There are people it seems, who think the Liberal government should do more to advance the interests of some Canadians, based on their sexuality. In a report on Canadian public opinion recently delivered to the Liberal government, some participants in focus groups dedicated to sexual minority and gender interests went even further, suggesting that "action be taken to reduce or rescind existing federal grants from any community organizations that were currently “unaccepting" of sexual minorities..What the Liberal government does with it, remains to be seen. Interestingly however, those preparing the report received opinions only from sexual minority focus groups from Toronto and Montreal. It did not hear from anybody likely to offer a different opinion. The Liberal government has already established a pattern of inviting policy advice from people it believes will tell them what they want to hear. This seems of a kind: it is in fact, akin to asking a barber if one needs a haircut. Based upon past practices therefore, people who support that proposal should find themselves pushing on an open door: for example, with the exclusion of anti-abortion groups from Canada Summer Jobs subsidies a few years ago, the Liberals made it clear that they were prepared to tie federal funding to what they themselves considered appropriate thinking. .The report — the Continuous Qualitative Data Collection of Canadians’ Views — is an ongoing, government-sponsored sampling of Canadian opinion to inform the government as it prepares legislative or regulatory guidelines for the whole population. Rightly perhaps for mere question-askers, the report didn’t define the “unaccepting” guidelines that would target organizations and deprive them of federal funds. That’s conveniently left wide open to interpretation. However, the report repeatedly returns to the theme of fostering a “more inclusive” Canada..To be honest, I agree. I just don't think you do it by excluding the views of religious groups: the report’s findings actually foster discrimination, by disregarding Canadians who (for example) embrace Christian and Muslim values. This creates division and unfortunately even resentment. Most people care about a person’s character, not about with whom they amuse themselves in the bedroom: they have absolutely no interest in knowing how other people identify sexually. However recommendations such as these, that advocate crushing free choice and free speech, give 'most people' a reason to care. They point an accusing blanket finger at Canadians who harbour no ill toward sexual minorities. Participants, however, were asking why the process to “normalize, protect and include LGBTQ communities was not moving faster.”.That might surprise faith communities generally and especially this Muslim parents who have recently been protesting to protect their children from gender and sexual ideology curriculums now saturating classrooms from kindergarten up, that stand in stark opposition to their beliefs. Prime Minister Trudeau however glibly suggested they had been influenced by the “American right-wing” rather than their faith..And now, there are questionable statistics on how children identify sexually, that seem intended to support the need to flood curriculums with sex education and sexual minorities issues. A recent column by the Western Standard’s James Finkbeiner, outlining why these numbers might be suspect is a must read..Meanwhile, Trudeau has assured faith communities that the “government will always stand up for your rights.”.Let us just say that it is hard to know when the prime minister is really speaking his heart. .This after all would be the same Trudeau who supposedly declared in 2019 that evangelical Christians — a long-established 'faith community' in Canada — “are the worst part of society.”.This is the same government that when it denied Canada Summer Jobs subsidies (see above) to 1,559 employers, many of them Christian charities, because they refused to sign a pledge supporting “the right to access safe and legal abortions.” It’s the same government that discriminated against and destroyed the lives and careers of many who refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds..What rights exactly was the prime minister prepared to stand up for? Evidently not their right to pass along their own values regarding faith and sexuality. For, when the Liberals ban federal funding from organizations they don’t approve of, it amounts to penalising Canadians whose values don’t align with theirs. Yet, the report said participants claimed there’s a need for the federal government to press on with a “greater urgency” leaving no corner of Canada exempt. “Priorities needed to be implemented across all regions of the country including rural communities and not just in major urban centres.”.There was also a demand for more money. The $100-million Trudeau pledged last August for an "2SLGBTI+ Action Plan" over five years apparently doesn’t stretch far enough. “A number of participants expressed the need for further federal resources for queer-led community initiatives as well as scholarships and grants for sexual minority individuals pursuing higher education,” wrote researchers..This is insulting. It insinuates that they fall into some sort of special needs category and can’t make it on their own merits, intelligence, and hard work like everyone else seeking scholarships and grants. If this demand is to stand, it should be accompanied by evidence that somebody has been denied education money, simply because they’re members of the sexual minority community..Sometimes I wonder whether it's not the sexual minorities that are being encouraged to think as they do and make the demands that they make by a Liberal government that actually needs victim groups that it can then claim to protect. According to the report, none of the participants agreed with a statement that the federal government “listens, cares, and responds to the needs of folks within the LGBTQ community.” Yet, the prime minister — one of whose many apology speeches was directed to sexual minorities — recently uttered a highly supportive speech on Parliament Hill in which he said, “Transphobia, biphobia, homophobia, they are all on the rise... It’s been difficult to watch people and institutions still continue to reject who you are and try to deny members of our communities the right to be seen and heard and celebrated.”.This is hardly a government that ignores the aspirations of sexual minorities. What greater support and encouragement do they yearn for? .Note to prime minister: Members of faith communities would appreciate their government seeing, hearing, and celebrating who they are as well, rather than condemning them. As it is, their government's language is bitter and divisive. No good can come of it.
