Post 232--Intolerant Liberals

PRELIMINARY NOTE:  You may still nurse your annoyance over Post 228. I left it in an awful mess. I am painfully aware of that and it is the reason I did not do much with this blog for some time. I am terribly embarrassed. I simply do not have the technical savvy to help me correct or understand some of the tech stuff this blog requires. Even this paragraph is not the way it is supposed to be. However, I may well have found someone who can correct some things for me and even teach me how to navigate better in this blog.  So, I crave your understanding, sympathy and patience. My next action after sending off this blog is to contact that person and see how we can work together without it costing me a fortune, which I cannot afford as a retired missionary.

...  Andrew Scheer said it best:

“When people don’t agree with Justin Trudeau, they get silenced, or they get insulted.”

---

I am not a politician, but I do pay some attention to politics. When I returned to BC after some 30 years in Nigeria, 15 in the US and a short 2 back in Europe,  It occurred to me several times that perhaps I should devote my retirement years to local or provincial politics. However, as I settled into Vancouver's downtown and read the newspapers I soon became disenchanted. So much of it seemed so either downright stupid or ridden with egoism and lust for power. In fact, a friend who served as a BC MLA bowed out after one term. He explained it is disgustingly all about power. Secondly, I discovered that an MLA or an MP is nothing but a small boy/girl to the party leader. Well, I am not cut out to be anyone's small boy, even less a small girl!

I am not particularly favourable to any of Canada's political parties. I may be somewhat conservatively inclined, but definitely not that of the Conservative Party. Nevertheless, I have voted conservative occasionally, but with a heavy heart, for they don't really embody my values. In some ways, I find them traitors.  

But a party I have never voted for are the Federal Liberals. They are totally disgusting to me, especially our PM.  He may be a nice person and I might enjoy him as my next-door neighbour, but as politician or, God forbid in the future, as a PM?  I've never seen a prouder lot in all my life. They actually think the country owes them the power to govern!  Actually, they are among the most self-ignorant people I've ever met. They are totally unaware of the basic worldview that rules them. And then to think that there are Christians among them. I do not doubt their faith, but they can be there only out of ignorance. I advise them and everyone else to read Trudeau Sr.'s book on Liberalism and you will see how deeply individualistic liberalism is; no real room for community.  It's all about ME; hardly ever about WE.

Well, here I am, throwing every pretense at neutrality over the cliff. Today I am leaving you with some campaign smear about the Trudeau clique from the Conservatives. I usually don't take such campaign stuff seriously.  They are paid to smear. But I'm a Christian: I don't smear, though I will tell the truth even if unpleasant. It seems to me that the following Conservative smear is onto something I am encouraging you to read. And feel free to share your opinion with me.   

Hear!  Hear!

... the Liberals have been ramping up their smear tactics as we get closer to the next election:

• When our Deputy Leader Lisa Raitt questioned Bill Morneau on why their government has failed to live up to their feminist rhetoric – he called her a "Neanderthal."
   
• When our MP Todd Doherty rightfully questioned Justin Trudeau about his government’s ethics – Trudeau called him disgusting.
   
• When Ontario Cabinet Minister Lisa MacLeod was concerned about the pressures and costs that Trudeau’s border crisis put on the province’s immigration system – Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen called her “un-Canadian.”
   
• And just last week, our MP Bob Saroya questioned Bill Blair about the crisis at our border – so Blair accused Conservatives of wanting to put babies in cages.

It was unbelievable, Jan / John, even for Liberals.

You know the Liberals are losing an argument when they start falsely smearing and insulting you.

It’s the ugliest kind of politics and something we continually see out of these Trudeau Liberals.

As soon as the Liberals face any kind of legitimate criticism or questions, their “sunny ways” and “positive politics” come to an end and they head straight to the gutter while trying to look holier than thou.

It’s the same old Liberal tactic of lie, slander, and fearmonger…

… while still claiming to be the party of rainbows, sunshine, and lollipops.

The Liberals can smear us and the millions of Canadians with real questions all they want.

Canada’s Conservatives will continue to put forward Andrew Scheer’s positive Conservative vision for Canada – where taxes are low, government is limited, opportunity is unlimited, freedom is shared, and people are put before government!

Post 225--Centennial of (Some) Women's Suffrage in Canada

This blog contains more critique of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau than praise, something I am not proud of and does not make me happy. I would much rather have reasons for praise than critique. I would much rather be happy with my PM than unhappy. But as a Christian, I cannot not see myself happy with a Liberal government, for the essence of liberalism is to downgrade, if not actually despise and have contempt for established age-old traditions, many of which belong to the order of creation.

