Talking about war and peace, poverty, housing, the environment and social justice during election campaign
United Church wants certain issues discussed in federal elections - But they do not support any party or candidate, says moderator
Charles Perry, Times & Transcript Staff, September 13th, 2008
The United Church of Canada takes every federal election seriously, but never to the point of endorsing a party or candidate, the church's moderator said yesterday.
However, during each federal election campaign, the church encourages its individual members to raise certain issues with their local candidates that are important to their basic Christian beliefs, The Right Rev. Dr. David Giuliano of Toronto said yesterday in a phone interview while en route to the Springhill medium security facility.
The visit to the penitentiary is part of his Maritime tour, which is slated to wrap up Wednesday.
Today, the moderator will be in Moncton for meetings at Mount Royal United Church from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. and St. Paul's United Church from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m.
Giuliano emphasized that the concerns they want to hear the parties' candidates speak on are much different than those issued by many religious leaders and churches in the United States during elections.
He said the latter appear to be mostly interested in moral issues such as "sexuality and abortion," whereas the United Church of Canada prefers to look at the bigger picture.
"We want to know what the candidates' stands are on such things as war and peace, poverty, housing, the environment and social justice," he added.
These are concerns that affect everybody in Canada, said Giuliano.
"As Christians, we consider them important and feel the candidates should be talking about them."
Earlier yesterday, the United church moderator met in Sackville with a committee, comprising church and aboriginal representatives, who are dealing with "healing efforts" regarding the disastrous residential school program.
For many years, Giuliano said the federal government, in co-operation with Christian denominations across Canada, including the United Church, adopted the residential school initiative. In effect, he said it amounted to an attempt to assimilate the native people.
The government and churches had good intentions at the time and the staff members in these schools were very dedicated people who genuinely wanted to help the native people, he said.
They did not realize it was a terrible program which downgraded the native people and made them feel inferior, said the moderator. He said it helped add to alcohol addiction and all kinds of other problems that developed later on the reserves.
All you have to do to understand how misguided the idea was, said Giuliano, is to imagine yourself in the same situation as these native children at the residential schools.
"Think how you would feel if you were being taught by people speaking a foreign language and with a foreign culture, and they are teaching you that you are morally inferior and that your religion is evil," he said. "As well, the parents never got to see their children.
"As a father, I know I would flip out," said Giuliano. He said the residential school committees are working with the aboriginal people in trying to heal the wounds inflicted by this terrible experiment.
He said the program was discontinued by the federal government about 10 years ago.
Guiliano said the United Church of Canada and the federal government have both since made separate "official apologies" to the native people of Canada for the residential schools.