There are people it seems, who think the Liberal government should do more to advance the interests of some Canadians, based on their sexuality. In a report on Canadian public opinion recently delivered to the Liberal government, some participants in focus groups dedicated to sexual minority and gender interests went even further, suggesting that "action be taken to reduce or rescind existing federal grants from any community organizations that were currently “unaccepting" of sexual minorities..What the Liberal government does with it, remains to be seen. Interestingly however, those preparing the report received opinions only from sexual minority focus groups from Toronto and Montreal. It did not hear from anybody likely to offer a different opinion. The Liberal government has already established a pattern of inviting policy advice from people it believes will tell them what they want to hear. This seems of a kind: it is in fact, akin to asking a barber if one needs a haircut. Based upon past practices therefore, people who support that proposal should find themselves pushing on an open door: for example, with the exclusion of anti-abortion groups from Canada Summer Jobs subsidies a few years ago, the Liberals made it clear that they were prepared to tie federal funding to what they themselves considered appropriate thinking. .The report — the Continuous Qualitative Data Collection of Canadians’ Views — is an ongoing, government-sponsored sampling of Canadian opinion to inform the government as it prepares legislative or regulatory guidelines for the whole population. Rightly perhaps for mere question-askers, the report didn’t define the “unaccepting” guidelines that would target organizations and deprive them of federal funds. That’s conveniently left wide open to interpretation. However, the report repeatedly returns to the theme of fostering a “more inclusive” Canada..To be honest, I agree. I just don't think you do it by excluding the views of religious groups: the report’s findings actually foster discrimination, by disregarding Canadians who (for example) embrace Christian and Muslim values. This creates division and unfortunately even resentment. Most people care about a person’s character, not about with whom they amuse themselves in the bedroom: they have absolutely no interest in knowing how other people identify sexually. However recommendations such as these, that advocate crushing free choice and free speech, give 'most people' a reason to care. They point an accusing blanket finger at Canadians who harbour no ill toward sexual minorities. Participants, however, were asking why the process to “normalize, protect and include LGBTQ communities was not moving faster.”.That might surprise faith communities generally and especially this Muslim parents who have recently been protesting to protect their children from gender and sexual ideology curriculums now saturating classrooms from kindergarten up, that stand in stark opposition to their beliefs. Prime Minister Trudeau however glibly suggested they had been influenced by the “American right-wing” rather than their faith..And now, there are questionable statistics on how children identify sexually, that seem intended to support the need to flood curriculums with sex education and sexual minorities issues. A recent column by the Western Standard’s James Finkbeiner, outlining why these numbers might be suspect is a must read..Meanwhile, Trudeau has assured faith communities that the “government will always stand up for your rights.”.Let us just say that it is hard to know when the prime minister is really speaking his heart. .This after all would be the same Trudeau who supposedly declared in 2019 that evangelical Christians — a long-established 'faith community' in Canada — “are the worst part of society.”.This is the same government that when it denied Canada Summer Jobs subsidies (see above) to 1,559 employers, many of them Christian charities, because they refused to sign a pledge supporting “the right to access safe and legal abortions.” It’s the same government that discriminated against and destroyed the lives and careers of many who refused to take the COVID-19 vaccine on religious grounds..What rights exactly was the prime minister prepared to stand up for? Evidently not their right to pass along their own values regarding faith and sexuality. For, when the Liberals ban federal funding from organizations they don’t approve of, it amounts to penalising Canadians whose values don’t align with theirs. Yet, the report said participants claimed there’s a need for the federal government to press on with a “greater urgency” leaving no corner of Canada exempt. “Priorities needed to be implemented across all regions of the country including rural communities and not just in major urban centres.”.There was also a demand for more money. The $100-million Trudeau pledged last August for an "2SLGBTI+ Action Plan" over five years apparently doesn’t stretch far enough. “A number of participants expressed the need for further federal resources for queer-led community initiatives as well as scholarships and grants for sexual minority individuals pursuing higher education,” wrote researchers..This is insulting. It insinuates that they fall into some sort of special needs category and can’t make it on their own merits, intelligence, and hard work like everyone else seeking scholarships and grants. If this demand is to stand, it should be accompanied by evidence that somebody has been denied education money, simply because they’re members of the sexual minority community..Sometimes I wonder whether it's not the sexual minorities that are being encouraged to think as they do and make the demands that they make by a Liberal government that actually needs victim groups that it can then claim to protect. According to the report, none of the participants agreed with a statement that the federal government “listens, cares, and responds to the needs of folks within the LGBTQ community.” Yet, the prime minister — one of whose many apology speeches was directed to sexual minorities — recently uttered a highly supportive speech on Parliament Hill in which he said, “Transphobia, biphobia, homophobia, they are all on the rise... It’s been difficult to watch people and institutions still continue to reject who you are and try to deny members of our communities the right to be seen and heard and celebrated.”.This is hardly a government that ignores the aspirations of sexual minorities. What greater support and encouragement do they yearn for? .Note to prime minister: Members of faith communities would appreciate their government seeing, hearing, and celebrating who they are as well, rather than condemning them. As it is, their government's language is bitter and divisive. No good can come of it.
