What does state religious neutrality look like? When the Supreme Court of Canada issues a ruling, is that the final word? What is the difference between a welcome, a traditional greeting, a cultural practice, and a prayer, especially in the context of Indigenous nations and reconciliation?
Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff (@TealePB), research coordinator at the British Columbia Humanist Association, answers all these questions and more. His team at the BCHA contacted every municipality in British Columbia, Manitoba, and Ontario to determine whether they are in compliance with the Supreme Court of Canada’s 2015 Saguenay ruling, which unambiguously decreed that opening municipal council sessions with a prayer was unlawful. He describes how some municipalities try to sneak in religious content with “stealth prayer”, and why ecumenical prayers, non-denominational prayers, or rotating prayers from different religious groups are bound to fail if the goal is to have an inclusive democracy.
Podcast for Inquiry is brought to you by the Centre for Inquiry Canada. Hosted by Leslie Rosenblood. Produced by Lee Shields, Zack Dumont, and Martin Zielinski. Graphic design by Nikolay Nikitushkin. Music by Anthony Lazaro. Support Podcast for Inquiry on Patreon: https://patreon.com/PodcastforInquiry. Send your thoughts and feedback to podcast@centreforinquiry.ca.
Why is BCHA researching Manitoba and Ontario?
Are you usurping Humanist Canada’s responsibilities?
What is Humanist Canada doing in this respect?
Hello, Robert.
The British Columbia Humanist Association naturally focuses on BC, but occasionally they expand their scope to the rest of Canada. There’s nothing wrong with that.
Humanist Canada shares many core values with BCHA and CFIC; we are stronger together, and have collaborated on initiatives in the past (for example, CFIC and Humanist Canada, along with the Canadian Secular Alliance, successfully lobbied the federal government to repeal Canada’s blasphemy law). No organization has exclusive purview over any issue or region.
Your final question is best addressed to Humanist Canada (I am a member but not an active volunteer for the organzation).