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By Lloyd Mackey
 IF THERE is a source of influence for faith-based social conservatives, it
could well be found in a law office on West Broadway in Vancouver.
That is where K-John Cheung practices law half of his working day. The
other half is spent leading the Canadian Alliance for Social Justice
and Family Values Association (CASJAFVA).
Cheung is slight, energetic, friendly and clearly in charge. At CASJAFVA's
annual fundraiser banquet this past Sunday night (September 23), he told
the restive crowd that if they did not stop talking and listen, there
would be no food. He was smiling as he spoke, but the slight edge to his
voice showed that if the noise continued, he might just lose his patience.
And no one who had plunked down $38 for a ticket to this evening was about
to risk giving up on this 12-course dinner.
Edna and I had occasion to attend the gala event, which draws around 1,000
each year to Floata, arguably Canada's
largest Chinese restaurant. As it happens, the member of parliament for
whom she works as administrative assistant, Maurice Vellacott,
was this year's guest speaker. (Previous speakers at this event have
included veteran Conservative MPs Art Hanger and Jason Kenney, as well as
Stephen Harper, when he was opposition leader.)
Vellacott needed some organizational help in Vancouver, thus Edna's reason
to be there. And, in turn, she -- out of her own pocket -- found me a
reasonably-priced airline ticket, so I could tag along.
As a result, OttawaWatch readers will get a glimpse, this week, at
one example of the social virility of many of the Christian-based Chinese
communities in Canada.
* * *
CASJAFVA reflects the activist socially-conservative part of the Chinese
community in BC.
The group carefully selects a range of issues on which they can become
involved. Their annual fundraiser contributes to the costs of research and
advocacy, as they take an issue forward.
The Floata event was, as it was supposed to be, fun. After all, not only
the Lord, but the leaders of advocacy groups, love cheerful givers. The
more cheer, the better the dollars roll in.
But there were three points in the evening when a serious message was
being communicated.
The first was what the theme speaker communicated. Vellacott delivered an
inspirational, non-controversial homily -- a personal witness, if you like
-- about his upbringing, preparation for service and the influences that
these factors had on the way in which he functions as a member of
parliament. He drew on his parents' influence, his own faith journey, his
education (he has an earned doctorate in ministry from Trinity Evangelical
Divinity School), the growth and development of his own family and his
experience both as a pastor and a community health board member in
Saskatoon.
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Cheung, for his part, reported on the major issue that had
CASJAFVA's attention this year. He described it as a human rights issue.
It concerned developing a response to an agreement between the British
Columbia education ministry, on one hand, and a gay teacher activist
couple known as Murray and Peter Corren.
The agreement gives the couple virtual veto power in the development and
presentation of a social justice course which, among other things, is
apparently designed to discourage discrimination in the BC public school
system, against gay, lesbian and transsexual students.
CASJAFVA held a rally in front of the Parliament Buildings in Victoria
last March. At that event, the group presented a petition to the
provincial education ministry asking for similar input from people
representing parents, teachers and students who did not want to be forced
to suspend their own beliefs in compliance with the program.
Cheung believes that the ministry has given them a partial victory,
namely, the right to recommend changes in the program that would reflect
their perspective.
* * *
The third point worth noting was Cheung's recognition that other BC groups
are working on this same issue, independently of CASJAFVA. He cited BC
REAL Women and the BC Christian Coalition, the latter headed by Len
Remple, who has retained Robert Kuhn and Kevin Boonstra, to handle the
legal side of the issue.
(Lawyers Kuhn and Boonstra were successfully involved back in the '90s, in
what is now known as the 'Trinity Western'
case. In that case, the Supreme Court of Canada found in favour of
Trinity Western University. The BC College of Teachers had tried to
prevent accreditation of TWU teacher education grads for teaching in the
public school system. The college had been concerned that, because the
school had a community standard discouraging premarital or extramarital
sex, that its graduates might discriminate against gay students.)
In his Floata presentation, Cheung demonstrated an affinity for the
entrepreneurial approach to advocacy on social issues by emphasizing his
belief that independent action is best. He suggested that often, it is a
"waste of time" for similarly-motivated advocacy groups to try working
together.
At the same time, however, he was prepared to recognize the achievements
of other groups and encourage them to keep working away at their goals.
The recipients of the CASJAFVA 2007 achievement award were Dr. Vellacott,
Tristan Emmanuel (a Christian polemicist who leads Equipping Christians
for the Public Square) and Edward Hird, an
award-winning author and Anglican priest who has been active in the
struggle against the use of same-sex blessings in that communion.
* * *
Lloyd Mackey is a member of the Canadian Parliamentary Press Gallery in
Ottawa and author of Stephen Harper: The Case for Collaborative Governance
(ECW Press, 2006). He can be reached at lmackey@canadianchristianity.com.
September 27/2007
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