Document: Federal Government Spent $1.5M on Abortion Training in 2022
The Story: According to an ATIP (access to information and privacy) request submitted by pro-life writer Patricia Maloney, the federal government gave $1,469,150 to the National Abortion Federation (NAF) in 2022. The NAF is a pro-abortion charity whose organizational mission is training abortion providers to effectively end the lives of preborn children. The $1.5M given to the NAF is allocated under the “Healthcare Policy and Strategies Program,” a government initiative intended to improve home care, palliative care, and mental health care.
The Significance: By funding an organization that specializes in training abortionists—many of whom work in private clinics—the Liberal Government once again demonstrates its commitment to killing those who have no place in their ideal society. We should not miss the theological significance of this commitment to death.
The Bible says, “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23). As sinful human beings grapple with this reality, many choose to hide the consequences of their own sin by putting others to death instead. This is true of abortion, a procedure that kills an innocent child in order to remove the consequences of sin. However, this substitution is ultimately a failure, obscuring—but not removing—the penalty of sin.
Someone must die to pay the wages of sin. However, no abortion will ultimately deter God’s wrath or remove the consequences of sin. Only the death of the perfect substitute, Jesus Christ, has the power to end the curse of sin. Only those who place their trust in Him alone for salvation will be saved from their sin. Let us plead with every Canadian to trust in Christ’s substitutionary death for salvation rather than hiding from God by killing innocent children.
Read More: Patricia Maloney, Run with Life, “NAF Canada gets $1.5 million to improve killing skills of abortion doctors”
Israeli-Canadian Man Dies Protecting Fiancée from Grenade
The Story: Netta Epstein, a 21-year-old Israeli-Canadian man, died after jumping on a grenade to save his fiancée’s life during Hamas’ October 7 attack on the nation of Israel. Epstein and his fiancée, Irene Shavit, were taking cover at his apartment in Kfar Aza when three Hamas terrorists entered the building and began shooting and throwing grenades inside the apartment. Despite being shot, Epstein placed himself on top of a live explosive, saving his fiancée’s life. Epstein died from the explosion. After hiding behind her fiance’s body for hours, Shavit was rescued.
Netta Epstein is one of six Canadians who have been killed by Hamas. The others are Ben Mizrachi of Vancouver, Alexandre Look of Montreal, Shir Georgy of Israel, Tiferet Lapidot of Israel, and Adi Vital-Kaploun of Israel.
The Significance: Netta Epstein’s family has rightfully described him as a hero. A Change.com petition calling for Epstein to receive the Cross of Valour, Canada’s highest award for civilian heroism, has over 5,000 signatures.
Epstein not only taught us what it means to be a hero—he also taught us what it means to be a man. In a culture that attempts to obscure masculinity, destroy the meaning of biological sex, and mock the integrity of good men, Netta Epstein courageously showed the world why God created men: to protect and provide for those under their care. Even unto death.
As Robert George has written, “the best way to prevent a boy from becoming a predator is to raise him to be a protector.” Netta Epstein, a man who chose to be a protector rather than a predator, has died a hero. May his memory be a blessing.
Read More: Colin Freeze, The Globe and Mail, “Canadian man killed in Hamas attack threw himself on a grenade to save fiancée, family says”
Canadian Media, Politicians Promote False Hospital Attack Allegation
The Story: Early on Tuesday afternoon, news media began reporting on an explosion at the Al-Ahli Hospital in Gaza City. The Hamas-run Gaza Ministry of Health announced that the hospital had been hit by an Israeli bomb and that more than 500 people were killed.
Media and politicians across Canada, including Foreign Affairs Minister Mélanie Joly, quickly denounced Israel for the “horrific attack.” Despite not explicitly blaming Israel, Prime Minister Trudeau released a vague condemnation of the alleged attack that some outlets interpreted as a criticism of Israel.
Soon after, however, multiple intelligence agencies—including the United States—concluded that the “Israeli bomb” was actually a misfired Palestinian missile. However, the early media reports and political condemnation had already sparked several large protests in Canada and around the world, forcing Jewish communities and Israeli diplomats to take security precautions.
The Significance: In a time when news travels faster than understanding, media outlets and politicians have an obligation to value truth over attention. Despite ample evidence that the rocket had originated from Gaza, including the fact that the missile misfire was broadcast live by Al-Jazeera, the rush to report on the story resulted in a rapidly-spread false narrative across a media landscape eager to blame Israel for anything.
Not a single media outlet that reported the false story from Hamas has apologized, nor has any politician who made a statement based on the initial false report clarified. However, this story is about much more than journalistic integrity. While some claim that there is no correlation between criticism of the Israeli government and anti-Semitism, the fact is that calls for violence against Jewish people have risen online by 1,200% since October 7th.
In Ottawa, attendees of a conference on combating anti-Semitism had to exit through back doors on Wednesday after anti-Israel protesters, responding to the false hospital report, showed up and caused police to redirect attendees.
Christians must be wise while consuming media. Speaking the truth in love requires both love and truth.
