Conservative MP for Lethbridge Rachael Thomas brought greetings from the Government of Canada to the Calgary Leadership Prayer Breakfast on Thursday, October 23. We are proud to reprint them in full.Good morning, everyone. As the Member of Parliament for Lethbridge and as a proud Albertan, most importantly, it is an honour to be with you this morning. So, thank you so much for giving me this chance to deliver a few words.I have a bit of an odd question to begin the morning with: how many of you folks in this room hold a passport? A Canadian passport might look like this — or perhaps a little differently. It’s been redone in the last little bit. (Laughter.) Hands up — the vast majority of the room.It’s an important question. Those in this room are here to pray and in particular, to pray for leaders. You never know where in the world the Lord might call you to, so you’d better be ready to go. You’ve got your passport. (Laughter.).On the front of our passport is Canada’s coat of arms. It was adopted in 1921 by King George V. It was a proclamation that it would be a symbol that would forever identify us as Canadians.But its story goes back a lot further. It goes back to medieval times, when coats of arms were first used to identify warriors on the battlefield. From there, they went on to serve as an identity card of sorts — for individuals, for communities, and for whole countries. A coat of arms is something that is meant to unite the people under it, which is why there are two components on Canada’s that I wish to draw your attention to: a blue sash and a red sash.And within these sashes are some important words for us to consider. This morning, the blue sash — within it holds the words of our motto in Canada: from sea to sea, taken from Psalm 72:8, He shall have dominion from sea to sea. These are the words that fly as a banner over our country.The red sash was added in 1994, and on it, if we translate the Latin, are the words They desire a better country, taken from Hebrews 11:16..It’s not happenstance that these two verses appear on the identity card of our country. These verses were chosen with great thoughtfulness and intentionality. They remind us that, as Canadians, we recognize God’s dominion from sea to sea.They remind us that He is bigger — bigger than the challenges we face today or tomorrow or next week. He is bigger. And while men and women will do their very best to serve in positions of leadership, as they should, it is ultimately God who is in control, who reigns supreme.The second verse reminds us that under the supremacy of Christ, we — the people who call this nation home — long for a better country. And it is our responsibility to play an integral role.So how might we pursue a better country?If I can propose to you, I believe we do it in simple ways.I believe it’s in the way that we live out our faith — in our homes, in our neighbourhoods, in our sports clubs, our art clubs, our book clubs, our conversations with our neighbours and beyond.It’s the way that we love deeply, that we walk humbly, and that we pursue justice.Folks, next time you take out your passport, I would invite you to be reminded of these two things: that ultimately Christ reigns supreme — He has dominion from sea to sea — and that we, the people who call this great nation home, have a beautiful opportunity, and I would even dare say a responsibility, to build a better nation.Folks, our coat of arms is not just a symbol — it is a call to action. And so, my question that I leave with you this morning is this: Who are you, and what has Christ called you to do? Because we’re not just hoping for change — we’re delivering the positive change we desire.May God bless you as you discern the steps He has for you.Rachael (Harder) Thomas MP has represented Lethbridge since 2015, and has been Shadow Minister for Canadian Heritage since 2022.
