Canada’s Catholic Bishops have added their voices to an array of advocacy groups opposed to legislation aimed at preventing human smuggling. They argue that Bill C-49, the Preventing Human Smugglers from Abusing Canada’s Immigration System Act, could hurt bona fide refugees. “Although nations have a legitimate right to counter human smugglers because of grave abuses, […]
Arrest of pro-life students raises questions
Police arrested and charged five students who attempted to put up a graphic anti-abortion display on the Carleton University campus October 4. Ottawa Police issued tickets for “failing to leave the premises when directed” and for “engaging in activity prohibited on the premises,” said Craig Stewart, a fourth-year Carleton student who was among those arrested. […]
Federal government looking at combating human trafficking
Human trafficking will be on the agenda as Members of Parliament return to Ottawa after a summer break. That deeply pleases a Conservative MP who has worked for nearly a decade to raise awareness of this growing problem. “When I first started, people didn’t know about human trafficking, it was under the public radar screen,” […]
Study shows Canada’s divorce rates have declined
The Vanier Institute of the Family has released a study that shows divorce rates in Canada have declined markedly since the 1990s. Divorce rates peaked in 1987, according to the study, entitled Divorce: Facts, Causes and Consequences. Rates declined steadily until 1997, and have held at the lower level since then. The study shows rates […]
Pro-life Christians accept Order of Canada awards
Four openly pro-life Christians were inducted into the Order of Canada at a Rideau Hall ceremony last month.
Charities hope to help Iraqi Christians
Ottawa — Christians are being “wiped out” in Iraq, and Canadian Catholics need to respond to this crisis the way they did to the Vietnamese boat people 30 years ago. That was the view of some Catholic charity representatives who attended a November 29 workshop on the Iraq refugee catastrophe. The Iraq war has created […]
Cardinal Ouellet’s apology greeted with praise and suspicion
Ottawa — Cardinal Marc Ouellet‘s apology to Quebeckers for the past sins of some Catholics in that province has provoked an unprecedented response — both positive and negative — across the country. Some have described it as risky but prophetic act of leadership. Others have called it a calculating political move in his battle against the […]
Union official files complaint claiming religious discrimination
Ottawa — The president of an Ottawa Public Service Alliance of Canada (PSAC) local has filed a human rights complaint against both his union and his employer on religious freedom grounds. Treasury Board employee David MacDonald, who works for Industry Canada, claims he has been “discriminated against and harassed based on my religious beliefs.” As a Catholic, MacDonald […]