Government should celebrate fruit of Catholic Social Teaching

Federal funding for social programs that support youth, families and marginalized Canadians is a very appropriate way to spend taxpayers money.

Graphic to consider from a series of talks on Catholic Social Teaching with Fr Keith McMillan Wednesday, 25th January 6pm – A series of talks on Catholic Social Teaching with Fr Keith McMillan https://t.co/QbCoi7YNzv

— Dave Macpherson (@davmacit) January 18, 2018

Several commentators have criticized a government policy that subjects applicants for employment grants to an ideological purity test to qualify for federal funding. David Millard Haskell has written an opinion piece for CBC claiming that Trudeau is asking religious Canadians to betray their conscience for federal funding.

Conservative Christians and those of other faiths supporting pro-life positions should not be subjected to an ideological purity test to qualify for federal funding. The beliefs they hold about abortion are completely within the bounds of the law and can be voiced upon and advocated for freely and publicly. Even organizations that are solely dedicated to opposing abortion contravene no law.
Their only "crime" is that their values don't align with those of our prime minister. It's ironic that Trudeau insists Canadians support "diversity and inclusion," when he himself does not

The legal and historical perspective he offers helps set the policy of a purity test as outside legal requirements and resonant with ancient dictatorial events. On a practical level, the social efforts of Catholics are guided by well established Catholic Social Teaching.

A series of talks on Catholic Social Teaching with Fr Keith McMillan

The efforts based on this teaching have produced good fruit for Canadians. An article in the Catholic Register explores the details of some of these programs.

Who	What they do	Hires
New Life Prison Ministries	generate a resource database for ex-offenders	6
	one-on-one support for ex-offenders
Waupoos Family Farm	offers low-income families a vacation
	the experience of farm living	40
Citizens for Public Justice	work on reconciliation, poverty, climate change.	1
Many Catholic parishes	work painting, and other light maintenance,	??

Table 1. Catholic Register: Charities grapple with Canada Summer Jobs policy change.

The government would be wise to celebrate the particular successes of social programs like these. If the government feels compelled to take an ideological stand against programs, it should confirm that the actual work done for prisoners, aboriginal groups, at-risk youth and families is against their ideology.

Licia Corbella advises that Trudeau should read the charter and honour his father.

What’s most galling, is the vast majority of the organizations that help the poorest of the poor in Canada are church-affiliated organizations. And, the vast majority of the money given to charities is donated by church goers. These are facts verified by Statistics Canada.
In other words, the very people who fund and do most of the volunteering, giving and serving are the very ones who will be excluded from this federal program, meaning those they help — the poorest of the poor in Canada — are the ones who will suffer the most, as well as the young people who want to help.

Margaret Wente asks: Can Justin Trudeau tolerate real diversity?

In the wake of terrible publicity, there are signs that the government is trying to walk back its new restriction on summer-job grants. Even so, Ms. Redshaw is right. We are getting very near the point where people with explicitly religious values will have no more role to play in mainstream society. As the brilliant writer Yuval Noah Harari observes, "God is dead – it's just taking a while to get rid of the body." The idea that people are obliged to order their lives and society according to the moral codes established by a higher power is regarded by the educated elites as nothing more than primitive superstition. In its place, we have created a new religion based on individualism and self-fulfillment – something that the Christian conservative writer Rod Dreher calls "an emotion-based spirituality of self-fulfillment

👍 ... I’d suggest also „The Benedict Option” - fresh „old fashioned” look at current situation pic.twitter.com/IG7XYBj4y5

— h0nzik (@h0nzikk) January 9, 2018

Rex Murphy comments that the prime minister has declared a doctrinal test for any who wish to make application for student summer job grants.

Suppose some parish council wants to do a cleanup of the town stream, and figures with a grant it could help half a dozen debt-hounded students by giving them summer jobs. Under the latest Trudeau encyclical, the town’s priest, minister, imam, shaman or rabbi would have to publicly repudiate his faith on an official document and maul his conscience with a lie (thus playing roulette with their immortal souls; religious people actually believe they have them) if the poor students are to be helped by said grants

The fruit of Catholic Social Teaching in the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace has included working with the government to protect Indigenous rights, local workers and the environment from being harmed by commercial projects.

