United States Pauses Canadian Tariff Threat After Last Minute Deal
The Story: After an eleventh-hour deal on a $1.3 billion border security and anti-drug operations plan with Prime Minister Trudeau, President Trump has paused his tariff implementation for 30 days. The plan includes helicopter and technology purchases for monitoring, additional personnel, a “fentanyl czar”, and the labeling of Mexican cartels as terrorist organizations. Many of these items had already been proposed by Trudeau in December, but as they are now tied directly to tariffs, the commitments have significantly more urgency and weight.
The Significance: It has been clear for several years now that drug use is a massive problem in Canada.Since 2016, nearly 50,000 Canadians have died of fentanyl overdoses alone. The problem was so significant that it brought the Conservative Party of BC, one of the only provincial parties taking the issue seriously, from non-existence to a few dozen votes away from forming government in a very non-conservative province.
Yet despite the many valid concerns—and baring a handful of exceptions—the Canadian response to these deaths has been essentially non-existent until the tariff threats from Trump. Aside from being a moral failure of our leaders, it is also an indictment of our political culture: serious countries do not need to be bullied into dealing with their problems.
We still do not know if reaching this agreement under the threat of tariffs was Trump’s original plan or if it is just the first salvo. What we do know, however, is that the hysterical response which led to accusations of treason and empty threats was entirely unhelpful and lacking in both dignity and charity. Should this fiasco return in a month, we would be well-suited to avoid comparisons to Benedict Arnold and instead spend our time praying that the Holy Spirit grant our leaders wisdom, and the rest of us a modicum of charity.
Read More: Madeline Halpert and Jessica Murphy, BBC News, “Trump agrees to pause tariffs on Canada and Mexico but not on China”
Study: Home Schooled Students Happier in Long-Term
The Story: A new study from Cardus shows that adults who were homeschooled as children report higher levels of optimism and are less likely to “feel helpless dealing with life’s problems.” The study also found that adults who were homeschooled long-term are more likely to believe in God and in life after death, are more likely to regularly attend religious services, and are more likely to get and remain married.
Conversely, the study also found that adults who were homeschooled as children are less likely to earn a bachelor’s or graduate degree after graduating from high school, and are less likely to earn more than the median household income.
The Significance: This study does not necessarily demonstrate that homeschooling is right—or even possible—for every child. However, the study’s findings related to long-term religious participation and family formation do reveal an important truth: parents must be deeply involved in the educational formation of their children. Whether their children attend a school or learn at home, parents must understand that the responsibility to instruct children about the truths of the gospel rests primarily on their own shoulders. Of course, this does not mean that every child who is raised well will grow up to be a faithful Christian. It does mean, however, that we must take the task of Christian parenting seriously.
There is nothing sinful about encouraging your child to have a successful career and teaching them to work hard in pursuit of such a career. In fact, these are often worthy goals. However, each parent should think deeply about how they measure the success of their children, and consider the cultivation of love for God as the greatest end of child-rearing. As the LORD told the people of Israel, “Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might. And these words that I command you today shall be on your heart. You shall teach them diligently to your children, and shall talk of them when you sit in your house, and when you walk by the way, and when you lie down, and when you rise. You shall bind them as a sign on your hand, and they shall be as frontlets between your eyes. You shall write them on the doorposts of your house and on your gates” (Deut. 6:4-9).
Christian parents have a deep responsibility to diligently teach their children and, whether placing their children in public school, private school, or home school, should prioritize the cultivation of faith far above any worldly measure of success.
Read More: Albert Cheng and Angela R. Watson, Cardus, “Diverse Outcomes for a Diverse Population”
Quick Hits
Purolator forced to compensate unvaccinated employees who were placed on leave: The BC Supreme Court has upheld a labor arbitration ruling requiring Purolator to compensate unvaccinated employees who were fired or placed on unpaid leave after June 2022. The Court found that, although the company’s vaccine mandate was reasonable prior to June 2022, it did not remain reasonable after that date given the changing circumstances of the pandemic. The company’s vaccine mandate remained in effect until April 2023. This Court decision is a win for conscience freedom and should also serve as an opportunity for Christians to look back on the days of the Covid-19 pandemic and consider the lessons which have been learned. If we are to be faithful stewards of our citizenship, we must be committed to remembering the successes and failures of our national history and ensure that the mistakes of the past do not become the pitfalls of the future.
Read More: Quinn Patrick, True North, “Purolator to compensate employees fired for refusing to get vaccinated”
Group committed to abortion access threatens to close over lost funding: Abortion Care Canada, a pro-abortion group that acts as a facilitator for women seeking abortions, has threatened to shut down after the Federal Government did not grant the group’s request for $1.3 million in public funding. The group has reportedly received approximately $2.2 million in federal funding since 2021. According to the group’s executive director, Abortion Care Canada facilitated abortions for 450 women during the last fiscal year. Regardless of the reason for the federal government’s refusal to renew funding for Abortion Care Canada, we should celebrate the demise of this organization. The feet of the wicked are swift to shed innocent blood, but their destruction is certain. We should pray for the salvation of their souls, the rescue of preborn children, and the final triumph of life over death.
Read More: The Canadian Press, “Canadian abortion group says it may have to shutter after losing government funding”