Backing Black and Collins

Re: Right vs. wrong — Resistance to summer jobs program is heating up, Conrad Black, July 7, and Black is off-base, letter to the editor, July 10

In her response to Conrad Black’s typically erudite column, Joyce Arthur, executive director of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, displays a profound lack of insight by insisting that institutions that object to the Canada Summer Jobs attestation (including churches obviously) be required to “prove” that their hiring practices are not discriminatory to LGBT youth. As any first grader knows, it’s well nigh impossible to prove a negative. Secondly, if a church doesn’t want to hire an LGBT youth to promote chastity, for instance (which is kind of part of their mandate), that’s entirely their business. Jeff Willerton, Airdrie, Alta.

Thomas Cardinal Collins sounds like a rational, fair and thoughtful man. His concern about the authoritarian move of the federal government — wherein the government is demanding statements of support for abortion in order to receive summer jobs funding — should sound a warning bell for all Canadians.

This action by our government, regardless of whether it is pro-abortion, anti-gun or protecting the environment, crosses the line of democratic values. Why isn’t the general public inflamed over this move by our government? I find it deeply disturbing. Karen Fenwick, Thornhill, Ont.