{"id":18285,"date":"2014-11-16T21:24:07","date_gmt":"2014-11-17T02:24:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/?p=18285"},"modified":"2021-10-07T12:07:09","modified_gmt":"2021-10-07T16:07:09","slug":"religious-freedom-a-frozen-concept-or-a-living-tree","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/intersection\/2014\/11\/16\/religious-freedom-a-frozen-concept-or-a-living-tree\/","title":{"rendered":"Religious Freedom: A Frozen Concept or A Living Tree?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Our Constitution has been described by the Supreme Court of Canada as a \u201cliving tree which, by way of progressive interpretation, accommodates and addresses the realities of modern life.\u201d[1]<\/a> According to the Court, the terms of our Constitution are not \u201cfrozen,\u201d but adaptable. For that reason, the word \u201cmarriage\u201d in our Constitution 1867 was not \u201cfrozen\u201d to the old view of one man and one woman, but is subject to change by government to reflect new realities.<\/p>\n

In October 2014, lawyers in British Columbia voted against the accreditation of a law school at Trinity Western University (TWU).[2]<\/a> I suggest that the vote was against the Supreme Court of Canada\u2019s 2001 definition of religious freedom, which has allowed TWU to require its students to abide by its religious teaching on sexual relations.[3]<\/a> In that case the Court said:<\/p>\n

TWU is not for everybody; it is designed to address the needs of people who share a number of religious convictions. That said, the admissions policy of TWU alone is not in itself sufficient to establish discrimination as it is understood in our s. 15 jurisprudence. It is important to note that this is a private institution that is exempted, in part, from the British Columbia human rights legislation and to which the Charter does not apply. To state that the voluntary adoption of a code of conduct based on a person\u2019s own religious beliefs, in a private institution, is sufficient to engage s. 15 would be inconsistent with freedom of conscience and religion, which co-exist with the right to equality.[4]<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

It appears that lawyers in B.C. consider 13 years to be long enough for such a definition of religious freedom to be \u201cfrozen.\u201d As Bob Dylan sang, \u201cThe times they are a-changin.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Across this nation the legal community is strident in its demand that the law on religious freedom change. Though \u201creligious freedom\u201d is a Constitutional term, these lawyers claim it must be like a living tree and accommodate \u201cthe realities of modern life.\u201d No longer can it be said that \u201cTWU is not for everybody\u201d\u2014that is discrimination. They demand an interpretation that forces religious communities to be non-exclusionary.<\/p>\n

We now find ourselves at a unique crossroads. On the one hand, we have a Supreme Court of Canada Constitutional definition of \u201creligious freedom\u201d that has allowed TWU to operate with its religious beliefs and practises but is seen as a \u201cfrozen\u201d concept. On the other hand, we have a demand from an increasing number of lawyers who are openly challenging the Supreme Court and demanding that its definition be changed, using the metaphor of the living tree.<\/p>\n

It should be pointed out that these metaphors are problematic. First, they are biased. The term \u201cfrozen\u201d has a negative connotation. Rarely would people agree that \u201cfrozen\u201d is a good thing (unless we are talking about ice cream or a popular Disney film<\/a>). It conjures up associations of \u201cdeath,\u201d \u201ccold,\u201d and \u201cmisery.\u201d It is like Narnia\u2014\u201calways winter, never Christmas.\u201d However, the term \u201cliving tree\u201d is positive\u2014it paints a picture of a growing organism that gives us beauty and shade in the spring and summer. Though both are terms used by the Court, they nevertheless carry a bias: \u201cfrozen\u201d is wrong; \u201cliving tree\u201d is right.<\/p>\n

Second, it is simply wrong to use the \u201cliving tree\u201d metaphor to justify any Constitutional interpretation without restriction. Just as we cut back trees that grow too close to electrical wires, so we must prevent the logic of a \u201cliving tree\u201d from permitting unruly Constitutional interpretation. For example, if Canada were to go to war with Syria, would we agree that such \u201cmodern realities\u201d justified a constitutional interpretation that put all Syrians living in Canada and their descendants in internment camps? Surely that would be too far.<\/p>\n

When we look into the origin of the \u201cliving tree\u201d metaphor, we discover that it comes from Lord Sankey\u2019s comments in a 1930 decision of the British House of Lords. Sankey described our Constitution as “a living tree capable of growth and expansion within its natural limits.”[5]<\/a> In other words, the metaphor is not endless\u2014it must be \u201cwithin its natural limits.\u201d I suggest that the current thought in the legal community that would require the Supreme Court of Canada overturn its 2001 decision would not be in keeping within the natural limits of religious freedom. The \u201cliving tree\u201d that would deny autonomy to a religious community in determining its own identity and understanding of truth needs its \u201cbranches\u201d trimmed\u2014it has reached too far; it is not in keeping with Canada\u2019s historical, legal, and cultural history of accepting difference.<\/p>\n

