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| Canadian Prime Minister at Calgary Mosque inauguration |
Source/Credit: Embassy Magazine |
By Carl Meyer | April 13, 2011
Democracy promotion promise remains unfulfilled, while some see vote-getting in new proposal.
It was a mysterious addition that appeared out of nowhere. For some, it is a welcome addition, an idea aligned nicely with Canadian values. Others see it as an election gimmick designed to secure votes. Yet it also smacked of another promise never fulfilled.
In the Conservative election platform released Apr. 9, the party promised to spend $500,000 to create an "Office of Religious Freedom" to monitor religious freedom around the world and promote it as a "key objective of Canadian foreign policy."
"Canada has a proud tradition of defending fundamental human rights, such as freedom of religion and freedom of conscience," the platform read, "and our Government recognizes that respect for religious pluralism is inextricably linked to democratic development. But we can and should do more to respond to the plight of those who suffer merely because of their faith."
Along with putting forward policies and programs that support religious freedom, the office would also help to ensure that "Canada offers its protection to vulnerable religious minorities through our generous refugee resettlement programs," as well as ensure that Canada's international aid disbursement agency works with groups that support these minorities.
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney told the Canadian Press on Apr. 9 that the office will be modelled after an arm of the United States Department of State, called the Office of International Religious Freedom.
Indeed, much of the language on that office's website is similar. For example, the US office says its mission is "promoting religious freedom as a core objective of US foreign policy." As well, it is expected to monitor religious persecution and discrimination worldwide, with the objective of assisting "religious and human rights NGOs in promoting religious freedom."
No previous debate
The proposed Office of Religious Freedom appears to have come out of nowhere. A parliamentary subcommittee has been looking at the treatment of religious minorities around the world, particularly the Baha'i in Iran and Coptic Christians in Egypt and other parts of the Middle East. But there are no indications it recommended anything along the lines of such an office.
Still, these faiths do have communities in Canada—a fact that hasn't gone unnoticed by the likes of Mr. Kenney, who has met with members in the past and referred to many of them in explaining the office's purpose on April 9.
It's perhaps with that in mind that Liberal Foreign Affairs critic Bob Rae said the office was merely an attempt to secure votes.
"It has much more to do with Canadian domestic politics than it has to do with the necessity of having a coherent strategy for the promotion of democracy and human rights," Mr. Rae told the Canadian Press. Liberal MP David McGuinty said the Charter of Rights and Freedoms should be sufficient.
Meanwhile, a recent mathematical study published by Cornell University showed that over 60 per cent of Canadians are expected to be unaffiliated with a religious institution by 2050. This trend has been well-known for years: a Harris-Decima survey in 2008 said almost a quarter of Canadians already do not believe in God.
Canada's secularism stands in contrast to the United States, where religious freedom is one of the most contentious social issues. The State Department office was created during the Clinton administration after the Republican-controlled Congress passed an act in 1998 mandating that the US promote religious freedom as foreign policy.
Still, Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff told reporters in Toronto the office is "the kind of thing that ought to have the support of all sides in politics," before referring to many of the aforementioned groups that have a presence in Canada.
"When you see in Egypt peaceful members of the Coptic community being attacked," he said, "when you see Baha'is being persecuted in Iran, when you see Jews being persecuted, when you see Christians unable to practice their religion freely in China, I think all Canadians believe in the importance of both defending religious freedom at home, but also defending religious freedom abroad."
Religion and free speech
During the last election campaign, the Conservatives promised that if re-elected, they would establish a democracy promotion centre to work with political parties abroad. The proposal was welcomed by many, including the Liberal Party, and was expected to move ahead in the aftermath of the election.
However, after some preliminary work, that centre has largely fallen by the wayside, and is not repeated in the party's new platform despite ongoing interest. Wahida Valiante, chair and national president of the Canadian Islamic Congress, was confused as to why the Conservatives would be proposing this new religious office when the previous commitment was never fulfilled.
Ms. Valiante and others also questioned whether Canada should be focusing exclusively on religious freedom as opposed to human rights and freedoms in general—as envisioned by the democracy promotion centre. Rather, she said the country should act as a model for others.
"Every country, every nation has their own laws to protect their citizens," she said. "We have our Charter rights in Canada. In that, our freedom to practice religion is guaranteed. That shows that Canada is a model in which diversity of religion is protected. We can only be a model to others."
One person who supports the proposal is Farhan Khokhar, the national communications secretary for the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. Mr. Khokhar, whose religion is not recognized by many other sects of Islam, said the creation of such an office is in the interests of all Canadians as it will serve to stop religious extremism overseas, before it reaches this country.
"Religious extremism is not a local phenomenon," he said. "The world as a whole should take note of it. To feel that this is something that can be localized and will not be exported to other areas of the world is naïve."
He said the office would give moderate religious groups an opportunity to promote themselves as law-abiding, welcoming people and distance themselves from what he considered smaller, extremist factions.
"When you promote someone's true religion, that also promotes religious freedom," he said.
Interestingly, in 2008, Prime Minister Stephen Harper attended the opening of Canada's largest mosque in Calgary, and praised Ahmadiyya Muslims for their moderate stance on Islam. That act drew criticism from other Muslim groups who do not recognize Ahmadiyya Muslims, arguing Mr. Harper was picking one version of Islam over another.
Canadian Secular Alliance president Justin Trottier wondered whether Canada may be wandering into sensitive area, with the government taking sides in debates over which religion is right and wrong, and how much foreign governments should accommodate certain religions, such as providing public funding for religious schools. He also questioned whether the office would defend freedom from religion, including apostates and atheists, or if it would only be focused on minority religions.
cmeyer@embassymag.ca
Read original post here: Religious freedom plan fraught with questions
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