The votes are tallied. The final results are in. British Columbia’s MLAs have officially been elected or re-elected. Now is the time to begin building relationships!
So how do I build relationships?
Building relationships requires work and patience. And, in some cases, a feast. (Intrigued? Keep reading.)
A number of years ago ARPA developed a 12-Step Action Plan to guide you in building a relationship of trust and respect with your local government official. This plan outlines one step for every month in the calendar year that you can take to foster that relationship, but you certainly can add some steps of your own or mix them around.
In the wake of a provincial election, it’s time to pull out the 12-Step Action Plan again. Many Reformed Christians in British Columbia awoke last week to a new provincial representative, likely under a new party banner. A rookie NDP MLA rather than a veteran Liberal MLA now represents the residents of Surrey-Cloverdale, Langley, Langley East, Abbotsford-Mission, Chilliwack, Chilliwack-Kent, and Vernon-Monashee. A fresh Liberal MLA now serves residents of South Abbotsford, and a new – albeit familiar – NDP MLA serves Stikine.
The first step is in relationship-building is to find out who your (new) MLA is, do a bit of research on them, and glean where they stand on the issues of today. Don’t just research their political life. Pay some attention to their former work history and family life. These are often crucial pieces of information that help you to develop a deeper relationship with your elected official.
The election of new MLAs, regardless of their party affiliation, can be tough. Christians had years (or even decades, in the case of Langley East residents) to get to know incumbent representatives. Hopefully, you had at least the seed of a relationship with your previous MLA. We could note their votes and speeches in the Legislature, hear their personal priorities through multiple election campaigns, and communicate with them frequently on salient issues.
The election of a new slate of MLAs – particularly in the Fraser Valley – has neutralized these years of familiarity. Now is the time to begin building relationships anew!
Why expend the time and effort to build these relationships?
Christians should foster relationships with their local officials for two reasons: it is a biblical model of political activism, and it works.
We all know the story of Esther. Despite her Jewish background, she became the queen of Persia after the Jewish exile. But the king’s right-hand man, Haman, plotted to eradicate all the Jews in the Persian empire – a plan that would not exempt the queen. It fell upon Esther to ask King Ahasuerus for the lives of her entire people. Think of Esther’s opportunity as the ancient-day equivalent of our modern freedom to write to, call, or meet with our MLAs. Unlike in Esther’s day, however, we can petition our elected officials without the risk of death!
When Esther was granted an audience with the king, what did she do? Did she immediately make her big ask? No. She asked, “If it please the king, let the king and Haman come today to a feast that I have prepared.” Before making a big policy request to the king, she took the time to invest in her relationship with her government official by inviting him to a lavish feast. (If you thought Esther already had a good relationship with the king by virtue of being the queen, remember that Persian kings at the time had an entire harem of women. And, as Esther herself had said, “I have not been called to come in to the king these thirty days.”)
The king consented to come to the feast. And at that feast, the king again asked Esther what her request was. She responded, again, not with her central political request, but with a second invitation to a feast. The king accepted for a second time.
Only after their relationship had been deepened at two feasts did Esther make her move. When the king asked Esther, “What is your wish? It shall be granted you. And what is your request? Even to the half of my kingdom, it shall be fulfilled,” Esther answered, “If it please the king, and if I have found favour in his sight, and if the thing seems right before the king, and I am pleasing in his eyes, let an order be written to revoke the letters devised by Haman the Agagite, the son of Hammedatha, which he wrote to destroy the Jews who are in all the provinces of the king.”
Esther put her relationship with her civil authorities first by inviting the king – twice! – to a feast. She laid out a policy request second. That is an approach that Christians can emulate.
So why wait? Maybe inviting your MLA to a feast isn’t the go-to twenty-first-century way to build a relationship. We also have some more conventional suggestions – emails, letters, phone calls, and especially face-to-face meetings – as a part of our 12-Step Action Plan. Regardless of whether you choose the Esther route or the conventional route, start building those relationships!
