An Unholy Mistake
The federal government recently announced it would be establishing the Office of Religious Freedoms. While in theory the creation of such an office appears to be both progressive and beneficial,
It’s a questionable initiative at best, considering the terms, funding and the precedence this incentive has taken over other, much more fundamental needs at this time.
This office, which will fall under the aegis of the Department of Foreign Affairs, is designed to monitor and promote religious freedom around the world.
The federal Conservatives have been attempting to transform themselves from a party of white Christians to one that embraces conservatives of all stripes and colours. Despite the party’s stance in favour of Israel and against abortion rights, they have otherwise modified their image with a considerable amount of success. It seems likely that the establishment of an office to protect religion at the international level is a continuation of that effort.
The level of commitment that the government has made towards the goals set out for the Office of Religious Freedom becomes almost laughable when taking a closer look at its funding, however.
So far, the federal government has allocated only $5 million per year to fund the office’s operation.
While it might seem like a large amount of money to the average individual, at the international institutional level, it is a paltry sum. Canada is a wealthy country, and if our government were truly serious about promoting and protecting religious freedom around the world, perhaps it would allocate funding proportionally.
On the other hand, the Office of Religious Freedoms seems to have taken priority over other, more pressing needs.
While the freedom of religion is certainly cherished and exercised by many, it is hardly an essential freedom. At this time, much of the world is still living on less than a dollar a day and access to clean drinking water and proper medical care remains a distant dream for billions of people. As such, it seems absurd that our government would prioritize the promotion of religious freedom over problems that concern the basics of life and death.
While some would argue that the federal government is already engaged in dealing with such problems, any effort that steers our attentions away from problems of human existence is a grave mistake and a misuse of time, energy and money.
The federal government should rethink its establishment of the Office of Religious Freedom, and it shouldn’t be too difficult: judging by the reasons they likely created it in the first place and the extent to which they are funding it, they aren’t too serious about it anyway.The Conservatives would do well do focus their attention back on issues of human survival and only once everyone’s basic needs are met should they endeavor to promote and monitor religious freedoms.
