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Author: Colin Postma

09 Jul 2020 Parental Rights and Education in Alberta: A Timeline of Success

Posted at 13:30h in Education 0 Comments
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Real progress in education! The past two years on the Alberta education front have been anything but dull. To name just a few memories… The court challenge against Bill 24. The emails. The phone calls. The Gideon Project. The appeal hearing and ARPA’s intervention there. The Education Amendment Act. And now, finally, the Choice in Education Act. Below, we've put together a timeline of legislation from limiting parental involvement to legislation promoting the idea that parents know what’s best for their children. An Act to Support Gay Straight Alliances In November 2017, Alberta’s...

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02 Jun 2020 Funding for Victims of Human Trafficking Quietly Removed

Posted at 16:42h in Blog, Gender and Sexuality 0 Comments
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In the midst of the 2020 COVID-19 crisis, the Canadian federal government has quietly removed funding for several programs that work with sex trafficking survivors. The London Abused Women's Center released a press release on May 12th announcing that federal funding for their organization and others had been eliminated. Here is a portion of what they released: After waiting for months and repeatedly contacting the Justice Department, organizations across Canada providing long-term support to trafficked, prostituted and sexually exploited women and girls discovered their funding proposals submitted to the Justice Department...

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29 May 2020 Over 400 Ontario Churches Call on Premier to Allow a Gradual Reopening

Posted at 11:59h in Blog, Fundamental Freedoms 0 Comments
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Several weeks ago, I wrote about the Church of God in Aylmer, Ontario - a small, rural congregation that held church services in their parking lot in response to social distancing laws. I did not expect the level of response that post received. Clearly, this situation highlighted concerns about religious freedom for many in this province, and around the country! This situation highlighted concerns about religious freedom The Ontario Government, using their emergency powers during the COVID-19 crisis, prohibits gatherings of more than five people. The congregation in Aylmer sought to...

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29 Apr 2020 Holding Church in your Car? Not in Ontario!

Posted at 10:37h in Blog, Fundamental Freedoms 1 Comment
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This past Sunday, April 26th a small congregation met in the lazy little town of Aylmer, Ontario for worship. That sentence wouldn’t normally invite much commentary – in fact you might think it was the beginning of a novel. It might surprise you to know, however, that this was big news. COVID-19 has changed the landscape of worship in our country for the last 7 or so weeks – and rightly so. Glancing over the headlines of major newspapers, you might think this congregation packed the building, shook hands, hugged, sang...

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08 Apr 2020 Is Corporate Worship “Essential”? Some Biblical Considerations for the Church’s Response.

Posted at 14:28h in Fundamental Freedoms 0 Comments
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Essential services are a hot topic right now, as everyone wonders whether their place of employment or job description qualifies as “essential” under COVID-19 restrictions. Essential services include the obvious: nurses and doctors, fire fighters, grocery stores, child protective services, police officers. But they extend far beyond that, even including liquor and recreational cannabis stores. The result is that some businesses with hundreds of employees continue to operate with minimal oversight, while others have closed despite there being measures they could easily take to mitigate risk. Churches are not on the...

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18 Dec 2019 Edmonton ‘conversion therapy’ bylaw could penalize churches

Posted at 12:07h in Fundamental Freedoms, Gender and Sexuality 0 Comments
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Last week, Edmonton City Council officially banned “conversion therapy”. The decision was swift and unanimous. The practice and promotion of conversion therapy is prohibited within city limits. Disobedience is costly. The bylaw carries a minimum $10,000.00 fine. The bylaw prohibits any “technique”, “service”, “treatment” or “tactic” aimed at “eliminating or reducing sexual attraction or sexual behaviour between persons of the same sex” or intended to alter a person’s “sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, or gender preference.” It applies to “businesses” broadly defined (any “profession, trade, occupation, calling, or employment” or...

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20 Nov 2019 Dispelling myths about Alberta’s conscience rights bill

Posted at 10:54h in Bills and Motions, Blog, Fundamental Freedoms 0 Comments
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    Bill 207, tabled by Alberta MLA Dan Williams, now faces fierce opposition. The bill proposes protections for health care providers’ freedom of conscience. It is scheduled for a vote at second reading on Monday, November 25. It deserves to pass and proceed to committee for further review and possible improvements.   Bill 207 does not threaten access to health care The primary line of attack is that Bill 207 threatens “access to health care”. “Imagine … a patient being denied access to a therapeutic abortion even if the woman’s life is in danger,”...

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13 Nov 2019 Toronto Catholic School Board includes ‘Gender Identity’ and ‘Gender Expression’ in its Code of Conduct

Posted at 16:16h in Education, Gender and Sexuality 0 Comments
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In a meeting last week that went into the early hours of the morning, the Toronto Catholic District School Board voted in favour of changing its Code of Conduct policy to include the terms “gender expression” and “gender identity.” ARPA supporters will no doubt recognize these two terms, as they were at the centre of changes forced on Reformed schools in Alberta by the previous government in that province. We applaud the schools in Alberta that stood up to government and societal pressure and are disappointed to see the Toronto...

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10 Sep 2019 ARPA Gives Oral Arguments in Critical Court Case

Posted at 12:53h in Family, Gender and Sexuality, Legal Cases, Organizational News 0 Comments
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This week ARPA Canada was one of just two intervenors that was permitted to give oral arguments in a crucial and sad case in the BC Court of Appeal. We have produced a special Vlog about the case. However, due to a publication ban, we can’t share many details of what transpired in the court room. The case centres around a BC father who has been told he may not express his concerns about his 14-year-old daughter’s decision to take hormone treatments to appear as a boy. The case centres around a...

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23 Aug 2019 NB: Should vaccines be mandatory? Have your say!

Posted at 11:00h in Uncategorized 1 Comment
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Backgrounder: In June, 2019 the Government of New Brunswick introduced Bill 39. This bill makes changes to the Education Act, the Public Health Act, and the Early Childhood Services Act. It mandates that children will need proof of immunization to attend public school, early learning, and child care facilities. The list of vaccines required by law is specified in the Public Health Act. Previously, the province required proof of immunization to attend public school. The law had allowed for those with a medical exemption or for parents providing a 'declaration of objection.'...

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