Levi Minderhoud is the BC Manager for ARPA Canada
Two weeks ago, British Columbians went to the polls to elect a new provincial government. A little over a year ago, Canadians also elected a new federal government. We all know the outcomes: the BC NDP won a solid majority at the provincial level, with the BC Liberals bleeding seats and BC Greens maintaining their support. At the federal level, the Liberals won a minority government. The Conservatives formed the official opposition, though under-performed expectations. The NDP staved off collapse. The Bloc Quebecois made a resurgence in Quebec. The Greens failed to capitalize on recent provincial successes. And the upstart People’s Party failed to gain a seat.
But imagine a parallel universe in which British Columbia and all of Canada were ruled not by adults, but by students.
Student Vote Results
This parallel universe is constructed by CIVIX, the facilitator of Student Vote. Student Vote allows students at elementary, middle, and high schools across a province or across the country to vote for their preferred candidate, even though these votes do not count in the actual elections. Student Vote counted and calculated their own electoral results.
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Are there any patterns to these student votes? Yes. We can clearly see that young people lean further to the left than the general Canadian population. In the British Columbian election, the right-leaning parties (the Liberals, Conservatives, and CHP) were less popular with students, although the students did elect one Conservative and one CHP MLA when the adults did not. At the federal level, the right-wing Conservatives and (left-of-) centrist Liberals also received far fewer seats and fewer votes from the students. In both cases, the leftist NDP and Green parties performed far better in the student elections than in the actual elections.
The Important Lesson
CIVIX conducts the Student Vote so that students can learn about the political process and political parties. But the greatest lesson taught by the results of the student vote might be for adults.
Schools are not neutral. Teachers are not neutral. School culture is not neutral. Peer pressure is not neutral. All aspects of school impact the worldview and actions of students.
We can see this even more clearly in a closer analysis of the Student Vote results, which actually allows you to see how students in each school voted. There is a big difference in how students at Christian schools vote and how students at public schools vote.
Take, for example, the riding of Abbotsford, British Columbia in last year’s federal election. The students of the 4 Christian Schools voted very differently than the students of the 23 public schools.
Christian parents must grasp this importance too. Parents should not expect to inoculate children in the home or at church against unbiblical teaching or negative peer pressure that may exist at a particular school. Christian education must be recognized for what it is: an indispensable part of “training up a child in the way he should go.” Christian education does not automatically guarantee that all students will have the same perspective on every topic or prompt future citizens to vote solely vote for a particular political party. There is a diversity of political thought in Christian schools (see above). Instead, a Christian education provides a Christian framework within which to view all of life, including politics.
The critical importance of education in children’s lives should not only spur parents to send their children to a Christian school, but also encourage them to defend accreditation, independence, and funding for Christian schools in the political realm. Accreditation is required so that governments and society recognize the legitimacy of education obtained in independent Christian schools. Independence is essential so that schools may teach and operate in line with the Word of God rather than the whims of men. Funding is important because it allows parents of all financial means to enrol their children in Christian schools.
The next generation will elect our future governments. The worldview and education that shape them now will shape the future of our country’s political landscape. Continue to stand up for Christian education and continue to train our young people about a Christian perspective on politics.
Levi Minderhoud is the BC Manager for ARPA Canada
According to the preliminary results of the 2020 British Columbia, the BC NDP has won a major electoral victory. The NDP is projected to win 55 of British Columbia’s 87 seats. Of the five electoral victories for the BC NDP, this election gave the party a larger margin of victory than in the 1996 and 2017 and a smaller margin of victory compared to 1972 and 1991 elections.
However, these are just preliminary results. Elections BC issued almost 725,000 mail-in ballots, or about 20% of all total votes, that remain to be counted. Because these votes have to be counted and vetted by hand, the final results of the election may not be available for another two to three weeks. The counting of mail-in ballots may change the outcome of a few close ridings such as Abbotsford-Mission, Chilliwack, Chilliwack-Kent, and Langley East, but there is little doubt that the NDP will walk away with a sizable majority government.
