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By Lloyd Mackey
 CHARLES McVETY is one feisty fellow.
And because he is, the faith/political interfaces around The Hill grow interesting, from time to time.
But it should not be automatically assumed that when McVety gets headlines and airtime in the national media, that he is speaking for most evangelical Christians or right-of-centre politicians.
When McVety speaks, he is generally cited as the president of both Toronto's Canada Christian College and Calgary-based Canada Family Action Coalition. Sometimes he is dramatically described as one of Canada's most powerful evangelical leaders and a major influencer of the present Conservative government on matters of life and family issues.
Further, he suggests that he has no hesitation in organizing competing candidates in Conservative and Liberal ridings presently held by MPs who are unsympathetic to his particular take on moral or social issues.
All these things help build McVety's feisty image.
* * *
This week, I have been reading Suddenly Silenced, a breezy and meandering autobiography by John Wesley White, the Oxford doctorate-possessing long time Canadian associate evangelist to Billy Graham.
The title relates to the fact that after decades of erudite and passionate evangelistic preaching, White was suddenly silenced in the late '90s, through a debilitating stroke. While he has recovered some of his ability to speak, he struggles to put the right words in the right places as he tries to communicate a brilliant and rapidly-thinking mind.
As it happens, White is McVety's uncle and the founding chancellor of Richmond College. Charles' father, Elmer, had dreamed of making Richmond into a Canadian evangelical Harvard. Eventually, the school morphed into Canada Christian College.
White speaks of a hockey game decades ago, between the fledgling Richmond team and the mighty Wheaton College competitors. Wheaton, of course, is Billy Graham's alma mater and the generally-acknowledged evangelical 'Harvard' along with Baylor University in Texas.
McVety, along with several other White and McVety family members made up the Richmond team, which, according to White's book, ended up beating Wheaton 11-7.
The then-principal of Wheaton, Hudson Taylor Armerding (another big family name in evangelicalism) was apparently quite chagrined at the loss to this Canadian upstart. But Billy Graham later encouraged him to keep his unhappiness in check and show Christian grace toward these Canadians.
* * *
All of which is, hopefully, to understand McVety and his particular approach to public policy comment.
In recent days, his main media exposure has been his claim to have influenced two Harper cabinet members, Justice Minister Rob Nicholson and Stockwell Day at public safety. His influence, arguably, was to urge changing the rules to make it harder for producers of gratuitously violent or pornographic creations to benefit from tax credits for their work.
Several stories have appeared, in which McVety is quoted as having leaned -- directly or indirectly -- on the two ministers. And, in following up, the journalists chasing the story have tried to provide some background as to just how influential McVety might or might not be.
Probably the story which provided the most comprehensive context -- without going on and on -- appeared April 12 in the Ottawa Citizen.
Don Hutchinson, legal counsel for the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada succinctly provided that context.
He suggested it would be a mistake to assume that McVety represents the collective views of Canada's evangelical community.
He said the EFC represents more than three million Canadians, 40 denominations and more than 1,000 congregations. And that list does not include McVety's church or related organizations.
Further, 35 Christian colleges and 89 organizations are affiliated with the EFC -- but those lists do not include Canada Christian College or the Canada Family Action coalition.
"There is a broad spectrum on the evangelical meter. Charles may be representative of one end . . . of that spectrum," Hutchinson suggested.
Reporter Tim Shufelt, who wrote the Citizen story, concludes it with a quote from McVety defending one of his recent past practices, that of registering dozen of unclaimed Internet domains bearing the names of several Liberal candidates. He calls the practice education: his critics term it "cybersquatting."
Here is what Shufelt quoted McVety as saying: A lot of members of Parliament, they like to appease special interests and do things that are against the population, but they don't like people knowing about it. Why not educate people on what their representative is doing? Why should all the education be left to the CBC? * * *
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.
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Related stories:
Tories plan to cancel tax credits for "offensive" films, TV shows
Canada's arts community is condemning proposed changes to the Income Tax Act that would allow the federal government to pull financial help for film or television programs that it finds offensive or not in the public interest. . . . Stephen Waddell, the National Executive Director of ACTRA, says the arts community is concerned about who exactly would make the decision as to what would be offensive. Waddell wonders if the standards are of a modern Canadian society or what he calls the "fundamentalist perspective" that has crept up from the United States.
