Check It Out: Non-profit groups give Canadians what they need
By Joan Janzen
Children from both the past and present have always shared an entertaining perspective. An elderly lady recalled a vivid memory of being liberated in Holland at the end of WWII. After having survived on a diet of sugar beets and tulip bulbs, the children were thrilled to see smiling soldiers tossing them Hershey’s chocolate and chewing gum, which they had never seen or tasted before. This lady remembers catching and sharing a piece of gum with her friends. “Of course, it ended up in your mouth again,” she laughed and noted they called it the everlasting candy because you could chew it, and it never ended.
More recently I overheard a pre-schooler while shopping. As she and her mom approached the toy aisle, the youngster enthusiastically exclaimed, “Oh, goodie! It’s my stuff!” Then she paused for two seconds, looked at her mom and added, “… that I need”.
Adults are just like kids; they need stuff and are thrilled when they find something that continues to add flavour to their lives. Non-profit organizations like the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedom (JCCF) do exactly that by continuously defending the rights of Canadians.
Ryan, host of Northern Perspective, recently interviewed John Carpay, founder of JCCF. John explained JCCF is a non-partisan civil liberties organization founded in 2010.
“We’re a registered charity and don’t receive government funding. Donations from Canadians support a team of ten lawyers all across Canada who are involved in dozens of court cases all over the country.”
One of their most recent cases involved the proroguing of government. “It’s almost unimaginable how much work goes into this case. You’ve got four lawyers that are all working sixteen-hour days for weeks prior to the hearing, reading up on dozens of different cases and how they might apply,” he explained.
Ryan asked why the ruling on this case is important. His guest replied, “For generations to come there is no Canadian law on what are the limits on the power of the Prime Minister to prorogue parliament. He can do it for any reason; there are no boundaries. My hope is that the court ruling will place appropriate boundaries because it’s not healthy for any democracy to have that kind of power, regardless of the party to which the Prime Minister belongs. It’s good to have checks and balances.”
Regarding this particular case, he said the government is accountable to parliament, and parliament is elected by the people. “Government is held to account by parliament; there’s been zero accountability for a very long time. We object to prorogation being used as a tool to benefit one particular party.”
Ryan pointed out that it’s organizations like JCCF that help people face challenges, even when they don’t realize they can fight back against institutions. JCCF can also advise whether a person is facing a potential breach of Charter of Rights and Freedoms of our constitution.
John shared an example of a case from a few years ago, which he called the Easter Bunny case. A couple in Hamilton went through the rigorous screening to become foster parents. Two vulnerable young girls were placed in their care and everything was going really well until a social worker asked the couple if they were going to tell the girls about the Easter Bunny during the upcoming Easter holiday. The couple replied that they would be having an Easter egg hunt but were not planning on telling the girls about the Easter Bunny.
“On that basis, these girls were removed from the home. It was horrifically painful for the foster parents and the girls,” John reported. “So we sued the Hamilton Children’s Aid Society and were successful in getting a ruling that government agencies can’t discriminate against parents on the basis of religious belief.”
The founder said freedom of speech is a priority for JCCF, and they’re taking a lead in opposing the Online Harms Act, which he considers the most aggressive assault against free speech in Canadian history.
The host of Northern Perspective pointed out it’s dangerous when the government decides what is truth, as well as what Canadians can and cannot say.
John said, “If you lost every other right but maintained your freedom of expression, you could use it to win back all the rights and freedoms that you’ve lost. Conversely, if you lose your freedom of expression, you can’t even defend yourself properly against assaults on other freedoms. If you lose freedom of speech, it becomes very dark very quickly when trying to protect yourself against other rights violations.”
The JCCF lawyer pointed out that the foundation of a free society includes freedom of expression, as well as people practicing the virtues of honesty, courage, compassion and humility. “When virtue is lacking, it becomes very difficult or perhaps even impossible to sustain a free society,” he concluded.
Government determining what you can or cannot say, could be compared to sharing a piece of chewing gum with others. Approved speech regurgitated in your mouth sends a one-sided message that never ends.