ARPA Canada would like to congratulate every MLA on their victory and thank every candidate for standing for election. Regardless of party affiliation, ARPA will continue to pray that God might direct the steps of all the (re-)elected MLAs and for our re-elected Premier John Horgan and that He may open their eyes to the areas in which British Columbia is going astray. We encourage you to also pray for our newly elected government.
Did any Christian parties or candidates get elected?
By winning a large majority, the New Democratic Party has solidified its hold on British Columbia’s government. As ARPA’s voting guide outlined, the NDP has generally not been supportive of Christian beliefs, such as a biblical perspective on gender and sexuality. In fact, the NDP weaponized the Christian beliefs of several opposing candidates and painted these candidates as unsupportable because of their Christian views. Although the NDP has not made any recent statements on abortion, conversion therapy, or euthanasia, it is extremely likely that the views of most of their MLAs do not align with the biblical views of Christians. For example, instead of supporting Christian hospices and palliative care units, the party wants the government to take over all Christian and all private long-term care facilities.
Unfortunately, the second-place BC Liberals as a party are not largely supportive of Christian notions of life, family, and education either. In the past few years, the BC Liberal party has been reluctantly willing to allow Christian candidates to be members of their party. With the resignation of Chilliwack-Kent MLA Laurie Throness from the BC Liberal, the space for traditional Christians is slowly being squeezed out from that party. (The race in the riding of Chilliwack-Kent is extremely close; the mail-in ballots will likely determine whether Laurie Throness or NDP candidate Kelli Paddon will win that riding.)
Smaller parties that tend to have policies more in line with the beliefs of Reformed Christians – the Christian Heritage Party and the Conservative Party – both failed to win any seats or attract a significant number of votes. The Christian Heritage Party captured 0.28% of the vote, with their leading candidate, Rod Taylor, attracting 13% of the vote in Stikine. Similarly, the leading Conservative candidate, Trevor Bolin, garnered 35% of the vote, compared to the party’s total of 2.4% province-wide.
Where should Christians go from here?
Many Reformed Christians may be cynical about these election results and the lack of support for solidly Christian political parties and candidates. Many will be tempted to revile and disparage a government that does not reflect our values.
Resist that temptation.
The apostle Peter in 1 Peter 2:13-17 says, “Be subject for the Lord’s sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. Honour everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honour the emperor.”
Realize the context in which Peter lived. The Roman emperor was not a Christian. He did not seek the well-being of Christians. He did not seek to uphold laws consistent with God’s Word.
Yet, Peter reminds all believers not only to submit but to honour the government. Do not speak ill of Premier John Horgan or your local MLA; disagree and argue against their policies, but always honour them as people made in the image of God and as the authorities that God has placed over us.
Why? The apostle Peter gives two reasons. First “this is the will of God.” It’s that simple. If God commands it, we do it. Second, “by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people.” Honouring those that you fundamentally disagree with is hard, yet it can be an incredible testament to those around you. Honouring others helps to build relationships, and good relationships with politicians are crucial to advancing Christian policy.
Stay tuned in the coming weeks for updates as the mail-in ballots are counted and the final results announced
Fall Tour continues in Alberta, ARPA merchandise, provincial Youth Convention, and the BC election!
A BC NDP government will move to an entirely public system of senior care if elected, leader John Horgan said. The British Columbia provincial election is coming up on October 24, and after the COVID-19 pandemic exposed many deficiencies in long-term care facilities, this is a key issue for all parties to address. As home care services improve and our senior population increases, people age at home for longer and so often require high levels of care when they enter long-term care. But is full government provision of that care the best answer?
In BC, close to two thirds of long-term care homes are run by either for-profit or non-profit organizations. The government fully funds only about 40% of these facilities. Shifting the whole province to a publicly-funded, non-profit model would not only cost taxpayers significantly more, it would also, and more importantly, dramatically impact choice in elder care.
