Let's Be Realistic

Many evangelical Christians are quietly rejoicing over Monday's electoral victory by the Conservative Party of Canada. Under twelve years of Liberal Party rule, Canada has seen the legalization of homosexual marriage, the inclusion of sexual orientation in the Hate Propaganda Laws (Criminal Code sections 318-320) and an increasing public vilification of evangelical Christians and conservative social values. There is hope that perhaps with the election of the Conservatives, some of these actions can be turned back.

Sadly, I am not so confident of this. I am optimistic that we will not see more of the same legislative slide away from social conservatism. I am optimistic that perhaps some of these issues will be able to be discussed publicly without our Prime Minister accusing those who disagree with him of not being real Canadians with so-called "Canadian values." Paul Martin was a divisive influence at many levels and I am quite happy to see him retreat to the Opposition benches of the House of Commons.

But I am not optimistic that, at least for the short term, we will see an undoing of some of the dreadful legislation that we have seen in recent years which, in my opinion, has undermined religious freedom in this country.

The simple fact is, the Conservatives hold far too small of a minority in the parliament to push ahead and undo some of the damaging legislation from the last few years. The opposition parties (Liberals, BQ, and NDP) together hold more seats than the government and are united in their support of such liberal social values as abortion and giving homosexuals special rights. To seek to do what many of us would like to see done would only result in the defeat of the government. Additionally, the Senate is predominantly Liberal, another inevitable result of twelve years of Liberal Party rule.

One further note; many of the decisions that have undermined religious freedom in Canada have actually not even come from the federal government but from the courts and unelected provincial human rights commissions. We have a bigger problem in this country than just who controls the House of Commons. This slide away from biblical values is endemic to our society and no election is going to change that. As the psalmist said in Psalm 20:7, "Some trust in chariots and some in horses, but we trust in the name of the Lord our God."

Ultimately, if there is to be real change in this country, it will take place not so much by what happens in the voting booth, but in the prayer closet.