The last statement in the above paragraph probably sounds like I'm a dyed-in-the-wool kind of conservative. I'm not! Definitely not!  But that's for another post. Actually, my deepest attitudes and theories are embedded in this entire blog. If you've been reading my previous 224 posts, you will have grasped at least something of my perspective--neither liberal nor conservative but Reformed Christian. As I said, for another post.

But today I agree with and support our PM, something that gives me joy. Again, it is not 100%, but when you celebrate something, you don't major in qualifications; you just joyfully celebrate. And that's what I'm doing today. And I invite you to join the PM and little me.

You may remember that one of the first actions of our PM was to appoint a Cabinet marked by gender parity as well as racial diversity. And, you may remember, I expressed praise and gratitude for that move.  Unfortunately....  No, no, I don't go there today. Just celebrate! That step by the PM was a huge step forward in the process of empowering women in our country. It wasn't all women at that time, something the PM acknowledges below, but it was a huge and significant step forward in the dynamics of developing history. Please remember my "Tomato Post" no. 224. Tomato history is an interesting example of history developing forward and opening up towards richer variety and differentiation; The suffrage issue is not merely an example but actually a huge step towards the liberation of 50% of Canada's population. It significantly pushed history forward and opened it up.

Today, we join the PM in celebrating the centennial of that first huge step of women suffrage. Please read his statement below and celebrate. 

===========

Statement by the Prime Minister on the 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote in federal elections

May 24, 2018
Ottawa, Ontario

The Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, today issued the following statement on the 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote in federal elections:

“One hundred years ago, women in Canada gained the right to vote in federal elections for the first time. Today, we recognize the countless women who have transformed politics in Canada and shaped a better country for all of us.

“This decision was a turning point for gender equality and a victory for Canadian democracy. When more voices are heard, we shape laws that reflect who we are and decisions that improve the lives of Canadians. Social activists and feminists worked hard to win the right to vote. Our democracy is stronger because of their commitment to their convictions, and their vision for a more just future.

“While this anniversary represents an important milestone in the quest for equal rights in Canada, not all women benefitted from this progress. Indigenous women, Asian women, and others were denied the right to vote. These exclusions remind us that progress does not always happen equally, and we must do more to make sure everyone’s rights are respected, promoted, and valued.

“Canada continues to work hard to address the obstacles women and girls face. Here at home, we are taking steps to promote women’s participation in the workforce, support women’s leadership, reduce the gender wage gap, and fight gender-based violence. In 2018, Canada put gender equality at the core of the federal budget, and made empowering women and girls a key theme for our G7 presidency. Thanks to measures like our Feminist International Assistance Policy, we are working to empower women and girls and advance gender equality around the world.

“The 100th anniversary of women winning the right to vote in federal elections reminds us that we are stronger when everyone, no matter their gender identity, can participate freely, fully, and equally in our democracy. A century later, women’s leadership continues to push Canada forward. Today, let’s celebrate the achievements of the many women who have shaped our country. Let’s honour their legacy, push for justice and equality, and make sure all voices can be heard.”

PMO Media Relations: media@pmo-cpm.gc.ca
This document is also available at https://pm.gc.ca

Post 221--Trudeau: An Emerging Secular Dictator

I promised you yesterday that I would continue with the topic of secularism trying to impose, force, its will on the rest of us. Even secular writers and media have joined the chorus of objections about Trudeau's hierarchy of rights that places, well, forces actually, pro-abortion and women's rights at the top of the pile, regardless of the negative impact on other rights that our legal system considers equal.  

The specific issue at stake here is Trudeau's withholding long-standing grants to the Canada Summer Jobs programme. Any organization that does not accept his views on abortion and on women's rights will no longer accept grants under that programme. The women's rights referred to here are their right to abort or not, long a volatile issue in Canadian politics and culture that even a conservative Prime Minister like Steven Harper did not dare touch. 

I will give the podium once again to yesterday's guest, lawyer John Carpay of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (www.JCCF.ca).  Below Carpay's article there is reference to another hard-hitting piece supporting Carpay. Go, read, and judge for yourself.   

Trudeau's Troubling Insistence That Charities Pick A Side On Abortion

One of the differences between a free society and a repressive regime is the right to remain silent.