Canada has a long and vibrant history of religious freedom. The 1760 British Crown granted religious freedom to the Roman Catholic population of Quebec and was affirmed in the formation of Upper and Lower Canada in the mid-1800\u2019s. Its influence was felt in the Constitution Act 1867[6]<\/strong><\/a><\/em> where the rights of Roman Catholic and Protestant schools were protected.<\/p>\n

In 1872, Canada promised the Mennonites religious freedom and the right not to bear arms in times of war if they agreed to settle the west.[7]<\/a> When war came during the 20th Century, Canada was true to its promises and did not conscript the young men in the Mennonite community. On June 18, 1940, Prime Minister Mackenzie King rose in the House of Commons and declared:<\/p>\n

I wish solemnly to assure the House and the country that the government has no desire and no intention to disturb the existing rights of exemption from the bearing of arms which are enjoyed by the members of certain religious groups in Canada, as for instance the Mennonites. We are determined to respect these rights to the full.[8]<\/strong><\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

In other words, Canada\u2019s history shows that when it came to the promise of religious freedom, it was \u201cpromise made, promise kept<\/strong>.\u201d<\/p>\n

When the country went through the \u201cmarriage debate\u201d ten years ago, our Parliament promised that religious groups would be entitled to hold and declare religious beliefs on marriage and that it would not be against the public interest to hold and express diverse views on marriage.[9]<\/a> Those promises have had a long pedigree. Religious communities have always been able to rely on the solid word of the state\u2019s protection, in Canada, against intrusive force of conformity to the majority opinion.  Will that continue to be the default position of religious communities or must we now be wary of such promises?<\/p>\n

Constitutional interpretation of religious freedom is neither frozen nor to be an unruly living tree. Instead it is embedded within a historical, legal and cultural framework that respects difference in belief and practise.<\/p>\n

—-<\/p>\n

[1]<\/a> Reference re Same-Sex Marriage<\/em> [2004] 3 S.C.R. 698, at para. 22.<\/p>\n

[2]<\/a> http:\/\/www.lawsociety.bc.ca\/page.cfm?cid=3995&t=Referendum-results-\u2013-BC-Lawyers-say-TWU-should-not-be-an-approved-school-of-law<\/p>\n

[3]<\/a> Trinity Western University v. College of Teachers<\/em>, [2001] 1 S.C.R. 772.<\/p>\n

[4]<\/a> Trinity Western University v. College of Teachers,<\/em> at para. 25.<\/p>\n

[5]<\/a> Edwards v. Attorney General of Canada<\/em> [[1930] A.C. 124 at p. 136.<\/p>\n

[6]<\/a> Constitution Act, <\/em>1867, 30 & 31 Victoria, c. 3 (U.K.)<\/p>\n

[7]<\/a> In 1872, an Order in Council provided the Mennonites in Russia the following promise: \u201cThe Hon. The Minister of Agriculture to whom the above Despatch & enclosures were referred, reports that it is expedient to give the German Menonites (sic) in Russia the fullest assurances of absolute immunity from Military Service, if they settle in Canada\u201d. Order-in-Council Number 1872-1043 B. Approved Date: 1872\/09\/25. Reference: RG2, Privy Council Office, Series A-1-a, Volume 300, Reel C-3301.<\/p>\n

[8]<\/a> Rt. Hon. Mackenzie King, June 18, 1940, House of Commons Debates, 18th<\/sup> Parliament, 6th<\/sup> Session: Vol. 1, p. 904.<\/p>\n

