John Carpay: In recent months I’ve spoken at several peaceful gatherings, urging citizens to exercise their Charter rights and freedoms in the face of unscientific, arbitrary, irrational and unconstitutional health orders. But now I wonder if I will end up in jail, as Jason Kenney has effectively banned peaceful outdoor protests in what is supposed to be Canada’s freest province. In April, [...]
By John Carpay At an April 8 news conference, Alberta Premier Jason Kenney referenced pro-life convictions as the basis for continuing with, and tightening further, his lockdown restrictions on social and economic life. Since politicians imposed “two weeks to flatten the curve” more than 13 months ago, Kenney has repeatedly referred to the “moral responsibility to protect lives.” He and other premiers, [...]
By John Carpay Pastor James Coates spent more than a month in the Edmonton Remand Centre, after being arrested and jailed on Feb. 16, 2021. He and his Grace Life Church are charged with failing to comply with Jason Kenney’s unscientific and unconstitutional health orders that restrict the freedom of Pastor Coates and his church to worship God as God calls them [...]
By John Carpay Interim writer, John Carpay, Law Matters Those wrestling with the morality of lockdowns could benefit from the profound insights provided by Bishop John Paprocki of Springfield, Illinois, a Notre Dame Law School professor, and vice-president of the Illinois Catholic Health Association. Bishop Paprocki notes that government officials give dire warning about a virus that can kill the [...]
BY JOHN CARPAY Interim writer, John Carpay, Law Matters What drives some religious leaders to ignore the harm and suffering that lockdowns are inflicting on their congregations, and on all of society? We are now 10 months into the daily and ongoing violation of our human rights and fundamental freedoms. Depending on what province you live in, it’s illegal to [...]
Interim writer, John Carpay, Law Matters By John Carpay Editor's Note: The statistics in this column were accurate when the print edition went to press on Dec. 20, 2020. A friend wrote me recently, stating “There are times when personal freedom has to be limited for the greater good. I was a small child in World War II, but well [...]
Interim writer, John Carpay, Law Matters By John Carpay Prime Minister Trudeau and other politicians have threatened to kill Christmas. While they cannot undo the birth of Jesus, they certainly do possess political power to violate our Charter freedoms to move, travel, assemble, associate, and worship at Christmas time. By use of coercive state power, politicians can prevent family visits, [...]
Interim writer, John Carpay, Law Matters By John Carpay With a religious fervour, fear of COVID-19 is permeating and shaping our laws, policies, and culture. The job-killing, economy-destroying, soul-deadening, anxiety-producing, loneliness-creating, debt-incurring lockdowns, imposed on us since March 2020, have now become permanent restrictions on our Charter freedoms to move, travel, associate, assemble, and worship. Prior to Thanksgiving, Quebec’s health [...]
The lockdowns have now become a permanent violation of our Charter Rights and Freedom to move, travel, assemble, associate, and worship. Governments are showing no intentions of removing restrictions, even as COVID-19 deaths slow to a trickle, and are now proven to be a small fraction of the dire predictions made by politicians in March. Masks have become mandatory for children to attend [...]
Law Matters John Carpay In April, Ontario Premier Doug Ford denounced people who were protesting against the lockdown as “absolutely irresponsible, selfish, reckless, law-breaking yahoos.” In Alberta, lone protester Cody Haller was arrested and dragged out of the Alberta legislature grounds by sheriffs on May 11 and slapped with a $1200 ticket. The Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms is representing [...]
Law Matters John Carpay In 1958, Chinese Communist dictator Mao Zedong ordered his countrymen to kill all the sparrows, because these “public animals of capitalism” ate grain seeds and fruit, reducing the size of harvests. The peasants complied, using every possible method. Millions of Chinese banged on pots and pans, scaring the birds into continued flight, until they dropped from [...]
Law Matters John Carpay If Trudeau’s Bill C-8 becomes law, parents could spend up to five years in jail for trying to help their son accept himself as a boy, or for helping their daughter to accept herself as a girl. C-8 would also impose prison terms up to five years for doctors, counsellors, psychiatrists, psychologists, and other paid professionals whose [...]
Law Matters John Carpay Justin Trudeau loves preaching about “diversity,” “tolerance,” and “inclusion.” Sadly, these concepts have no application to Christian summer camps which help underprivileged children to enjoy hiking, swimming, canoeing and campfires. In 2018, the Trudeau government tried to force Canada Summer Jobs applicants to sign an attestation supporting the prime minister’s views on abortion. Trudeau backed down [...]
Law Matters John Carpay In AB v. CD,the BC Court of Appeal ruled that a female-born minor who wants to become a man can continue taking puberty blockers and testosterone against the objections of the child’s father. I wonder about the conversations that transgender adults may one day have with the judges who authorized them as children to pursue irreversible [...]
Law Matters John Carpay Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau declared in 1969 that “there’s no place for the state in the bedrooms of the nation,” and that the government should ignore “what’s done in private between adults.” On that basis, his Liberal government proceeded to remove sodomy from the Criminal Code. Today, 50 years later, some Canadians believe that government should [...]