Prime Minister Carney Introduces New Cabinet
The Story: On Tuesday, Prime Minister Mark Carney’s cabinet was sworn in at Rideau Hall. Among the cabinet appointments, Quebec MP François-Philippe Champagne remains as Finance Minister, Ontario MP Anita Anand becomes Minister of Foreign Affairs, Nova Scotia MP Sean Fraser becomes Minister of Justice and Attorney General, and Ontario MP David McGuinty becomes Minister of Defence. Longtime Trudeau ally and New Brunswick MP Dominic LeBlanc retains his role as Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs and takes on the additional role of Minister for Canada-U.S. Trade.
Elsewhere, Steven Guillbeault will remain as minister of Canadian Heritage, a position which keeps him in charge of internet regulation. The cabinet also includes Trudeau-era Ministers Melanie Joly, Chrystia Freeland, and Patty Hajdu in various portfolios. Cabinet newcomers include longtime Toronto MP Julie Dabrusin as Minister of Environment, former Vancouver Mayor Gregor Robertson as Minister of Housing, and former Goldman Sachs executive Tim Hodgson as Minister of Energy.
The Liberals currently hold 170 seats after recount victories in Terrebonne, Quebec (by one vote), and Milton East-Halton Hills, Ontario, and now sit just two seats short of a Majority.
The Significance: Despite stating that he is a “very different person from Justin Trudeau,” Prime Minister Carney has selected a cabinet that bears remarkable resemblance to that of his predecessor. Although many media outlets have highlighted the differences in the personalities and resumes of the two men, the continuity between their respective Governments sends a very clear signal that the basic worldview of the Liberal regime remains unchanged. While the Carney Government will likely update the Party’s political talking points, we should expect the continuance of progressive legislative efforts including high deficit spending, tight environmental regulations, and the promotion of abortion and LGBTQ ideology. As Christians, we must remain in constant prayer that God would change our leaders’ hearts and not only their resumes.
Read More: Michael Higgins, National Post, “Carney’s cabinet of Trudeau failures”
Ottawa Introduces ‘Bubble Zone’ Legislation
The Story: The Mayor of Ottawa, Mark Sutcliffe, has announced his support for a so-called “bubble zone” bylaw. “Bubble zones” are restrictions on the right to free expression in certain locations—in this case “community spaces, including schools, hospitals and places of worship.” As of yet, no such bylaw has been fully tested in court.
Elsewhere, the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) has announced their intention to sue Edmonton over their similar “harassment” bylaw which restricts citizens’ right to protest inside city limits. JCCF lawyer Glenn Blackett says, “the bylaw ends up not being ‘the rule of law,’ but instead becomes ‘the rule of the City Manager’” and his arbitrary powers “chill” the speech of any group he may disfavour.
The Significance: Christians should expect to stand before authorities to answer for what we say (Luke 12:11-12) because we are sometimes obligated to say things the authorities will not like (Mark 6:18). This is especially true for authorities who refuse to submit to heaven (Psalm 2), but instead drink of the adulterous iniquities of heaven’s enemies (Revelation 18:9-10). So, while no one has the right to utter blasphemies against God (Leviticus 24:10-16), neither does anyone have a right to punish as blasphemy what God calls true worship (Mark 2:7). We should pray that civil authorities, including municipal authorities, do not infringe on our freedoms to live peaceful and quiet lives in accordance with our convictions (I Timothy 2:1-4).
Read More: William Eltherington, CTV News, “Mayor seeks to implement ‘bubble zone’ bylaw despite concerns over legal challenges”
Read More: Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms, “Edmonton warned proposed Public Spaces Bylaw is discriminatory and violates right to protest”
123 Children Left to Die After Abortion
The Story: A new report shows that last year in Canada, at least 123 children were left to die after being born alive from an abortion. This number does not include Quebec, which does not record this information. Most of these children were born with a gestational age over 21 weeks, considered to be the lowest age of viability. It is estimated that 10% of those babies lived for 3 hours or longer while crying for their mothers and slowly dying next to doctors who would be performing life-saving care if only the babies were “wanted”.
Over 1,192 other children, also killed in late-term abortions, were stillborn. It is estimated that nearly half of all these children were aborted for no reason other than “personal”.
The Significance: In Canada, there are no laws restricting abortion or requiring doctors to care for the babies born alive. Sadly, the above data does not even include Canada’s second most populous province, Quebec, which does not deem it important to collect such information. In other words, the nameless victims of this quiet genocide against the most innocent of all will never be fully accounted for in this life. Lord, have mercy on us.
Read More: Jonathan Van Maren, The Bridgehead, “Born-alive, stillbirth abortions increased in Canada again in 2023 and 2024”