A law that requires Canadians to say "please" and "thank you" would be a bad law.

Not because these are bad words, but because in a free country, nobody should be compelled to say anything. One of the differences between a free society and a repressive regime is the right to remain silent.

THE CANADIAN PRESS/JOHN WOODS

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau listens to a question about Child and Family Services at a town hall meeting at the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg on Jan. 31, 2018.

In medieval England, King Henry VIII passed a law requiring all to declare their support for him (and not the pope) as the head of the Church of England. Thomas More had his head chopped off in 1535, merely for remaining silent and for refusing to say that the king was the supreme head of the church. So insecure and thin-skinned was Henry VIII that he could not stand Thomas More's silence.

And so it is with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his belief that abortion should be legal during all nine months of pregnancy.

That is the state of the law in Canada today. It has been so since 1988, when the Supreme Court of Canada (R. v. Morgentaler) invited Parliament to pass new legislation to provide at least some protection to the unborn, particularly during the latter stages of pregnancy. Parliament has not done so.

For our post-modernist prime minister, the silence of Canadians on the subject of abortion is not good enough. Like Henry VIII, Trudeau needs to hear his people say that they agree with him.

Starting this year, charities must state that they support abortion being legal if they wish to access a grant through the Canada Summer Jobs program, which provides federal government grants to non-profits and to businesses, to hire a summer student. Charities must further state that abortion is a Charter right, in spite of the fact that Parliament can legislate to protect unborn life.

This means that the Mustard Seed, which helps tens of thousands of Alberta's poor, homeless and addicted, regardless of the client's faith, creed or colour, will hire fewer students. Its CEO Stephen Wile stated:

"The Mustard Seed doesn't take a position on abortion, but with the government making this a requirement for funding, it's trying to force us from a neutral position to an affirmative position on abortion, and we're not prepared to do that. ... We're not willing to support the government's position in order to get the funds; it's just not worth it for us."

In response to a public outcry, Trudeau and his Labour Minister Patricia Hajdu have declared that this new attestation only applies to pro-life groups, not to charities who might happen to adhere to pro-life beliefs. As Trudeau put it: "Of course, you're more than allowed to have whatever beliefs you like." As Hajdu explained: "This is about the activities of the organization and the job description. ... This is not about beliefs or values."

These assurances have now proven to be utterly false.

AFP/GETTY IMAGES

Minister for Status of Women Patricia Hajdu.

Since the Feb. 9, 2018 deadline for applying for Canada Summer Jobs funding, numerous charities have been told, in writing, that they will not receive funding unless they check off the "I attest" box on the application, to confirm their support for legal abortion as a Charter right.

"It seems," stated Mustard Seed CEO Wile, "like the government is saying, 'The issue of where you stand on abortion is more important than the work you do and the people you serve,' and that's really sad. At the core of who we are, we're really against fear and hate, and unfortunately, the government is taking a position that instead of decelerating division, it's accelerating it."

Losing several thousand dollars of government funding is nothing compared to losing your head. But the underlying issue of government-compelled speech should not be dismissed lightly.

More blogs from HuffPost Canada:

• Progressives Are Making A Big Mistake Abandoning Freedom Of Speech
• We Must Teach Kids That Free Speech Has More Than One Side
• Doctors Should Not Be Forced to Prescribe the Pill

Pro-choicers should be just as worried about this policy as pro-lifers.

Even if a charity shared Trudeau's opinions about abortion, it would still violate freedom of expression to be compelled to state one's belief about abortion as a condition for accessing a government program that one is otherwise entitled to access.

How is this Canada Summer Jobs attestation different from requiring seniors to agree with Trudeau's beliefs in order to receive their pension cheques? If some seniors spend their days doing volunteer work for pro-life groups, should their pension benefits be cut off, for disagreeing with the prime minister?

If Trudeau can get away with this, what stops a future prime minister from compelling Canadians to express support for his — or her — beliefs, as a condition of accessing a government program or benefit?

