Is the new crime bill right for Canada? Controversial legislation draws strong Christian response


Jonathan Malloy


ChristianWeek Columnist malloycw@gmail.com


CANADA TODAY T


he Conservative government’s omnibus crime bill was the


main item on the legislative agen- da last fall and is likely to pass the House of Commons by the time you read this. Bill C-10 (the “Safe Streets and Communities Act”) covers many different areas, from drug possession to anti-terrorism laws, and debate has been fierce. Te opposition parties argue


that many of the provisions are unnecessary, and will put more people in jail for longer without necessarily affecting crime itself. Te government argues that the changes are necessary to ensure


“criminals are held fully account- able for their actions and that the safety and security of law-abiding


Canadians and victims comes first in Canada’s justice system.” What should be the Christian


response to this issue? It’s not hard to find Christians on both sides here. Many argue from a compas- sionate and restorative justice per- spective that the bill focuses too much on punishment, rather than rehabilitation. Tere’s obviously a strong Christian basis for this argument, based on compassion and forgiveness. But other Christians argue that


view is only applicable on an indi- vidual basis. Victims can forgive, but it’s not the state’s job. So they support the government propos- als that draw a strong line between right and wrong. Tis is one of many issues where


the Bible and Christian principles can support different perspectives. A related issue is the long-gun reg- istry, which is also on its way to demise, or the purchase of F-35 fighters. Again, there are reason- able positions on both sides of the


issues, oſten tied to moral questions of peace, justice, anger, vengeance, protection of human life and other important Christian principles. When Scripture doesn’t give us


quick and unambiguous answers, Christians oſten turn to tradition and to reason. I can’t pretend to give a full discussion in this small space. But the government argues that criminal justice has driſted from its longstanding emphasis on punish- ing wrongdoing, and become more concerned with the rights of the accused than the victims. Opponents argue that punish-


ment itself has been proven less effective as a deterrent, unless accompanied by rehabilitative mea- sures and other alternatives. Tey point to statistics that show most Canadians already feel safe, and crime rates have been dropping for years. However, the government has countered, saying statistics don’t tell the whole story—nor do they can- cel out the basic principles of right and wrong.


I happen to think that, on balance,


the big and complicated crime bill does go too far, and the government appears to be ignoring important evidence and expert advice on the issues. But I also think proponents have some strong arguments as well. Tat’s the nature of public policy. What irritates me is when anyone


says they have all the answers: espe- cially all the “Christian” answers. I certainly applaud those who careful- ly explain how their faith leads them to certain conclusions. But this can lead to dogmatism and inflexibility, even when others may come to dif- ferent conclusions. And to be clear, I think both the political right and the leſt can be guilty of this. Is the crime bill right for


Canada? I’m skeptical. But I’m willing to accept that many oth- ers genuinely believe it is. To me, that’s the most important Christian response of all.


Jonathan Malloy is an associate professor of political science at Carleton University.


Chinese flock to Christ despite government interference D


Geoffrey P. Johnston ChristianWeek Columnist


espite strict government con- trol of religion in China, citi-


zens of the world’s most populace country continue to flock to Jesus Christ. Even state persecution of some Christian communities in China has not prevented the faith- ful from gathering and worship- ping in secret. Since the 1980s, restrictions on


freedom of religion have lessened somewhat, Kiri Kankhwende of Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW), tells ChristianWeek. “However, there are still prob-


lems,” says the press officer for CSW, a United Kingdom-based Christian non-governmental orga- nization that promotes religious freedom. Unfortunately, says Kankhwende,


“Internationally recognized reli- gious freedom standards are rou- tinely ignored in China.” State persecution of Christians


“varies from harassment, humilia- tion, fines and church closures, to imprisonment, torture, and forced labour,” he says. Unlike in Hong Kong, which


enjoys special legal protections for freedom of religion, separate Protestant denominations are not permitted on mainland China. When the Communists seized


control of the mainland in 1949, says Kankhwende, the regime established state bodies to oversee religion in China, including Christianity. To this day, Beijing tightly con-


trols the practice of the Christian faith on the mainland, requiring believers to register with either the official state-controlled Protestant or Catholic churches. By controlling churches, Beijing


is violating the basic human rights of Chinese Christians, according to the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), a non-partisan human rights body established by the United States Congress in 1998. Its mission is to advise the U.S. gov- ernment on issues of religious lib- erty around the globe. “Trying to wedge people into


so-called churches that are under the thumb of Chinese authorities is not freedom of religion, but a form of serfdom intended to exact total and unconditional loyalty to whatever whim fancies Beijing,”


writes Leonard Leo, chairman of the USCIRF, in an e-mail. “Te Chinese government is


trampling fundamental and uni- versal human rights,” continues Leo, “when it restricts freedom of religion of those who choose not to affiliate with state-managed and controlled churches.” Patrick Yu, the Hong Kong-born


Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Toronto, acknowledges Chinsee Christians’ “legitimate fear” of government persecution. Tat fear, he says, has discouraged many Christians from registering with state-sanctioned churches. “Many Catholics, who wish to be


loyal to Rome, do not want to wor- ship in the official churches,” says Kankhwende. “And as a result, an unofficial Roman Catholic Church, sometimes called the ‘under- ground’ church, [has] sprung up in China.” Te CSW representative says that


there are also Protestant “house” churches in China. Tose unoffi- cial churches are made up of “those congregations who choose, oſten for reasons of conscience, not to join the officially recognized churches.” House churches “operate in a


legal grey area,” says Kankhwende. And that means their congrega- tions “can face persecution form authorities due to their de facto illegal status.” According to the 2011 annu-


al report issued by the USCIRF, Chinese authorities detained over 500 unregistered Protestants between April 1, 2010 and March 31, 2011. Te commission also notes that


dozens of unregistered Catholic clergy “remain in detention or home confinement, or have disappeared.” Te USCIRF report concludes that the Communist regime has


“stepped up efforts to destroy churches and close ‘illegal’ meet- ing points.” Yet, hope remains.


“Te church in China is growing


at a phenomenal rate,” Yu says. While it is difficult to accurately


estimate the number of Christians in China, he says that there are more than 50 million Christians in mainland China, “many times the number before the revolution.”


Geoffrey P. Johnston is a Canadian freelance journalist.


• January 01, 2012 • 23


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