Canadian Press, February 28
Evangelist takes credit for film crackdown
A well-known evangelical crusader is claiming credit for the federal government's move to deny tax credits to TV and film productions that contain graphic sex and violence or other offensive content. Charles McVety, president of the Canada Family Action Coalition, said his lobbying efforts included discussions with Public Safety Minister Stockwell Day and Justice Minister Rob Nicholson, and "numerous" meetings with officials in the Prime Minister's Office.
Globe and Mail, February 29
Eye of the beholder
If Charles McVety has his way, Canadian culture is about to get a lot more boring. Mr. McVety, a well-known evangelical crusader, is taking credit for the fine print in a sneaky new bill that would allow government censors to pull financial aid for any film or television show they deem offensive - even if government agencies have already invested in them. From now on, every federally funded project will be vetted by bureaucrats from the Canadian Audio-Visual Certification Office and the Department of Justice, who will ensure that we are protected from disgusting displays of sin and filth and other things not in the public interest. This is rotten news.
Margaret Wente, Globe and Mail, March 1
The Hipsters are having fun? Time to amend legislation
It's news to me that Canada is a Christian Evangelical country. The other evening, while consuming a few measures of dry sherry I felt inspired to contact God and, it turns out, it's news to Him, too. In fact, God told me Himself that He's a Trailer Park Boys kinda guy. He loves it. People who aren't rich or successful getting along, taking care of each other, being tolerant of foibles and idiocy, and being kind to kitties. He doesn't have a problem with the swearing. He's heard worse.
John Doyle, Globe and Mail, March 3
Bringing good taste to a cinema near you
My fellow Conservatives, As you no doubt have heard, we are now fixing the criteria for tax credits for Canadian movies and TV shows. From now on, we can simply deny tax credits to productions if we find them obscene or in any way personally offensive to our way of life. I see the future, my friends, and it stars Anne of Green Gables. As our good friend Charles McVety said, this is a victory for the Canada Family Action Coalition. It is through their hard work - and the lobbying of our Justice Minister, Rob Nicholson, and Stockwell Day, our Minister of Public Safety, and numerous officials in my office - we can now ensure that likeminded conservatives have the final say on what kind of TV shows and movies get made in Canada.
Rick Mercer (writing as Stephen Harper), Globe and Mail, March 3
A quantum of sex-ed proposals
Much of the free publicity -- the movie opens next month -- is courtesy of Christian evangelist Charles McVety, pictured. McVety exerts influence on the current government, backbench to front. He has lobbied all the way to the Prime Minister's Office. Now an item of legislation would cancel tax credits for Canadian movies depicting sexual acts that have no educational purpose. Such a law would encourage filmmakers to enhance the tutorial utility of their sex scenes.
Kevin Baker, National Post, March 8
REAL Women applauds film tax-bill measures
The government's attempt to deny tax credits to film and television productions that it deems offensive received rare applause yesterday from groups that argue tax dollars should not support depictions of graphic sex and violence. The measures, which are contained in an omnibus tax bill currently before the Senate banking committee, have been condemned by members of Canada's entertainment industry as a form of censorship. But Diane Watts, a researcher with REAL Women - a lobby group for socially right-wing causes - told the senators yesterday those concerns are unfounded.
Globe and Mail, April 10
When lobbyists speak in tongues
Evangelical leader downplays role as parliamentary string-puller; but critics aren't so sure
Ottawa Citizen, April 12
Film tax credit proposal falls short, evangelist says
A group led by evangelist Charles McVety says a contentious proposal to withhold tax credits from TV shows and films deemed pornographic may not go far enough because the majority of Canadians do not want to fund those types of productions.
Globe and Mail, April 17
April 18/2008
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How about an exploration of why private film producers seem to feel entitled to dine at a tax-payer provided trough--provided through either subsidies or tax cuts: the difference is not necessarily substantive.
In Your first link to the Globe; they accuse McVety of taking credit for changes to bill C 10. On your last link to the Globe: they say McVety tells the senate commitee he had never heard of bill C 10 untill the Globe printed their accusations. The Globe's spin doctors are inconsistent.
Furthermore I don't think it's right for Christians giving links to evil writings.