Trudeau Liberals have inserted ambiguous, and possibly discriminatory language into the application for COVID-19 relief funding.
This means that the government could seek to bar Christian organizations from receiving COVID-19 aid - which now includes Canadian Summer Job (CSJ) monies - if they don't betray their religious beliefs.
This would be wrong under any circumstance, but given the global COVID-19 pandemic, this would amount to a grave trampling on the freedoms of religion and speech.
Please SIGN this petition, directed to the Liberal government, the Opposition, the Canadian government's Ombudsman, and the Canadian Supreme Court, which asks the Government to ensure that COVID-19 relief aid will not be contingent on an anti-religious test.
Under the COVID-19 relief aid CEBA program - the Canada Emergency Business Account, an interest-free loan of up to $40,000 for businesses, non-profit groups and registered charities that generate a portion of their income from the sale of goods and services - an applicant will be excluded unless it can confirm it "does not promote violence, incite hatred or discriminate on the basis of sex, gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, religion, culture, region, education, age or mental or physical disability."
This language potentially discriminates against Christian organizations who, under Canadian law, retain the right to hire individuals who share the same beliefs.
As Marty Moore, a lawyer with the Calgary-based Justice Center for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) told LifeSite: "A religious organization has a legal right to hire those who align with its beliefs to carry out its religious purposes. The law permits that."
But, the current wording of the aid application lacks reference to the legal phrase ‘contrary to applicable laws’, which would guarantee freedom of religion and conscience in this case.
"There is legitimate concern that the federal government, with a track record of discriminating against beliefs it disagrees with, will use the CEBA to also discriminate against religious entities," Moore pointed out.
Please SIGN this urgent petition which asks the government to clarify that COVID-19 relief aid will not be contingent on a religious organizations having to betray their beliefs. Thank you!
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
'Trudeau forces businesses, charities to ‘confirm’ they don’t ‘discriminate’ to receive emergency aid' - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/trudeau-forces-businesses-charities-to-confirm-they-dont-discriminate-to-receive-emergency-aid
'Christian charity takes Canadian govt to court over Summer Jobs discrimination' - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/christian-charity-takes-canadian-govt-to-court-over-summer-jobs-discrimination
'Canada won’t fund student summer jobs unless employers support abortion' - https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/breaking-canada-wont-fund-student-summer-jobs-unless-employers-demonstrate
**Photo Credit: Jack Taylor/Getty Images