Pope Francis, as well as a number of Canadian Catholic groups, including the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace, has advocated for better protection of surrounding communities, Indigenous rights, local workers and the environment from being harmed by commercial projects often involving international investment. During his current visit to Peru and Chile, the Holy Father is scheduled to meet with Indigenous People from the Amazon region, where there have been a number of complaints about the operations of Canadian-based and other extractive industries. On 1 May 2013, the Feast of Saint Joseph the Worker, Pope Francis launched an appeal to end what he referred to as the conditions of slave labour, pointing out as a recent tragic example a garment factory fire in Bangladesh which produced clothing for North American retailers, including Canadian interests

Thanks @CCCB_CECC for your continuous support over the years ! #miningjustice https://t.co/2QrlTq5lO1

— Development andPeace (@DevPeace) January 22, 2018

Stephen Maher comments that the Liberals are choosing to play politics with summer camp funding, and taking a stupid legal risk in the process.

The government could easily change the document to respond to the concerns of religious groups, narrowing the language to make certain that the summer students don’t spend their time handing out anti-abortion pamphlets, but they are instead choosing to play politics with summer camp funding.

Evangelical Fellowship of Canada President Bruce Clemenger is one of over 80 religious leaders calling on Trudeau to end rights-based job program funding.

“We want to ensure that Canadians continue to benefit from the collaboration between government and faith-based organizations, working together for the common good of our country,” Evangelical Fellowship of Canada President Bruce Clemenger said at a news conference where the letter was introduced.
“We are unable to give non-negotiable, unqualified affirmation to undefined values and other rights … At the risk of losing funding or programs themselves that benefit so many Canadians, the government has placed us in an untenable situation.

Catholic Social Action predates the Roman persecutions cited by Mr. Haskell. It will continue to be the expression of the Love of Jesus that Christians try to model with or without government support.

References

(2018, January 18). Trudeau is asking religious Canadians to betray their conscience for .... Retrieved January 18, 2018, from http://www.cbc.ca/news/opinion/summer-jobs-program-1.4491602

(2018, January 15). Charities grapple with Canada Summer Jobs policy change. Retrieved January 18, 2018, from https://www.catholicregister.org/item/26664-charities-grapple-with-canada-summer-jobs-policy-change

(2018, January 20). Corbella: Trudeau should read the charter and honour his father .... Retrieved January 20, 2018, from http://calgaryherald.com/opinion/columnists/trudeau-should-read-the-charter-and-honour-his-father


(2018, January 19). Can Justin Trudeau tolerate real diversity? - The Globe and Mail. Retrieved January 20, 2018, from https://www.theglobeandmail.com/opinion/can-justin-trudeau-tolerate-real-diversity/article37665145/

(2018, January 19). Rex Murphy: No summer jobs for you! And other decrees from Bishop .... Retrieved January 22, 2018, from http://nationalpost.com/opinion/rex-murphy-no-summer-jobs-for-you-and-other-decrees-from-bishop-trudeau

(2018, January 19). CCCB welcomes decision by Government of Canada on Canadian .... Retrieved January 22, 2018, from http://www.cccb.ca/site/eng/media-room/statements-a-letters/4868-cccb-welcomes-decision-by-government-of-canada-on-canadian-ombudsperson-for-responsible-enterprise


(2018, January 19). Justin Trudeau should read the Charter of Rights - Macleans.ca. Retrieved January 22, 2018, from http://www.macleans.ca/politics/ottawa/justin-trudeau-should-read-the-charter-of-rights/ (n.d.).(n.d.).

(n.d.). Over 80 religious leaders call on Trudeau to end rights-based job .... Retrieved January 25, 2018, from http://ottawacitizen.com/news/national/over-80-religious-leaders-call-on-trudeau-to-end-rights-based-job-program-funding/wcm/f63780d1-9fe7-43e7-bad9-3a32877fad02