This year Cornerstone was planning on applying for a summer grant to hire a student to assist with our children and youth ministry. But there is a price to be paid.  Not in dollars and cents, the grants are quite generous.  The price to be paid is compliance.

If you’ve missed it, the federal government is now requiring that if we apply for a summer student grant, we must sign an attestation that we respect reproductive rights among other issues. (I didn’t even know attestation was a word.  The upside is that I now know how to spell attestation.)

The Government’s official line is that it is making sure prospective employers respect the “Charter of Rights”.  The reality has nothing to do with respecting the Charter and everything to do with groups denying their commitment to the sanctity of life and traditional marriage and agreeing with the government’s position on abortion, sexual orientation and gender identity.

Employment minister Patty Hajdu stated, “What we’ve decided is that we believe in the law of Canada, and the law of Canada says that Canadians have a right to be living their life free of discrimination.”  Apparently, that doesn’t mean discrimination by the government.

Cornerstone will still apply for a grant, but we won’t check the box.

Have a great week and remember: To see what is really possible, you will have to attempt the impossible.