Difference between revisions of "CanadianValues.ca"

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The health of a democracy is measured, not only by the efficiency of its electoral system, but by the quality of its debate on public policy as well.

Judged by this standard, Canadian democracy today is struggling. Our country suffers from a critical lack of competing visions in both the political and academic world, a deficiency which negatively impacts all aspects of our society.

On the political scene, we are witnessing the emergence of a de facto single-party state, where political leaders and parties are elected, not for their ideas, but for their personalities and their willingness to subordinate themselves to the accepted doctrine. In academia, only approved ideas are tolerated while dissenting views are discouraged and the dissenters are routinely ridiculed, even vilified. A new, secular liberal “morality” is sweeping our nation, a “morality” exemplified by radical policy initiatives such as the redefinition of marriage and the legalization of drug use, prostitution and euthanasia.

Friedrich Hayek, author of the influential book The Road to Serfdom, once remarked that the task of political thinkers was to challenge wisdom, thereby expanding the limits of what is feasible.

That is what we at the Institute for Canadian Values have set out to do – expand the limits of what is feasible by presenting facts and argument that challenge the new “wisdom” on a wide range of public policy issues. We hope, thereby, to do our part in breaking the stranglehold that post-modern thinking (or should I say post-thinking modernism) currently has on our governments and institutions of higher learning.

Our perspective on issues is clear. Our members and supporters adhere to a set of principles that find their roots in traditional Judea-Christian moral and intellectual teaching. Not all of us are religious – in fact some of us even profess faiths other than Judaism or Christianity. But we all agree that the principles embodied in these teachings form the foundation of western civilization and Canadian democratic society.

Our aim is not to advance a religious agenda for Canada, but rather to promote open, honest and intelligent debate on the issues of our day, to participate in that debate in a thoughtful and respectful manner, and to encourage Canadians not to reject sensible public policy alternatives simply because they happen to be consistent with traditional religious principles.

We see our role as being essentially educational. By collecting and disseminating the best of Canadian and foreign commentary consistent with our perspective, by gathering independent research on the issues and making it readily available, and by offering practical training for those who wish to become more actively engaged in the democratic process, we hope to provide both private citizens and public officials alike with the knowledge and tools they require to make knowledgable decisions.

By incorporating the term Canadian values into our name, we are also making a statement, namely, that the values embodied in our principles – values such as hard work, personal responsibility for oneself, one’s family and one’s community, limited government, and public accountability, to name a few – that these are authentic Canadian values. Conversly, those values that discourage work and responsibility, that deprecate the sanctity of life, that undermine the role of family and promote dependency on a relentlessly growing government – those values are not Canadian.

We hope that you will find this site useful and informative, that you will continue to visit it often, and that you will tell your friends about it. We also urge you to join with us in defending true Canadian values by getting involved. Become a member of our Institute, or make a donation, or both.

Our motto “Where there is no vision, the people perish" is taken from the Book of Proverbs. But it is also inscribed on the walls of Parliament.

The fathers of Confederation recognized and respected the lasting contribution that religious institutions and ideas make to the health of the nation and the wellbeing of its citizens. Isn't it about time we did the same?

Joseph C. Ben-Ami is Executive Director of the Institute for Canadian Values.

web site: http://www.canadianvalues.ca