Governments have an important role in ensuring that the means are available to care for our vulnerable elders. All care homes should be open to inspection and regulation to ensure that certain standards are met. Still, it is crucial that a government promotes the ability of older adults to choose the type of care they receive when they need a long-term care facility. It is not that the government should never provide long-term care services, but that they should also respect the efforts of other sectors to provide this service.
Public policy should enable a variety of elder care options to flourish, giving our elders the right to choose a home where they feel safe, valued and cared for, and where their beliefs are respected. Long-term care homes should never be penalized for holding to religious standards that forbid, for example, assisted suicide or euthanasia.
Horgan was clear that the transition to a fully public system would not happen overnight, but the idea itself is concerning and an over-reaction to issues in long-term care delivery. Full government intervention is not a solution that will benefit and respect our elders long term. Government-run facilities face criticism over inconsistent reporting requirements, lack of transparency with funds, lack of third-party financial audits, and wide variation between different home operators in different locations. Private facilities, on the other hand, both non-profit and for-profit, follow strict reporting requirements, engage in annual audits of their finances, and often provide value-based care that directly appeals to those who choose to live out their later years there.
When considering the best way forward for elder care, our leaders should be first considering our elders, as well as how they themselves would want to age. They should also be thankful to the non-profit groups that do excellent work in this area, caring for an aging population with love and intention. The focus in elder care should not be on efficiency, control, or maintenance, but purpose, choice, and meaning. This should include promoting the availability of a variety of long-term care options aligning with different cultural, religious, and moral values rather than trying to fit them into a single government-run box.
For immediate release from the Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA) Canada
October 8, 2020
OTTAWA, ON – Earlier today the BC NDP issued a press release with a false and misleading statement. We have respectfully asked them to change it, but they have not yet responded to our request.
ARPA Canada believes that all human beings are created in the image of God and it is our desire to advocate for equal respect for everyone.
It is disappointing that the actions of the BC NDP in sending out this misleading statement have caused division.
ARPA Canada is a non-partisan advocacy group and while our organization does not make any efforts to elect MLAs from any of the provincial political parties, we do meet with them regularly. In recent years, the ARPA group in the Bulkley Valley has had encouraging and respectful meetings with Honourable Doug Donaldson. They continue to have a relationship of mutual respect with this NDP cabinet minister and current candidate. As well, ARPA staff have attended consultation sessions with Premier John Horgan and Health Minister Adrian Dix during the COVID pandemic.
The ability for citizens to present their concerns and their political perspectives is central to the healthy functioning of democracy. Politicians of all parties should also be encouraged to listen to the concerns of their constituents rather than being condemned for doing so.
ARPA Canada’s mission is to educate, equip and encourage Reformed Christians to political action. The staff, volunteers, and supporters of ARPA Canada work to build relationships with governments of all levels and all parties, including in British Columbia. We will continue to carry out this mission as we seek to bring the truth found in God’s Word to bear on public life in Canada.
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For further comments or interviews, please email [email protected].
‘Defending our Christian Legacy of Freedom’; free lesson plan packages for your students; a federal conversion therapy ban could see criminal charges laid against your pastor or church; and an election is coming to BC!
British Columbians are heading into an election. On September 21, Premier John Horgan requested from the Lieutenant-Government, Janet Austin, to dissolve the British Columbian election and trigger an election. The election date is set for Saturday, October 24.
Elections are opportunities for change. COVID has brought many changes and disruptions to society, and this election is an opportunity for a political party or a movement to capture the vision of British Columbians and shape the province for decades to come.
Christians throughout British Columbia need to seize this opportunity to influence the direction of the province. Popular media sources never tire of claiming that COVID has exposed fundamental flaws in Canadian society. They are right, but rather than letting the secular world propose secular solutions to these problems, Christians should seize this opportunity to advance sound Christian policies.
The issues (that should be) on the table
COVID has highlighted the lengths to which society is willing to go to protect human life and to ensure that children are able to continue their education. Although restrictions here have not been as stringent as in other provinces, British Columbia undertook – and continues to undertake – unprecedented measures to reduce economic activity, travel, and interpersonal interactions.
