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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

Honouring the faithful and excellent service of Bruce J. Clemenger’s 30 plus years with the EFC, where for 20 years he has led as CEO and President, and recognizing David Guretzki’s leadership and his own unique gifting and expertise, the Board of the EFC is pleased to announce new senior leadership roles for the EFC. [UPDATE: See more in the EFC Update newsletter of Jan. 31, 2023] Effective January 31, 2023, Bruce J. Clemenger will be appointed to a new role as Senior Ambass

A private member’s bill would change references to “child pornography” in the Criminal Code to the more accurate term “child sexual abuse material.” MP Mel Arnold introduced Bill C-291 in the House of Commons on June 17, 2022. The term “child pornography” is inaccurate and harmful. Sexually explicit images and videos depicting children are child sexual exploitation, assault and abuse. Terms like “child pornography” risk normalizing, trivializing and legitimizing the sexual

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

This important case in Ontario Superior Court upheld Canada's prostitution law Sept. 18, 2023. The EFC released a statement celebrating this decision and also signed onto a joint statement from a national working group of survivors of prostitution, service providers and advocates. The EFC intervened in the case in Oct. 2022 since it was a constitutional challenge to Canada’s laws on prostitution. The challenge was launched by the Canadian Alliance for Sex Work Law Reform. Int

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

Bill C-270 would require those making or distributing pornographic material for a commercial purpose to verify the age and consent of each person depicted. It would also make it illegal to distribute pornographic material if the person depicted has withdrawn their consent. Bill C-270, known as the Stopping Internet Sexual Exploitation Act (SISE), is a private member’s bill introduced by MP Arnold Viersen on April 28, 2022. The SISE Act would implement the second recommendat

UPDATE NOVEMBER 2023 - See new EFC government submission on MAID for mental illness, below A special joint committee of MPs and senators is recommending making minors eligible for medically hastened death. Their February 2023 report also recommends allowing advance requests, thus opening medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to people no longer able to consent. The committee’s report recommends but doesn't require the government to make these changes to the law. A group of docto