It is a game-changer. I don’t think most Canadians realize just how profound an impact it will likely have on our most fundamental freedoms. At the risk of oversimplifying it,...

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15 Jun 2018 Supreme Court rules against TWU, placing public perception over rule of law

Posted at 10:00h in Education, Justice and Freedom, Sexuality 1 Comment
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For immediate release from the Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA) Canada June 15, 2018 Supreme Court rules against TWU, placing public perception over rule of law OTTAWA – This morning, the Supreme Court of Canada ruled against Trinity Western University and their proposed Christian law school. Justices Brown and CĂŽtĂ© dissented. The Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA) Canada, was an intervener in the case. AndrĂ© Schutten, ARPA’s Director of Law and Policy, and John Sikkema, ARPA’s Legal Counsel, acted as counsel for ARPA in the intervention. ARPA sees several major problems with the majority...

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01 Jun 2018 Supreme Court rules unanimously in church discipline case

Posted at 11:31h in Justice and Freedom 0 Comments
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Can the decision of a church or religious body to expel a member be appealed to a civil court? Last week, the Supreme Court of Canada decided unanimously that the answer to that question is no. The lower court judge, Justice Wilson, and a majority at the Alberta Court of Appeal, had answered this question in the affirmative. The SCC overturned the decisions of the lower courts for three reasons. First, the Court ruled that judges can only review decisions made by state actors – those that have been granted powers by the...

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09 May 2018 Opposition in Alberta refuses to oppose abortion bubble zone bill, choosing to literally walk away from the debate

Posted at 08:00h in Canadian Politics, Justice and Freedom, Pre-Born Human Rights 0 Comments
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By Lighthouse News A law to restrict speech, persuasion, and protests near abortion clinics in Alberta continues to move through the legislature. Bill 9 received second reading last week. Not only will the bill substantially interfere with freedom of expression of pro-lifers, it will obliterate the opportunity for any alternative help for pregnant women. Alberta’s opposition United Conservative Party is following through on a pledge not to vote on the proposal - either for or against. Leader Jason Kenney has labelled it a piece of "political mischief" from the governing NDP, designed to distract...

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08 May 2018 Controversy over abortion attestation requirement for summer jobs funding continues with law suits rolling out

Posted at 12:59h in Canadian Politics, Justice and Freedom, Pre-Born Human Rights 0 Comments
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By Lighthouse News The federal government's controversial "attestation requirement" for the Canada Summer Jobs program is being challenged in court again. Earlier this year, Toronto Right to Life launched a lawsuit over the attestation requirement on the basis that the demand for applicants to affirm so-called "Charter Rights" on reproductive choice - in other words, expressing support for the government's position on abortion - was a violation of the freedom of religion and freedom of conscience guarantees of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Now, a small irrigation company in Brooks Alberta...

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05 Apr 2018 Summer Jobs and the English Language

Posted at 13:12h in Blog, Canadian Politics, Justice and Freedom, Pre-Born Human Rights 0 Comments
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Employment Minister won't say what 'rights' means by John Sikkema In his famous essay, Politics and the English Language, George Orwell lamented that “political words” tend to be so abused as to become almost meaningless. Their vagueness then allows people to use them “in a consciously dishonest way” – meaning the user allows the hearer to think he means something other than what the user had in mind. Writing in 1946, Orwell listed “fascism”, “socialism”, and “democracy” as examples of abused political words. Were he writing today, I think he would include “rights”. Employment...

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27 Mar 2018 Possible lawsuit looming over Canada Summer Jobs attestation

Posted at 11:48h in Justice and Freedom, Pre-Born Human Rights 0 Comments
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By Lighthouse News The federal government’s unwillingness to alter the rules around a controversial “attestation requirement” for applicants to the Canada Summer Jobs program could end up in court. The Canadian Council of Christian Charities (CCCC) is considering legal action after the Liberal majority in Parliament handily defeated a motion from the Conservatives last week. The motion, if passed, would have supported access to Canada Summer Jobs funding regardless of the private convictions of the applicants. Many applicants have refused to tick the attestation box because they interpret it as a...

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