Canadian MP and Conservative Party leadership candidate Leslyn Lewis condemned the Liberal government and Prime Minister, saying they have “waged an open war against religious freedom” since Trudeau was elected in 2015.
Lewis’ comments came in response to a new report from a Department of National Defence advisory board, which recommends the DHD avoid hiring military chaplains whose religious beliefs “are not aligned with those of the Defence Team.”
“At present, some chaplains represent or are affiliated with organized religions whose beliefs are not synonymous with those of a diverse and inclusive workplace,” the DHD report reads. “Some of the affiliated religions of these chaplains do not subscribe to an open attitude and the promotion of diversity.”
The advisory board then, as an example, specifically recommended the DHD refrain from hiring Christians who believe that God has not called women to be in the authoritative position of “Pastor” within a church. This belief, they say, “violates principles of equality and social justice.”
To be clear, this means that in order for a Christian to be hired, they would need to disregard God’s design and authority structure of the Church clearly outlined in Scripture (1 Tim. 2:12-14, 1 Corinthians 14:34-35, 1 Tim. 3:2, etc.)
Additionally, Chaplains must have “an intrinsic appreciation for diversity and a willingness to challenge one’s beliefs,” according to the DHD report.
Leslyn Lewis referred to the report as “absolutely shocking.”
“Asking that chaplains’ values are aligned with the Defence Team may seem innocent enough, but when you read further you see that the ‘religious groups’ it considers to not have the right values fall under the banner of ‘The Abrahamic Religions.'”
Christians, Jews, and others under the DHD recommendation would be “disqualified from serving as chaplains in the military,” she explained.
“In the Liberals’ version of Canada, doctors and nurses don’t have freedom of conscience in accordance with their beliefs,” she described. “Charities don’t have freedom of belief. Trudeau has threatened to revoke their status if their beliefs don’t align with his. Pastors can go to jail for discussing certain topics with their congregants.”
“Canadians will never forget when Justin Trudeau went after people of faith who run businesses, summer camps, charities, and community organizations with his summer jobs attestation,” she wrote, referencing a Liberal government policy requiring those seeking summer job grants to sign a statement saying that they “respect” transgender and abortion “rights.”
“I will end the Liberals’ discriminatory practices that single out religious beliefs as a barrier to receiving government support,” the Conservative leadership candidate promised, adding that Canada cannot be considered a free country “until we end these attacks on religious freedom.”
In 2013, Canada’s conservative government, under the leadership of former Prime Minister Stephen Harper, established an Office of Religious Freedom. In 2016, the Liberal government, the New Democratic Party (NDP), the Green Party, and the Bloc Quebecois teamed up to shut down the office.
In March, Leslyn Lewis, who is the only official pro-life candidate, reiterated the importance of changing the declining trajectory of religious freedom in Canada.
“Religious discrimination should always be condemned,” she said in a statement. “As Prime Minister, I would reinstate the Office of Religious Freedom, and under my leadership, Canada would once again be a defender of religious freedom across the country and around the world.”
The Liberal Government in Canada, under Justin Trudeau, has also worked actively to ban Biblical morality in the country. Earlier this year, thousands of Churches across Canada and the United States stood together, dedicating their sermons to teaching on Biblical sexuality in defiance of a new Canadian law, Bill C-4 that effectively banned such teachings.
Canadian Christian writer Samuel Sey summarized the so-called “conversion therapy ban,” explaining that it is a flagrant attack on Christianity and the Gospel.
“Christians who attempt to help homosexual and transgender people repent from their sins so they can have freedom in Christ might lose their freedom and be sentenced to prison,” he wrote. “This is because Canada isn’t a post-Christian nation—it’s an anti-Christian nation.”
“Nevertheless, I am not afraid of what Canada will do to Christians,” he stressed. “I’m afraid of what God will do to Canada. Canada isn’t just persecuting Christians, its persecuting Christ—and it won’t win.”
In her statement responding to the DHD’s advisory board report, Leslyn Lewis further slammed the Canadian Prime Minister for only allowing freedom to religions aligned with the Liberal government’s political narrative.
“I wish this was a one-time attack on religion by this government, but for the Liberals, the only religion allowed in Canada has been wokeism,” she underscored.
