What Would We Do With $400,000?

By ARPA Canada (www.ARPACanada.ca): A rather remarkable story has developed over the past couple of weeks and we would do well to learn some lessons from it. This is how the story unfolded:

On June 18 Lifesitenews.com ran an article that explained that the federal Conservative government gave $400,000 in funding for this year’s Toronto “Gay Pride” parade. The article explained that “This annual event, now being supported by the Canadian Conservative government, is notoriously and unapologetically grotesque, featuring people walking down the streets semi-nude or completely naked, and homosexuals engaging in public sex acts. Despite the widespread flaunting of public decency laws, however, the police annually refrain from laying any charges against participants.”

Many Canadians were understandably angry. Why are our tax dollars funding immoral and even criminal activity? In response, this is what two of ARPA Canada’s readers sent to multiple newspapers and their MP. Apparently these two were not the only people who responded. Letters and phone calls were made from all across the country.

On July 6, Lifesitenews.com followed this story up with details of an interview they had with Conservative MP Brad Trost. In this story it was made clear that this funding decision was an unpleasant surprise to many of the MP’s. The story explained that Trost “hinted that Minister Diane Ablonczy, who was responsible for the funding, lost the file as a consequence of the embarrassment to the Party. Protesting more than once that there was no “official connection,” he said, however, “it should be noted that the file has been reassigned to a different Cabinet Minister since that announcement was made.” He added, “The whole tourism program and funding for major tourism events is being reviewed.”

That wasn’t the end of the discussion. The mainstream media picked up this story from Lifesitnews.com and were quick to question why the Conservative government would distance itself from the funding of the gay pride event. A Conservative government spokesperson gave a very different message to the Globe and Mail then Trost did to Lifesitenews. The Globe reported that “The Harper government, however, denies Ms. Ablonczy has been punished, saying it was always expected that she would eventually relinquish control of the program to Industry Minister Tony Clement.” To add to this, a different article from the Globe and Mail when out of its way to cast doubt on Mr. Trost’s assurances. “The director of one of Canada’s premier gay and lesbian festivals sprang to the defence of the Conservative government Wednesday, saying she has received even more stable support since the Tories took office.”

When we read about these developments we can only shake our heads. So many things are wrong with this scenario. Why is our federal government spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on a gay pride parade? How many other similar events or activities are being paid for that people aren’t responding to? (Think of the millions of dollars that this same government has given to the infamous Canadian museum of human rights, or the ongoing tax-funded slaughter of the unborn). If it was a mistake, what does that tell us about how money is being managed on a bigger picture? Why is the Prime Minister’s office giving such a different message to the mainstream media then Mr. Trost is giving to a small Christian media outlet? Christians get blamed for wanting to impose our morality on the general public by applying our faith to politics. How does this government-funded homosexual festival not impose a morality of its own? The question is not whether a government will impose a morality. The question is which morality will it be? Is it the morality that says do whatever you feel like whenever you feel like? Or is it the morality that built so many of the things that we value about Canada (such as the rule of law, equality, and basic human rights)?

What if $400,000 was spent promoting the morality that builds this country stronger? What if the recent March For Life in Ottawa was given a government grant of this size each year. There is little doubt it would draw bigger crowds and be a lot of fun. Think about how backwards this is! An event that praises unrestrained sexual activity is funded (some of the money apparently was used to hire “performers”) even though there is no doubt that it hurts individuals and families. But an event that promotes the value of human life is sneered at. At the March for Life children, adults, and seniors unite to proclaim the the importance of upholding our responsibilities by caring for each other, especially the most vulnerable. Afterall, we need this as a basis for the human rights that we claim to value so highly. Even a high-profile think tank recently proclaimed that Canada needs more babies. In contrast, the “gay pride” parade is about selfishness, lust, and individual rights at the expense of responsibilities. Where we spend our money gives us a pretty clear picture of where our heart is at.

Of course the point is not that we want $400,000 for causes that we believe in. The federal government should stop pretending to be a giant philanthropist and allow citizens to pay less taxes so individuals can put more money towards the things that we believe are worth supporting.

Action Items: Let’s not settle for cop-out answer from our government officials who give us one answer and the mainstream media a different answer. Phone, write, or email your MP to discuss what we as a nations should be valuing and funding. If you MP is a Christian, be sure to ask them what they are doing within their party to respond to decisions like this.

Second, send a note of support to Mr. Trost ([email protected]) and CC Mr. Harper ([email protected]) and Mr. Clement ([email protected]) so they are aware of your support for those MP’s who are brave enough to speak to these issues. We can’t just speak up when we disagree with something. We should be commending those who do what is right as well.

Third, beneath all political debates is an underlying war between worldviews. As Christians, we understand this bigger battle that is going on. We have to always be careful to engage in this battle in a way that is consistent with all of God’s Word. Regardless of how rediculous or immoral something might be, we have to show both grace and truth. Let us remember to speak to our fellow Canadians in a spirit of love, regardless of whether our comments are public or anonymous.

What do you think? Send us your feedback and we can share it with our readers. Email [email protected].