Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is digging his heels in and insisting that groups support abortion on demand if they want grants to hire students for the summer.
Trudeau’s Employment Minister Patty Hajdu made the announcement this week, despite a strong backlash from numerous faith groups, including Christian, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu and Jewish leaders.
The pro-abortion administration attempted to assuage the public this week by claiming groups only must “respect” legalized abortion on demand if they want to receive the grants, according to The Canadian Press.
“I have reached out to many of the religious leaders across the country . . . to let them know that this is about the activities of the organization and the job description,” Hajdu said Tuesdays. “It is not about beliefs or values.”
In the past, both pro-life and pro-abortion organizations have received grants to offer jobs to young adults through the Canadian Summer Jobs program. However, pro-abortion political leaders recently cut off grants to groups that will not bow to the altar of abortion on demand.
The new 2018 grant application requires groups to say that they respect “reproductive rights,” including abortion on demand, as one of their “core” values. Groups cannot submit their application unless they do.
This week, Hajdu said they made changes to the grant application website to clarify the requirement.
Here’s more from the Canadian Press:
The change to the website is meant to address those concerns.
The core mandate, the website says, refers to “the primary activities undertaken by the organization that reflect the organization’s ongoing services provided to the community.
“It is not the beliefs of the organization, and it is not the values of the organization,” it says.
The website further clarifies what it means when it refers to “respect” for those rights.
“Individual human rights are respected when an organization’s primary activities, and the job responsibilities, do not seek to remove or actively undermine these existing rights,” it says.
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It is difficult to believe that this explanation will satisfy many religious groups. Reports indicate that hundreds of groups that used to employ students may not this summer as a result, and summer camps and other activities could be forced to close.
Both Hajdu and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have insisted the attestation does not affect religious groups because of the key phrase “core mandate.” They say a church’s core mandate is not focused on anti-abortion activism, so churches should have no problem signing it.
However, faith-based organizations say it’s wrong to think their religious beliefs are separate from their core mandate. Some groups who don’t have a stance on abortion feel it’s wrong to be forced to take a side by signing the attestation. Others are also opposing the attestation on the principle that it violates the Charter’s right to religious freedom.
It is not just Christian groups who are expressing concerns. Earlier this week, Muslim, Sikh, Hindu, Jewish and other organizations gathered in Mississauga (at the initiative of a Conservative MP) to discuss the attestation and consider potential next steps in speaking out against it.
Trudeau also dismissed a college student’s concerns about protecting freedom of speech for pro-life advocates earlier this month.
Canadian taxpayers pay about $200 million a year to support the youth-based program, which provides funding for businesses and non-profits to offer temporary summer jobs to youth ages 15 to 30. It is a way the government encourages young people to get hands-on training before entering the workforce full-time.
Canada has some of the most pro-abortion laws in the world, allowing abortions for any reason up to birth and forcing taxpayers to pay for them in many cases. Common sense regulations such as parental consent for minors, waiting periods, informed consent and other basic measures are non-existent. Many provinces now force taxpayers to pay the full cost of abortion drugs for women.
Euthanasia also is legal across Canada.
