Paul Tuns: The House of Commons Finance Committee has recommended to the federal government that it change the Income Tax Act to remove the “advancement of religion” as a charitable purpose under the tax code and, in another recommendation, strip all pro-life groups of charitable status. Among the 462 recommendations made by the Finance Committee to the government as part of the [...]
Paul Tuns Review: We Who Wrestle with God: Perceptions of the Divine by Jordan Peterson (Portfolio, $48, 544 pages) Former University of Toronto psychology professor and international darling of the Right Jordan Peterson’s fourth book, We Who Wrestle with God seems to have landed with a thud after two bestselling self-help books. The massive tome is an exegesis on Genesis, Exodus, and [...]
Editor’s Note: This question and answer between Paul Tuns, editor of The Interim, and Rod Taylor, leader of the Christian Heritage Party, occurred on Jan. 29. The Interim: The federal election is scheduled for October but the Liberal leadership switch and potential loss of confidence in a parliamentary vote could mean a spring election. Is the Christian Heritage Party ready for an [...]
Interim writer Victor Penney, Sporting Life Are parents sacrificing the souls of their children on the altar of sports? I started thinking about this recently when I came across an article about the high-stakes world of preteen go-kart racing. The Washington Post ran a story about two boys, Julian and Alessandro, who’ve been “fierce competitors since they were 9 and [...]
Paul Tuns: King Baudoin of Belgium was the head of state from 1951-1993 except for a 36-hour period in April 1990 when he briefly deposed from the throne with his consent in order to not sign a law decriminalizing abortion. A devout Catholic who refused to be implicated in allowing abortion in his country, King Baudoin, the fifth king of Belgium, is [...]
Gideon Spivak: Trustee Michael Del Grande is setting his sights on the Supreme Court of Canada to hear his lawsuit challenging the Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) after an October dismissal by the Court of Appeal for Ontario. On Oct. 23, at his most recent court appearance, Del Grande sought to overturn sanctions brought against him by the TCDSB in November [...]
Rory Leishman: On Oct. 29, Kimberly Murray issued her final report as Special Interlocutor for Missing Children and Unmarked Graves and Burial Sites associated with Indian Residential Schools. At a press conference to mark the occasion, federal Justice Minister Arif Virani said: “You can’t hear stories about … young girls being impregnated and then (having) their babies being taken away and incinerated, [...]
Paul Tuns: According to the Christian Music Festival which organized the drive, 50 municipalities, three regions, one province, and two school boards declared December Christian Heritage Month or otherwise supported the intent of the campaign. Molly Banerjei, a realtor from Toronto and CEO of the Christian Music Festival, the organization behind the push for the declaration, said she had hoped her home [...]
Michael Taube: There are many reasons to enjoy the Christmas season. Beautiful trees with tinsel and ornaments. Colourful lights inside and outside our homes. Presents wrapped for family and friends. Movies and television shows for the young - and young at heart. Music and carols heard on the streets and inside churches. And, of course, families, food and faith. Christmas [...]
Rick McGinnis: Interim writer, Rick McGinnis, Amusements The Christmas schedule this year on Netflix is the usual avalanche of undistinguished, largely low-star-power romantic comedies with titles like The Merry Gentlemen, Meet Me Next Christmas, and Hot Frosty. Sticking out amidst the rom-coms, evergreen holiday films, and fireplace videos is Mary, a film that tells the story of the Virgin Mary [...]
What does Christmas mean for us today, in the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand and Twenty-Four? The decade in which we find ourselves began with a pandemic, and has, since then, seen the rise of significant global turmoil, economic turbulence, and social tensions; in the lather of the last American election—and with a Canadian federal election on the horizon—we can easily [...]
Joanna Alphonso: A year after a Canadian Armed Forces directive discouraging prayers from being part of any formal military Remembrance Day ceremonies was rescinded, many such services still eschewed prayer. Brigadier-General Guy Bélisle, Chaplain General for the Canadian Armed Forces, issued a directive in October 2023 discouraging prayer at Remembrance Day memorial services. “While the dimension of prayer may occupy a significant [...]
Let me start this month by introducing a new columnist, Victor Penney. His “Sporting Life” column (on page 8 this month) will look at the intersection of the world of sports and life/faith/family issues. It is a bit of an experiment but I think you might enjoy the lighter side of these serious issues (although it might not always be so light). [...]
According to the 2024 report by Open Doors, an advocacy group, at least 365 million Christians worldwide suffer persecution and discrimination because they believe in Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. At least 5000 Christians were killed for their beliefs last year. Many Christian congregations designate either Nov. 3 or Nov. 10 as the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted [...]
Paul Tuns, Review: Life in the Negative World: Confronting Challenges in an Anti-Christian Culture by Aaron Renn (Zondervan, $33.50, 247 pages) Aaron Renn is a fellow at American Reformer and former research fellow at the right-of-centre Manhattan Institute for Public Policy. You might be familiar with his work if you are regularly reader of First Things, his subscription newsletter or his Substack. His [...]