ARPA Canada’s Mike Schouten and Levi Minderhoud in front of the Parliament Buildings in Victoria, just before meeting with a group of BC Conservatives. (image from ARPA Canada video)
The warm reception of a Christian political action group at the BC Legislature has renewed discord within the Conservative Party of British Columbia.
It also demonstrates, once again, the limits of our society’s supposed appreciation for diversity. And how challenging it is for social conservatives to find a comfortable home in any of the major political parties.
CBC News posted an article by their provincial affairs reporter Katie DeRosa. She wrote:
A B.C. Conservative MLA says she is livid after her party leader, John Rustad, and more than a dozen of his MLAs attended a speaking event at the legislature [April 29] by a Christian lobby group that opposes medical assistance in dying (MAID), abortion and gender transition for youth.
“To see a group that, in my opinion, actively works against the rights of other British Columbians, is not in line with what I want to see in the Hall of Honour,” said Surrey-Cloverdale MLA Elenore Sturko.
B.C. Conservative MLA Heather Maahs hosted the group, called the Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA), at an event in the legislature’s Hall of Honour on Tuesday.
“What ARPA has done is given a voice to the ills of society that are so harmful to many,” Maahs, the MLA for Chilliwack North, said in introducing the group.
“Many of their stances align with our common sense approach as the Conservative Party of B.C. They defend parental rights, they speak for the protection of life and harm created by MAID, and for the division created by the learning resource SOGI 123 in our public schools.”
The group has campaigned to end MAID, which it calls euthanasia. It also operates the We Need a Law campaign, which protects the rights of “pre-born children.”
Go here for the full article.
Rustad repeated to CBC what he has said many times, that “his party will not reopen the abortion debate.”
ARPA Canada’s presentation
Mike Schouten, Executive Director of ARPA Canada, thanked the assembled BC Conservatives for inviting ARPA to the legislative buildings and for their public service and leadership.
He said:
ARPA stands for the Association for Reform Political Action. We have a two-fold mission and the first part of it is to educate, equip and encourage Christians to political action. We believe that in Canada today, in British Columbia, there are many people who are concerned about what’s going on.
Christians also are concerned, but we don’t always know exactly what to do and how to do that. How do we impact public justice in our country? So we come alongside Christians, informing them on some of the issues of the day and helping them to respectfully build relationships with their MLAs and present solutions to some of the challenges and problems that are facing our society today.
The second part of our mission is to take a biblical perspective directly to our civil authorities. Canada was founded on Judeo-Christian principles. I think if we observe our country today we would all agree that at some level, many people have been complicit in actively destroying those foundations and it’s because of that that we’re seeing a lot of the challenges that we’re grappling with and dealing with day by day.
Schouten then highlighted a couple of issues of particular concern to ARPA: medical assistance in dying (euthanasia) and medical transition for minors.
He concluded:
Please know that ARPA Canada prays for you regularly. We pray for members that serve in all levels of government. We know that it’s not an easy calling and whether you’re from the Conservative Party of BC, whether you’re from the NDP party or the Green Party, we pray for you.
The NDP may or may not appreciate ARPA Canada praying for them. They distributed photos and videos of the gathering to the media, posted negative comments and have been scathing about the group in the past.
Divisions among BC Conservatives
BC Conservative leader John Rustad, who attended the event, stated that his party represents a range of views on some contentious issues.
He said, as he has many times before:
We are a broad coalition. We have people across the spectrum, so there might be some issues. We’re trying to fight for the issues that are important – issues of family, issues of faith, issues of freedoms.
But Sturko – and she seems to have supporters among BC Conservative MLAs – does not appear prepared to include ARPA Canada among the groups that should be tolerated, or at least invited to the BC Legislature.
A May 5 article in Langley Advance Times included this statement:
Sturko, who is gay, said this wasn’t an issue she anticipated when she ran for the Conservative Party of B.C.
“No, I actually did not think I would be placed in a situation where we would be having this conversation right now. . . . I’m a strong believer in free speech (and) freedom of thought. Every person in British Columbia is free to choose. . . . I do not believe that (ARPA) is a group that is aligned with (the views of) most of the people in my riding,” or even most of those in the caucus, Sturko said.
Sturko has, in fact, been well aware of the wide range of opinions on social issues in the BC Conservative caucus. She raised a considerable amount of consternation when she left BC United to join the BC Conservatives. Many asked her how she could work with a party which countenanced the participation of many committed social conservatives
Late last year, 13 fellow Conservative MLAs wrote a letter to party leader Rustad, calling for him to ask Sturko to send a written apology to a woman who had resigned, under pressure, from the Vancouver Police Board. Comfort Sakoma-Fadugba resigned after making statements on social media calling for Canadians and new immigrants to respect Canadian traditions and the Christian religion.
Sturko had joined in the criticism of Sakoma-Fadugba’s comments, especially those related to transgender issues. She refused to apologize for her critique.
ARPA Canada in action
ARPA Canada offered weekly podcast during the run-up to the federal election; the first featured Colin Postma, Director of Communications, and Ryan Mans, Ontario Manager.
ARPA Canada does not claim to stand for all Christians in Canada. The group, which has its main offices in Ottawa and the Fraser Valley, describes its role in this way:
The Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA) Canada is a grassroots Christian political advocacy organization.
The mission of ARPA Canada is to educate, equip and encourage Reformed Christians to political action, and to bring a biblical perspective to our civil authorities.
ARPA Canada believes that Jesus Christ is sovereign over all, including all civil governments. However, we also uphold the separation of the institutions of church and state. You can find this explained, alongside our other core principles, here.
Here is how they describe what they do:
- Create action items and campaigns for ARPA supporters on issues of concern;
- Provide information and support to elected officials in their difficult task of governing our provinces and nation;
- Host conferences to assist youth and adults who desire to take part in the democratic process;
- Organize presentations at churches and schools across the country;
- Intervene at all levels of courts;
- Write for publications like the Supreme Court Law Review and major Canadian newspapers, and much more.
This weekend (May 8), ARPA Canada is urging local supporters to take an active part in the March for Life in Victoria. They are one of the sponsors, along with a number of Catholic and pro-life groups.
ARPA Canada has intervened in a number of legal cases, often alongside groups such as the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and the Christian Legal Fellowship.
Speaking with CBC following Sturko’s comment, Schouten agreed that as a Christian organization, they do find homosexuality immoral, but said ARPA Canada is not trying to overturn Canada’s gay marriage laws.
The CBC News report added:
He said the group contacts politicians across Canada and tries to find “common ground” over issues important to Christians, including raising concerns about the rate of abortions among women who find out they have a child with Down syndrome. The group is also concerned about medical assistance in dying for people with disabilities or mental health issues.