Read More: Tristin Hopper, National Post, “Ottawa rushes to condemn ‘attack’ on Gaza hospital despite the initial claims coming from Hamas”
Conservative MP’s Attempt to Stop Euthanasia Expansion Fails in House of Commons
The Story: A Conservative MP’s Bill to stop the expansion of assisted suicide to those with mental illnesses was defeated by Liberal and Bloc Quebecois MPs this week.
Bill C-314, a private member’s bill introduced by Conservative MP Ed Fast, would have halted the upcoming expansion of so-called “Medical Assistance in Dying” (MAiD) to Canadians whose sole condition is mental illness. Fast was able to secure some cross-party support for the Bill as eight Liberals and all 24 NDP MPs voted for the motion, but the Bloc Quebecois sided with the majority of the governing Liberals and the bill was defeated at second reading 167-150.
Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre has stated that, should the Conservatives win the next election, he would repeal the MAiD expansion to people with mental illness.
The Significance: The deaths of tens of thousands of Canadians at the hands of government sponsored and administered suicide is both tragic and wrong. That deteriorating healthcare provision is contributing to this increase is to our national shame.
The presentation of suicide as a legitimate option can only have a negative effect on Canadians already struggling with mental health and suicidal ideation.
Furthermore, the Liberal government’s constant expansion of assisted suicide in the face of all the evidence—and against the advice of so many disability and mental health experts—should be a disqualifying factor for anyone considering whether they are fit to lead.
Finally, Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre should be commended for his promise to repeal the deadly expansion. However, he must also be held accountable for it. Most often, politicians will simply do what they think potential voters want. Christians who believe in the sanctity of life should encourage Poilievre himself and their local Conservative candidates to keep their promises and defend human life.
Read More: Quinton Amundson, The Catholic Register, “Bill C-314 defeated, MAiD will be offered for mental illness next year”
Supreme Court Overturns Liberal Environmental Policy
The Story: In a surprise ruling, the Supreme Court of Canada has overturned almost the entirety of the Impact Assessment Act—known commonly as the “No More Pipelines Bill”—which re-wrote much of Canada’s environmental protection scheme. The Bill granted the federal government sweeping powers to end a development project if it determined the project was “not in the public interest” after accounting for “sustainability,” “Indigenous knowledge,” and “health, social, gender, and economic impacts.”
The 5-2 ruling, written by Chief Justice Richard Wagner, found that the Act exceeded federal jurisdiction and encroached on the provinces’ constitutional authority to regulate natural resources. The Liberal government has stated that they are able to re-write the legislation to address the Court’s ruling, but many legal commentators have argued that is unlikely.
The Significance: The Impact Assessment Act was not merely a piece of green virtue-signaling legislation, it was also one of the most significant federal power grabs since the debates that led to the Constitution Act, 1982. The legislation granted massive power to the federal government to effectively cancel any major project for any reason, meaning a tiny group of voters in Toronto could control the economic future of entire provinces or, alternatively, Alberta MPs could interfere in Ontario or Quebec infrastructure projects—inflaming national divisions either way.
By overturning the Act, the Supreme Court has reinforced the constitutional order, the rule of law, and the Christian governmental principle of Subsidiarity—the belief that political decisions should be made by the closest competent authority to the people impacted by that decision.
Read More: Josh Dehaas, The Hub, “The stunning hubris of Bill C-69 has come crashing back to earth”
RCMP: Trudeau’s Cabinet Blocked Access to SNC-Lavalin Documents
The Story: According to ATIP (access to information and privacy) documents, the RCMP’s investigation into the 2018-2019 LavScam affair ended when the Trudeau government blocked investigators from accessing confidential cabinet documents. The national police service had been investigating whether Justin Trudeau committed any criminal acts by pressuring then-Attorney General Jody Wilson-Raybould into offering a deferred prosecution agreement to SNC-Lavalin. The Quebec construction giant was indicted for corruption and bribery and was attempting to avoid criminal prosecution which would have made it ineligible to bid on lucrative government projects.
Trudeau was found to have violated the ethics laws in the affair, but the ethics laws are not a part of the criminal code.
The Significance: Christian teaching on government focuses often on the role of the state in promoting the common good. During the LavScam affair, it was common to hear the actions of the Prime Minister and his cadre justified with claims that they were acting in the common good as the prosecution of SNC-Lavalin could have caused economic hardship. However, Scripture also emphasizes that the concept of “the ends justify the means”—or moral relativism—is never an acceptable mode of ethical conduct.
By refusing to cooperate with a legitimate investigation, the Liberal government is causing Canadian citizens to lose faith in our institutions and in the very concept of justice. This is a grave breach of their responsibilities to the people they govern and, ultimately, to God and His commandments. We must hold our representatives accountable not only to human laws, but to the principles that undergird those laws: both natural and supernatural.
Read More: Stephanie Levitz, Toronto Star, “Documents reveal why RCMP didn’t pursue criminal probe of Justin Trudeau in SNC-Lavalin affair”
A Truth To Consider
