Bussey on ipolitics.ca: Trudeau, Trinity Western and the war on religious dissent

The Trudeau government recently announced that it will no longer permit religious charities to access the Canada Summer Jobs (CSJ) program unless they conform to government ideology on social policy.

The CSJ program provides students with opportunities to work at non-profits. However, the government’s view is that if a charity does not accept abortion, or agree with government views on sexuality, then it need not apply.

This government decision is part of what I call the legal revolution against the place of religion in society. It is a rejection of the legal rights, enshrined in the Charter, that religious communities and individuals hold to express their religious commitments in public service. These rights are relied upon to run private Christian schools, summer camps, soup kitchens and other welfare agencies.

Government is said to “benefit” such groups by giving them licences to operate or by providing funds for part-time or full-time employees. Many religious charities use the CSJ as a means to hire students to assist in their summertime operations.  Read more here on the ipolitics.ca