=========

The URL for the above:   https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/john-carpay/trudeaus-troubling-insistence-that-charities-pick-a-side-on-abortion_a_23368528/

There are dozens more articles from all sorts of directions on this subject. A major one is Don Hutchinson's, "Justin's Pipe Smoke," found at            https://www.convivium.ca/articles/justins-pipe-smoke?_cldee=Ym9lcmpmQGhvdG1haWwuY29t&recipientid=contact-f45cf8cbefe7df118766001e0b613b64-cc4416a08b8f47f1857c08db376e408d&esid=ab8baaf4-054f-e811-80f6-3863bb35dde0

Post 214--Parent 1 / Parent 2: Christie vs Justiin

In Post 212 I promised I would treat you to a dish of Christie--Christie Blatchford, that is, a Postmedia columnist.  212 dealt with that amazing issue of public bathrooms and transgender. Well, this one today also deals with a trans issue. And of all the luck, would you believe it? This particular column of Christie is crossed out and does not appear on the internet, which means I either keyboard it in myself or summarize--or break my promise, something that many many moons ago I pledged not to do too often. 

Remember those posts way back when? I promised I would try not to break too many promises, but that it is hard to avoid all the time. Just for the record, in the case of 212, I did not break any promise; I just postponed one.  Hope you'll accept subtle distinctions. We writers thrive on them!

Back to Christie. Her heading:  "Can we put the Liberals on mute?"  Her subtitle: "Government's social engineering going way too far."  The "Government" she's talking about is Canada's Fed. Though in this article she applies this to gender terminology, her subtitle can be applied to a wide range of things that all lead to a desire on my part to mute the beast, period.

I should be more moderate with my language. Referring to one's Government as "the beast" is a bit much and harsh. Being a Christian, the admonition in Scripture to respect, obey and pray for government is important. For a moment I forgot, which is not difficult to do, given the kind of "leadership" oozing out of Ottawa these days. 

I hope you remember my statement in 212 that I am fully in favour of giving our transgender friends full scope and freedom. I resist any unnecessary restriction on their freedom as well as on mine. I added to that that I do oppose and resent the agenda(s) of the extreme among them, as I do any extreme apart from those extreme in genuine Christian love. Well, the extremist(s) in this case are Canada's Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, whom Christie refers to as "that self-described proud feminist," and his hangers on.     

It is so absurd that the only way I can describe the issue for you is through Christie's nimble fingers. "Service Canada bosses have been given a directive telling them to use gender-neutral language to avoid 'portraying a perceived bias toward a particular sex or gender.'  Instead of using the tried-and-true Mr., Mrs. or Ms., for instance, employees were told to either use a client's full name or to ask how they'd prefer to be addressed. Similarly...workers were also told to avoid such gender-specific terms a 'father' and 'mother', and to use 'parent' instead."  

Not surprisingly, it's "already causing employees grief, having to inquire of bewildered patrons if he/she is 'parent 1' or 'parent 2." Nor is it surprising that "Families Minister Duclos was furiously back-pedaling, tweeting that Service Canada would of course'continue to use Mr/Ms....  We are only confirming how people want to be addressed as a matter of respect."  Christie asks, "Then why did he tell his people to stop using those particular honorifics?" She states, "This government's insistence on viewing the world through an 'equity lens' is pervasive and exhausting, not to mention distorting."    

With reference to a related issue in another section of the article, Christie writes, "I quote directly from the government's press release of the day, because I've no real idea what on earth it actually means. Towards the end of her article, "This may not be a perfect country, but for women, it comes close enough that evolution, not revolution, is all that's needed. Most of us muddle along just fine.... The last thing...the rest of us need or want is more gendered language instruction or social engineering from this strangely obsessed government."  Hear! Hear!

Post 158—Is Prime Minister Trudeau Funding Islamic Extremism?

