June 7th saw the first Parliamentary debate of Bill C-63; The Online Harms Bill. (Unsplash photo)
Two proposed bills, the Online Harms Act (Bill C-63) and Bill C-367, have critics suggesting that if passed, they could threaten the freedom to express beliefs and convictions online and in the public square. Social media harms targeted include intimate content that is communicated without consent, sexually victimizes a child or revictimizes a survivor, foments...
The new pharmacare program’s focus on contraception is just an extension of the “culture of death” that permeates modern society, says a Campaign Life Coalition spokesperson. (Simone van der Koelen/Unsplash)
With the framework of a national pharmacare program launched by the Liberal-NDP coalition, some are finding its initial focus on contraceptives a “deeply troubling” aspect of the deal. The pharmacare program promises to improve access to contraceptives for nine million Canadians, along with medication, including insulin, for an estimated 3.7 million people living with diabetes....
Members of the Sts’ailes First Nation at Vancouver’s Holy Rosary Cathedral for the first Mass to integrate a First Nation language. Father Deacon Andrew Bennett is on an ongoing quest to reveal how Indigenous culture and Christianity coexist harmoniously and authentically. (Nicholas Elbers photo)
Father Deacon Andrew Bennett is on an ongoing quest to reveal how Indigenous culture and Christianity coexist harmoniously and authentically. On Feb. 21, the faith communities program director for Cardus, a non-partisan think tank, moderated a panel discussion with three Indigenous Christians — Fr. Cristino Bouvette, Marsha Hanson and Caij Meloche — at Calgary’s St....
Former Canadian Prime Minister Brian Mulroney, who died on Feb. 29, is shown at a 2014 event. (Canada 2020 Photo)
When Pope (now St.) John Paul II arrived in Ottawa in 1984 – the first Pontiff to visit this country – greeting him in Ottawa was Canada’s 18th Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney. Mr. Mulroney, one of 10 Catholics who have held that office since 1867, died on Feb. 29. The “little guy from Baie Comeau,”...
(Unsplash photo) Canadian senators passed a bill officially delayed medical assistance in dying (MAiD) for individuals solely living with a mental illness until March 17, 2027. The Senate passed Bill C-62 at third reading on Feb. 29.
Medical assistance in dying (MAiD) access for individuals solely living with a mental illness is officially delayed until March 17, 2027, as the Senate of Canada passed Bill C-62 at third reading Feb. 29. Senators passed the bill during their last sitting before March 19. It had to pass on Leap Day or else medical...
Fire damage is seen to Blessed Sacrament Parish in downtown Regina, SK. A suspected arsonist attacked the parish Feb. 9, 2024.Photo courtesy ArchdiocesePhoto courtesy Fr. James Hentges of Grouard-McLennan
A call to condemn the most recent arson attack on a Christian church — Feb. 9 at Blessed Sacrament Church in downtown Regina — failed to gain unanimous approval in the House of Commons. On Feb. 12, Conservative MP Corey Tochor called for unanimous consent to condemn the arson at Blessed Sacrament. Members of the...
Rabbi Jonathan Infeld and Archbishop J. Michael Miller shake hands at a recent talk by the rabbi to Archdiocese of Vancouver employees. The rabbi expressed appreciation to the Archdiocese and Vancouver Police for their support of the Jewish community. (Arleen D Souza photos)
Anti-Semitic rhetoric has become so intense amid pro-Palestinian sentiment in Canada that a Vancouver rabbi is more concerned about the safety of his oldest son, currently on a Montreal university campus working to stop anti-Semitism, than about his middle child, who is currently living in Israel. Speaking to Archdiocese of Vancouver employees at the John...
Clara Lum and her husband Brian Hunt had an obvious reason for attending a recent workshop on old age, as inspired by Pope Francis’ homilies and teachings. They’re part of a growing number of Catholics who believe that a cultural response is needed to Canada’s euthanasia crisis, irrespective of whether a political solution presents itself....
Emma Venusio skates through a Team USA defender as a member of Team Canada. The student at Toronto’s Bishop Allen Academy captained Team Canada to a bronze medal at the recent World U-18 championships in Switzerland.Photo courtesy Hockey Canada
The Bishop Allen Academy cafeteria buzzed with an energy and enthusiasm earlier this month that went well beyond usual teenage boisterousness. Students and staff at this Catholic secondary school in Toronto fervently cheered as they watched one of their own, twelfth-grader Emma Venusio, captain Team Canada to bronze at the 2024 IIHF Under-18 Women’s World...
Protester holds up a sign in preparation for the Feb. 27 rally on Parliament Hill calling for a halt to expanding MAiD to the mentally ill.
Speakers at a rally on Parliament Hill demanded the federal government provide more life-saving supports for those deeply suffering from mental illness rather than giving them access to medical assistance in dying (MAiD). Expanding MAiD to people solely on the basis of mental illness was to begin March 17, but Bill C-62 is calling for...