[9]<\/a> Civil Marriage Act<\/em>, S.C. 2005, c. 33 at preamble, ss. 3, 3.1.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Our Constitution has been described by the Supreme Court of Canada as a \u201cliving tree which, by way of progressive interpretation, accommodates and addresses the realities of modern life.\u201d According to the Court, the terms of our Constitution are not \u201cfrozen,\u201d but adaptable. For that reason, the word \u201cmarriage\u201d in… More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"ts_fic_featured_image_caption":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[144],"tags":[150,138],"series":[],"class_list":["post-18285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-law-and-religion-2","tag-freedom-of-religion","tag-law-and-religion"],"yoast_head":"\nReligious Freedom: A Frozen Concept or A Living Tree? - CCCC Blogs<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/intersection\/2014\/11\/16\/religious-freedom-a-frozen-concept-or-a-living-tree\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Religious Freedom: A Frozen Concept or A Living Tree? - CCCC Blogs\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Our Constitution has been described by the Supreme Court of Canada as a \u201cliving tree which, by way of progressive interpretation, accommodates and addresses the realities of modern life.\u201d[1] According to the Court, the terms of our Constitution are not \u201cfrozen,\u201d but adaptable. 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Both the Ontario Divisional Court and the Ontario Court of Appeal ruled in favour of Ontario's law society (The Law Society of Upper Canada). That\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"@TWUSchoolofLaw\"","block_context":{"text":"@TWUSchoolofLaw","link":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/tag\/twuschooloflaw\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/IMG_1809-300x200.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":18713,"url":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/intersection\/2015\/05\/21\/cccc-granted-intervener-status-in-twu-case-in-british-columbia\/","url_meta":{"origin":18285,"position":1},"title":"CCCC Granted Intervener Status In TWU Case in British Columbia","author":"cccc","date":"May 21, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"On Friday, May 14, Chief Justice Hinkson granted Canadian Council of Christian Charities (CCCC) intervener status in the Trinity Western University (TWU) case against The Law Society of British Columbia (LSBC). TWU is asking the BC Supreme Court to review the LSBC decision to reverse its original approval of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Law and Religion"","block_context":{"text":"Law and Religion","link":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/category\/law-and-religion-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":18802,"url":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/intersection\/2015\/07\/03\/the-onward-march-of-twu-next-step-the-court-of-appeal\/","url_meta":{"origin":18285,"position":2},"title":"The Onward March of TWU: Next Step The Court of Appeal","author":"cccc","date":"July 3, 2015","format":false,"excerpt":"The Ontario Divisional Court rejected Trinity Western University\u2019s (TWU) judicial review application to overturn the decision of the Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC).[1]\u00a0 LSUC refused to accredit the proposed TWU law school because the school would require students to sign a Community Covenant committing them to live in harmony\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Law and Religion"","block_context":{"text":"Law and Religion","link":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/category\/law-and-religion-2\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":27716,"url":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/intersection\/2018\/06\/20\/the-constitutional-promise-of-religious-freedom-betrayed\/","url_meta":{"origin":18285,"position":3},"title":"The Constitutional Promise of Religious Freedom Betrayed","author":"cccc","date":"June 20, 2018","format":false,"excerpt":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/Y7ESLUvcM9U June 15, 2018, will go down in history as the day that the constitutional promise of religious freedom was betrayed.\u00a0\u00a0In the next few minutes I will explain why. The Supreme Court of Canada released two decisions against Trinity Western University\u2019s bid to have a law school, one involving the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In \"Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms\"","block_context":{"text":"Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms","link":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/tag\/canadian-charter-of-rights-and-freedoms\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_5851.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_5851.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_5851.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_5851.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/IMG_5851.jpg?fit=1200%2C800&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":18236,"url":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/intersection\/2014\/09\/29\/a-referendum-on-religious-freedom\/","url_meta":{"origin":18285,"position":4},"title":"A Referendum On Religious Freedom","author":"cccc","date":"September 29, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"What is the point of enshrining religious freedom in the Canadian Charter of Rights if you can call a referendum to take it away?\u00a0 It would appear that the British Columbia Law Society\u2014its benchers and membership\u2014no longer see that irony in their animus against Trinity Western University\u2019s Law School. In\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 6 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 6 comments","link":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/intersection\/2014\/09\/29\/a-referendum-on-religious-freedom\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":23892,"url":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/intersection\/2016\/11\/14\/law-society-of-bc-appeals-twu-to-supreme-court-of-canada\/","url_meta":{"origin":18285,"position":5},"title":"Law Society of BC Appeals TWU To Supreme Court of Canada","author":"cccc","date":"November 14, 2016","format":false,"excerpt":"\u201cThe Law Society is of the view that this is a matter of national significance,\u201d said\u00a0David Crossin, QC, BC Law Society President. Indeed, one would have to agree wholeheartedly with Mr. Crossin. This case will, in my view, shape the future of the interrelationship between freedom of religion and sexual\u2026","rel":"","context":"With 2 comments","block_context":{"text":"With 2 comments","link":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/intersection\/2016\/11\/14\/law-society-of-bc-appeals-twu-to-supreme-court-of-canada\/#comments"},"img":{"alt_text":"img_2901","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/IMG_2901-e1478280984973-200x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p30X8p-4KV","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=18285"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18285\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=18285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=18285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=18285"},{"taxonomy":"series","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cccc.org\/news_blogs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/series?post=18285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}