Articles

The Hon. Marco Mendicino Minister of Public Safety 269 Laurier Avenue West Ottawa, Ontario   K1A 0P8 Dear Minister Mendicino, We are writing to urge you to allow prostitution-related convictions incurred prior to enactment of the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act to be expunged from the criminal records of prostituted persons. This would be a step towards removing stigma and barriers for those who have been in situations of exploitation and towards ad

The Hon. Ed Fast Member of Parliament for Abbotsford House of Commons Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6 February 23, 2023 Dear Mr. Fast, We would like to express our support for your private member’s bill, Bill C-314. This legislation would exclude a mental disorder from being considered a grievous and irremediable medical condition for the purposes of Medical Assistance in Dying. There are so many reasons to halt this expansion and walk back the provisions passed in Bill C-7 that allow

Hon. Chrystia Freeland Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Finance Department of Finance Canada 90 Elgin Street Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0G5 Dear Minister Freeland, We are writing to ask for clarification and to express our deep concern about possible changes to charitable status in Canada. In the December 2021 mandate letter, the prime minister outlined priorities for you, including to: “Introduce amendments to the Income Tax Act to make anti-abortion organizations that pr

The Hon. David Lametti Minister of Justice and Attorney General 284 Wellington Street Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0H8 Dear Minister Lametti, The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (the EFC) applauds the federal government’s defence of the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA) before the Ontario Superior Court in CASWLR v. Canada this fall. The EFC supports PCEPA as an essential tool in the fight against sexual exploitation. We fully agree with the objectives

Dear Mr. Mel Arnold, MP, Thank you for taking the initiative to introduce Bill C-291. The words we use matter. The term “child pornography” is not just inaccurate, it’s harmful. Using the term “pornography” in the context of children infers that the child is a willing participant when in fact they are the victim of a horrific crime. Sexually explicit images and videos depicting children cannot be considered “pornography” – they are child sexual exploitation, assault and ab

Mr. Arnold Viersen, MP House of Commons Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6 Dear Mr. Viersen, Thank you for taking the initiative to introduce Bill C-270, Stopping Internet Sexual Exploitation Act. Children and youth face devastating, lifelong consequences when images of their abuse and exploitation are streamed and distributed. Commercial pornography sites must be held responsible to ensure exploitative and non-consensual images are not uploaded and that they are swiftly removed once discov

Mrs. Kelly Block, MP House of Commons Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6 Dear Mrs. Block, Thank you for taking the initiative to introduce Bill C-230, the Protection of Freedom of Conscience Act. Bill C-230 clarifies that health care professionals must not be coerced into participating – either directly or indirectly - in medical assistance in dying. It offers much needed assurance that they will not be forced to choose between violating their conscience and losing their job. Doctors and

The Honourable Sean Fraser Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship House of Commons Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6 Dear Minister Fraser, Congratulations on your recent appointment as Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship. In your role as the new Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada (IRCC), we would like to introduce ourselves to you. We are the Evangelical Sponsorship Agreement Holders Working Group (see the full list of working group members, b

The Hon. David Lametti Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada 284 Wellington Street Ottawa, ON K1A 0H8 Dear Minister Lametti, We are writing to ask you to amend one of the provisions in Bill C-5. Although this bill deals with various areas of the Criminal Code, our focus is on the provision that relates to human trafficking. Canada has been at the forefront of taking action to address human trafficking, both domestically and internationally. Human trafficking

[Update: For more explanation and what you can do on this issue, see related EFC toolkit, released March 2022] The Hon. Chrystia Freeland Minister of Finance and Deputy Prime Minister The Hon. Diane Lebouthillier Minister of National Revenue November 30, 2021 Dear Ministers, We are writing to express our deep concern and ask for clarification. The Liberal Party platform,Forward For Everyone,stated that a re-elected Liberal government will “No longer provide charity status

August 2, 2021 Her Excellency the Right Honourable Mary Simon Governor General of Canada Rideau Hall 1 Sussex Drive Ottawa, Ontario K1A 0A1 Excellency: On behalf of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC), we would like to extend our congratulations on your recent appointment to the office of Governor General. We wish you well in your new role and trust that your role in representing the Queen both in Canada and abroad will bring you many opportunities to represent the

EFC President Bruce Clemenger was one of the signatories of a letter dated 20 May 2021 to Ontario Premier Doug Ford on restrictions placed on places of worship and part of an ongoing dialogue with the premier’s office. The letter was signed by Christian, Jewish, Sikh and Muslim leaders. Download the PDF.

Mrs. Kelly Block, MP House of Commons Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6 Dear Mrs. Block, Thank you for taking the initiative to introduce Bill C-268, the Protection of Freedom of Conscience Act. Bill C-268 clarifies that health care professionals must not be coerced into participating – either directly or indirectly - in medical assistance in dying. It offers much needed assurance that they will not be forced to choose between violating their conscience and losing their job. Doctors and o

Dear Member of Parliament, In the days ahead you will have the opportunity to speak and vote on a bill that makes watershed changes to Canadian law, medicine and society. Bill C-7 expands euthanasia to people who are not dying and removes other critical safeguards. The Senate has proposed changes that make this deeply flawed bill even worse. Bill C-7 allows euthanasia for people living with disability or chronic illness, but who aren’t dying. It is a tragedy that this bill

Dear Senator, The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) is very troubled by Bill C-7 and the impact it will have on people who may be vulnerable due to medical, economic or social circumstances. Bill C-7 is deeply flawed and unconstitutional. While we remain firmly opposed to hastened death, we advocate for the strongest possible protection and safeguards to minimize the harm and risk to vulnerable Canadians. We believe the provisions of Bill C-7 and amendments like the suns