I may have reminded you of this before, but do you remember that during the last Federal election the Conservative Party of Canada kept repeating that Trudeau was not ready for being Canada's Prime Minister?  I full agreed with that, for I had seen no sign whatsoever that he was ready. Too young and too inexperienced in politics. Just cute and belonging to a famous political family.   Well, since his election he has undone so many measures that the Conservatives put in place for the security of both Canada and the world. Don't get me wrong. I am often aghast at what Conservatives say or do as well.  Too many Canadian politicians of whatever party are just that: politicians, not stateswomen or men. Trudeau has shown himself just one of that crowd and, because of his high position, he stands out as just another politician. Apart from his initial composition of the Cabinet--gender equality and wide racial representation--I have seen little positive from him. Oh, he looks cute when he poses in the midst of young people and all that, but when it comes to serious decisions, he seems to have no standard of any kind.  So, I am sharing with you a news item from The Rebel, an alternative news source that mainline journalists despise.  Though I enjoy reading the Vancouver Sun, I am aware it is mainline and often ignores events that do not pass their test for "responsible news."  I have noticed for years, for example, that they never report on the annual MissionsFest, a large Christian event held in the very heart of Vancouver that draws some 30-35,000 people every time, including high school students who do not drink or do drugs. Now that's a miracle of its own that the press ignores. Recently there was a large Christian gathering in Vancouver that was totally ignored also, except that they made a lot of noise about Franklin Graham.  So, I am fully aware of the selective nature of mainline media.   Here then The Rebel: ========== Hamas is the Palestinian version of ISIS.  Besides being Islamic extremists, and calling for death to all Jews in their charter, Hamas routinely launches rockets into Israel, firing them from hospitals and schools, using Palestinian citizens as human shields. This practice clearly violates international law. But Hamas doesn't break international law all on its own. They work with a UN organization called UNRWA to hide these rockets. UNRWA runs the schools and hospitals that Hamas attacks from. They have also provided textbooks to children that promote the murder of Israelis. Because of such horrific actions, Prime Minister Stephen Harper decided to stop providing funding for UNRWA — they were simply too closely tied to Hamas. (The Harper Conservatives still helped fund other Palestinian relief agencies, just not UNRWA.) But Justin Trudeau has decided to start helping Hamas again and reinstate UNRWA funding. Now, thanks to documents obtained by The Rebel, we have proof that the Liberals knew their decision to reinstate UNRWA funding with Canadian tax dollars could be diverted to terrorism. Watch my video, or click here to see the documents we've obtained.  UNRWA may have been a good cause when it started back in the 1940s, but it has become corrupted. If you agree that Justin Trudeau should not fund UNRWA with Canadian tax dollars, then please go to www.StopHelpingHamas.com and sign our petition. And remember, I'm on your side, Brian Lilley ============== I am not much of a techy and do not know whether all the links in the above will work. If they don't, please find The Rebel online yourself and see what you can see or hear.

Post 137—Ex-envoy Criticizes New Human Rights Office

The Harper government established an office to monitor religious freedom in various countries. It is interesting that, to the best of my knowledge, Canada was not among the nations to be monitored. Why do you think that was? No problems with religious freedom in Canada? Are you kidding? Many of the previous posts hint at restrictions on religious freedom in Canada, but it’s not usually identified as such and so no one recognizes it. I will try to make that more clear as we go along.  In the meantime, think about or even check out various earlier posts and see if you cannot find evidence or instances of it.

The Trudeau government has closed down that office and merged the concern for religious freedom with a new Office of Human Rights, Freedoms and Inclusion. No more special attention for religious freedom; only freedom in general. Marie-Danielle Smith wrote a piece about this development in which she summarizes and quotes various statements on this merger by Andrew Bennett, formerly in charge of the Harper office. I encourage you to access it at this URL:

https://www.google.ca/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=ex-envoy%20criticizes%20new%20human%20rights%20office

Pay special attention to Bennett’s critique of the new situation. The concept of inclusion in the merged office is, he said, “ill defined and thoroughly vague” so that it “could muddy the water and distract from specific religious persecution issues faced by minorities abroad.  More training is needed for the staff, “because there is a ‘relative ignorance’ of religion in the public-service ranks and a ‘false understanding of separation of church and state’ still seems prevalent.

Ask yourself what Bennett said about ignoring the public role of religion. Yes, the office’s attitude is out of step with recent scholarship. It used to be said that religious issues were basically a sub-set of economic and political. You solve the latter two, and the religious issue will be solved as well. It is now widely recognized that this is not the case: religion is an issue in itself.

What is “historically inaccurate” according to Bennett? 

What are Canada’s allies wondering about with respect to our government?

Post 124--Christian Genocide b y ISIS

It is generally recognized in the media that Christians are having a hard time of it in pretty well all Muslim-dominated countries, whether in Asia, Africa or Europe. I have drawn attention to this in several posts, the latest being number 122. I have also written about that more voluminously in another blog I operate under the name “ChristianMuslimWorld.”  

Now that claim may smell like Islamophobia to some, but that derisive term is over-used to cover almost anything that is less than laudatory with respect to Islam.  It means “fear of Islam,” which is a far cry from disagreement with Islam. I have high respect for orthodox Islam and for its adherents, but I disagree with them. If you want to know what exactly that translates into, I refer you to my series Studies in Christian-Muslim Relations on my website  < www.SocialTheology.com/Islamica >. Even Muslims have praised me for the spirit pervading that series. Disagreement? Yes.  Phobia? No, not one bit. So, let’s not have that misnomer stand in the way of the rest of this post. 