Life issues (abortion, euthanasia, and palliative care)
If both the government and the people of British Columbia are willing to take such steps to avert the deaths of the vulnerable, shouldn’t they take some measures to protect the lives of other vulnerable British Columbians? Each year, the lives over 12,000 pre-born British Columbians are ended at hospitals, abortion clinics, and at home.
Although the federal government is primarily responsible for the lack of an abortion law in Canada, the provincial government could provide significant protection to the pre-born through their policies. British Columbia was the first province to pass a bubble zone law, which prevents pro-life activity within 50 meters of an abortion clinic. The province also continues to fund all abortions (including those at private clinics) through provincial taxation, even though provinces like New Brunswick have demonstrated that this need not be the case. MLAs who stand up for the lives of the pre-born are routinely disparaged, not only by their political opponents but also by their own party members.
Additionally, if provincial authorities are genuinely concerned about protecting the vulnerable seniors from COVID, why is the provincial health ministry forcing all non-denominational hospices to provide Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD)? This policy is supported by both members of the New Democratic and Liberal parties. Rather than revoking funding from palliative care centres or mandating that they must provide euthanasia, the government should be the strongest partners of such hospices, enabling them to continue their indispensable work. Greater investments must be made in palliative care.
Educational choice
COVID has also exposed cracks in British Columbia’s education system. Clearly, a one-size-fits-all approach to education does not satisfy all British Columbian parents. Although the Ministry of Education is resuming in-person education, thousands of parents are choosing to keep their children at home rather than sending them off to school in an attempt to protect them from possible exposure to COVID. Thousands of students are not getting the education that they need in the public system.
British Columbia needs to increase the diversity of schools within the province to serve parents and children where they are at. Rather than cutting funding to distributed learning schools – schools that could serve wary parents and their children very well during a pandemic – support for distributed learning should be increased. Resources and supports for home school are also critical during this time. The government should prioritize choice in education, letting parents take the lead in making educational decisions for their children.
The provincial government should also respect the right of parents to know what their children are being taught and to withdraw their children from objectionable material. For example, a public school principal on Vancouver Island last year invited a member of the local First Nation to perform a “smudging ceremony” (an Indigenous religious practice) within an elementary school classroom and prodded students to participate. All the school districts in British Columbia have approved the use of SOGI 123 materials, despite the vehement objections of many parents, normalizing transgenderism and homosexuality. At a minimum, the provincial government should notify parents of such programs and permit them to withdraw their children from classes involving such worldview-laden material.
Religious freedom
The next provincial government must focus on safely reopening other sectors of society, especially faith-based institutions. A total of 144 churches signed onto a letter during the summer, requesting that worship services in British Columbia be expanded. The request flowed from a number of reasons: infringement on fundamental freedoms, unfair treatment of churches, churches’ unique capacity to contact trace, and the essential nature of worship services.
Over the previous few weeks, Reformed Christians in British Columbia participated in a campaign to urge their authorities to expand worship services. Not only did our provincial leaders ignore this request, but every new revision to the provincial health order on mass gatherings subtracts a bit more freedom and flexibility for Christians to worship. Prospective MLAs and party leaders must acknowledge and address these concerns.
How to get these issues on the table
These issues of life, education, and religious freedom have been highlighted by COVID. Now, at the beginning of an election, we call upon all political parties in British Columbia – the New Democrats, the Liberals, the Greens, the Conservatives, and the Christian Heritage Party – to consider these critical issues. We call upon each party and each candidate to side with life, with educational choice, and with religious freedom.
How will this happen? How will political parties and candidates prioritize these issues? It starts with you. Meet your candidates. Remind them of the importance of these issues. Question where they stand on these issues. Volunteer for their campaigns. Hold them to their promises. Encourage them.
All of this will undoubtedly be a little different in this election, compared to previous elections. Fewer in-person events will likely happen. More virtual events will be held. But the opportunity for political action is still there. Seize it!
And don’t forget to vote on October 24!