Many people around the world experience religious persecution. It will be interesting to see what role Andrew Bennett takes in the development of foreign policy around religious freedom. Perhaps his greatest role will be to lift up to governments the plight of those who suffer for their faith. It will be important that here in Canada our government is scrupulous in protecting and uplifting religious freedom here so that we can be a good example.
We may not see the issues as clearly in our own country as we do those of others.
With federal cuts to some religious groups who have worked for the betterment of the oppressed here and in the developing world (Kairos, The Mennonite Central Committee, chaplains in the Corrections System) and the funding of other religious groups, there may be an issue of religious freedom here at home which has already hampered the work of Canadians to work for religious freedom in the rest of the world. We live in a secular society where the denigration of the role of faith is commonplace. Perhaps such an office will lift up the importance of faith in a positive way.