Today I discuss not mere Muslim persecution of Christians, but genocide. According to one edition of Merriam-Webster’s Collegiate Dictionary, it means “the deliberate and systematic destruction of a racial, political or cultural group,” with the last one, I take it, including religious groups.  It is much more specific than the more general term “persecution.” While the latter is common place throughout the Muslim world, genocide is more local and currently widely applied especially to ISIS, who are widely recognized to consciously and officially be practicing Christian genocide.

You need details of this recognition?  Carl Anderson, the CEO of the Knights of Columbus and a New York Times bestselling author, together with  Archbishop Bashar Warda, a Chaldean Catholic Archbishop in Iraq (A&W), wrote an article, “ISIS perpetrates genocide against Christians” (Vancouver Sun, Aug. 5, 2016, p. A11) that is fully worth a serious read. They write:

Based on overwhelming evidence, Christians have been included in genocide designations by the European Parliament, the US State Department, the US Congress, parliaments and officials of a number of European governments, as well as the Iraqi cabinet and the Kurdish Regional Government.    

In addition, according to Barnabas Aid, certain members of the British House of Lords urged their Prime Minister some months ago that, “jihadist attacks on  Christians and other religions in the Middle East should be classified as genocide.”  In other words, the UK Government hesitated to join the authorities in the paragraph above. And they are not the only ones. The same Barnabas report states that “The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court has said that she ‘stands ready’ to begin a genocide enquiry but needs an order from the UN Security Council.”  So, the UN also hesitates. Given its membership, that should be no surprise to anyone.

But coming closer to home, our own Canadian Government also has rejected the call to declare a genocide on the part of ISIS. On June 14, 2016, the House of Commons defeated a motion (166 vs 139) to declare that present-day atrocities by ISIS against religious minorities in Syria and Iraq constitute genocide.

 A&W advocate that Canada should take leadership on the question of genocide by ISIS, but it is following the lead of the UN. Their argument against the genocide issue turns on a definition of a tax Islam calls “jizya”, a tax Christians and others have historically paid to Muslim rulers for protection instead of the traditional “convert or die” ultimatum. However, according to A&W, ISIS has widened the definition of this protection so that it includes even “kidnapping, rape and confiscation,” all actions from which that tax is supposed to protect them. In fact, a former ISIS leader “publicly revoked any special treatment of Christians years ago.”  Its official magazine, Dabiq, has threatened to “conquer your Rome, break your crosses, and enslave your women.” 

The result of all this violence? A&W tell us that the number of Christians in Iraq “has plummeted by nearly 90 percent, Syria’s by almost 70 per cent. “In the land where it first took root, Christianity could be stamped out entirely—within our lifetime.”  Such threats and actions hardly represent the preferential treatment Jizya is supposed to offer, as A&W put it.

And so I strongly support the call of A&W and the campaign being waged by Barnabas Aid for both Canada and the UN to become realistic. A&W urge, “It is time for both Canada and the UN to join the international consensus, supported by a majority of the Canadian people at a rate of two to one in our recent K of C-Leger poll.” As a Canadian I will be extremely embarrassed if our Government were to renege on this life-and-death issue for thousands of people. If there is no change at this front, I will definitely campaign against the Federal Government on basis of this offensive indifference during any future election. I will help arouse the Christian community against them in my writings. It is one more spike in the coffin of death with which the politicians of almost all parties are saddling our country, the others being easy abortion and easy assisted suicide along with the more general ones of poverty and injustice.

Though I am always wary of one-issue politics, the matter of life and death trumps all other issues in importance along with poverty and injustice.  Come to think of it, when you lump these “few” issues together, you’re really talking a pretty wide umbrella of issues that can hardly be considered “single-issue” stuff. I am aware this could leave me a political orphan without a party to vote for. I may be left to vote for the least of all evils, a position that an increasing number of Canadian Christians find themselves in.

Though I drift in this post from the specific issue of genocide of Christians to more general politics, what I want you to take away from it is first of all the genocide issue. That’s my issue for today.  It is more than an “issue” for thousands of Christians in the Middle East; for them it is indeed literally an issue of life and death that goes far beyond mere politics. We need to press the Government of Canada to recognize and declare ISIS genocide of Middle Eastern Christians and others of various persuasions. Does the pretty face of our current PM mask an attitude of political indifference to the lot of the most vulnerable and, thus, of an underlying cruelty? I leave the answer to you.