Canadian Government Says Catholic Priest Has to Support Abortion to Qualify for Federal Program

An Ottawa Catholic priest had hoped to employ three students this summer to work in the church yard and office.

But the Rev. Tim Moyle will not be able to this year unless he complies with the government’s demand that he support abortion for any reason up to birth.

Many churches and other groups provide students with summer jobs through the Canadian Summer Jobs program. However, the new 2018 grant application requires groups to say that they respect “reproductive rights,” including abortion on demand, as one of their core values. Groups cannot submit the online application unless they do, The National Post reports.

The decision sparked a huge backlash. Hundreds of groups that used to employ students have said they cannot comply with the government’s ideological demands.

Ottawa Citizen reports Moyle serves three parishes in a rural area of the Upper Ottawa Valley. In the past, his parishes received grants to employ students to work on the lawns and yards and in the office.

“We’re giving some kids going to college a chance for a job. Not a lot of work up here,” Moyle said.

This summer, however, they will not be able to employ students, and abortion activists are to thank for it.

Here’s more from the report:

[Moyle said:] The government says ‘Oh you can apply as a church. That’s not a problem.’ But we would have to compromise what we believe by making this attestation.”

The parish priest mentioned the problem in the parish bulletin, told the congregation at mass’s end one Sunday, and drew the bishop’s attention to the matter. Friction is clearly building.

Last week, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops released a statement opposing the required attestation and pointing out a clear conflict with Section 2 of the charter, which guarantees “freedom of conscience and religion” as a fundamental right for every citizen. …

The bishops also predicted that “summer camps will be forced to close,” services from non-profits will be reduced and valuable job experience will be lost.

There seems little hope of immediate relief, despite the strong public outcry. Government leaders have waved off the groups’ concerns, and the Feb. 2 deadline to apply quickly is approaching.

The Canadian government released the discriminatory rules in December.

“… these changes help prevent youth (as young as 15 years of age) from being exposed to employment within organizations that may promote positions that are contrary to the values enshrined in the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and associated case law,” the government stated.

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Last week, pro-abortion Prime Minister Justin Trudeau also denigrated concerns voiced by a pro-life student about free speech.

“If you’re pro-life then you are ridiculed and insulted, but if you’re pro-choice then you’re praised,” the student told Trudeau, according to the National Post. “And I just want to know if this [free speech] is important to you.”

Trudeau answered: “Women have fought for generations for the right to control their own bodies, to be able to choose for themselves what to do with their bodies.

“When those beliefs lead to actions aimed to restrict a women’s right on what to do with her body, that’s where we draw the line,” he continued, according to Global News.

Interestingly, political leaders claimed the new grant rules will help ensure young people are in a learning environment that “respects the rights of all Canadians,” Global News reports. They can say that because Canada does not recognize unborn babies as human beings at any stage of development.

Pro-life groups have received grants in the past to employ students. According to the report, the pro-life Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform received a $56,000 grant in 2016, and two pro-life pregnancy centers received about $12,000 to employ young adults.

Canada has some of the most pro-abortion laws in the world, allowing abortions for any reason up to birth and forcing taxpayers to pay for them in many cases. Common sense regulations such as parental consent for minors, waiting periods, informed consent and other basic measures are non-existent.