Canada’s new Liberal government decided the country no longer needs an
office dedicated to religious freedom, allowing it to expire on March
31.
“We now have one less strong partner and one less voice for religious
freedom,” Katrina Lantos Swett, commissioner of the United States
Commission on International Religious Freedom, told me. “This is a very
unfortunate message to send out to the rest of the world at this time.”
Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper advocated for an office
dedicated to international religious freedom, finally opening it in
February 2013. But newly elected Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau
quickly shut the door on the operation. Trudeau’s administration vows to
take a broader approach to global issues of human rights—devaluing a
focus specifically on religious freedom.
With a budget of $5 million and only a handful of employees, Canada’s
Office of Religious Freedom was able to have a hand in various efforts
in countries such as Nigeria and Pakistan. It focused on promoting
religious tolerance through education and helping religious minorities
under threat in hostile areas.
“That office was punching above its weight,” said Phil Horgan,
president of Canada’s Catholic Civil Rights League. “The decision by the
Liberals to effectively shut it down in favor of, well, nothing, is
rather disappointing.”
Trudeau’s foreign affairs minister, Stephane Dion, said on Tuesday that
closing the office does not mean Canada doesn’t care about religious
freedom. He said the Liberals will continue to defend all human rights,
including the freedom of religion and belief, “tooth and nail,” but did
not mention any new initiatives.
Harper originally dedicated the office to Shahbaz Bhatti, a Pakistani
politician who stood up to Muslims on behalf of Christians and Hindus in
his country. In 2011, militants assassinated Bhatti in Pakistan shortly
after returning from a visit to Canada.
On March 21, Canadian Conservatives brought a motion in the House of
Commons to renew Harper’s mandate for the Office of Religious Freedom.
The Liberals easily quashed the motion, winning the vote 225 to 90.
Conservative Member of Parliament Garrett Genius wrote on his Facebook
page the new government had it out for the office, regardless of its
good work: “They are planning on running a deficit approaching $30
billion, yet religious freedom wasn’t important enough to keep open an
office that costs $5 million.”
Both Swett and Horgan praised the work of Andrew Bennett, who served as
the office’s first and only ambassador. Without Bennett and the Office
of Religious Freedom, Canada will no longer have a focal point for
international religious issues or someone to send to engage in foreign
talks.
“Religious freedom deserves unique focus, particularly in this time in
history,” said Bruce Clemenger, president of The Evangelical Fellowship
of Canada. He said the office was a go-to place for many organizations
concerned about international religious freedom: “We lost an important
capacity today.”
Swett said she is hopeful the Trudeau administration will make good on
its promises to keep religious freedom a priority going forward. But
until a new plan arises, she fears Canada is taking a step backward,
much to the consternation of those persecuted for their faith.
“Both the enemies and the friends of religious freedom will view this
decision as an effort to downgrade the importance of this fundamental
human right,” Swett told me. “The world is kind of on fire, as it
relates to religious freedom. So the timing, in my humble opinion,
couldn’t be much worse.”
Courtesy: WORLD News Service
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