Shining the light of faith on the referendum questions

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On October 19, Albertans will be going to the polls to vote on a set of 10 questions prepared by Danielle Smith's UCP government. It's vitally important that those who are eligible get out and vote. While there's been a lot of news surrounding the question about holding a binding referendum to remain in Canada or separate, the other 9 questions may not be as well understood. Over the coming weeks, we will look at these questions through the lens of faith.

​We are privileged to live and worship on Treaty 7 land, home to the Nakoda First Nations: Chiniki, Bearspaw, Goodstoney; the Blackfoot Confederacy: Kainai, Pikani, and Siksika, and the Tsuut’ina Nation. This territory is also home to the Métis Nation of Alberta, Region 3. We commit to walking alongside our Indigenous neighbours in respect, listening, and partnership, trusting that the Spirit is leading us toward a more just and healed future.

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Question 1:

Do you support the Government of Alberta taking increased control over immigration for the purposes of decreasing immigration to more sustainable levels, prioritizing economic migration and giving Albertans first priority on new employment opportunities?

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Our response:

Acts 10:34 God plays no favorites! It makes no difference who you are or where you’re from...the door is open.

Welcoming the stranger is a recurring theme in scripture. As people of faith following the path of Christ, we are called to the practice of radical hospitality, of loving our neighbour without conditions. As residents of the Bow Valley, immigrants are a vital part of the work force in health care and the service industry.

They enliven the cultural fabric of our towns, and they are our neighbours. It is important that we let the government of Alberta know where we stand on this issue.​

“The Alberta government already has the tools it needs to influence economic migration. This question is unnecessary, confusing and misleading. We are voting NO on Question 1.” -Founders & Contributors of BeforeVoting.ca: https://beforevoting.ca/article-source/question-1​

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Loving God, help us to welcome immigrants with open hearts. We acknowledge that we ~ or our ancestors, were once immigrants to this province. May we make room for all who come looking for a better life within the boundaries of this province.

May we be good neighbours.

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Amen

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Question 2:

Do you support the Government of Alberta introducing a law mandating that only Canadian citizens, permanent residents and individuals with an Alberta-approved immigration status will be eligible for provincially funded programs, such as health care, education and other social services?
 

Our response:

Matthew 25:35 - 36, 40 35 for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’ ‘Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did it to me.’

“True discipleship is …a way of living that is not political but which has serious political implications….The disciple takes public issue with the values of a world that advantages only those who are already advantaged…True discipleship takes the side always, always, always of the poor, the minority, the outcast, the reviled, the rejected, the other, despite the power of the rich and powerful.” ~ Sister Joan Chittister

“This question ignores the economic and community contributions made by newcomers in the province. Beyond pure economic considerations, there are basic concerns about how we treat people in Alberta, and whether we view things like basic health care and education for children as rights that serve the collective good.

We are voting NO on Question 2.”

-Founders & Contributors of BeforeVoting.ca: Click on their link below
 

Loving God, help us to practice true discipleship ~ caring for the sick, clothing the naked, feeding the hungry, opening school doors to all your children. May our welcome of strangers be wide and generous.
 

Amen

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Question 3:

Assuming that all Canadian citizens and permanent residents continue to qualify for social support programs as they do now, do you support the Government of Alberta introducing a law requiring all individuals with a non-permanent legal immigration status to reside in Alberta for at least 12 months before qualifying for any provincially-funded social support programs?
 

Our response:

Leviticus 19:33-34 Don’t take advantage of any stranger who lives in your land. You must treat the outsider as one of your native-born people—as a full citizen—and you are to love them in the same way you love yourself; for remember, you were once strangers living in Egypt. I am the Eternal One, your God.
 

These verses remind us of our shared humanity and the sacred responsibility to welcome and protect the vulnerable. Caring for immigrants and refugees is a consistent and powerful theme, appearing frequently in both the Hebrew and Christian scriptures. Whether through love, acceptance, or advocacy, these words remind us of the importance of welcoming the immigrants in our communities. (Sojourners)
 

“The question lumps together very different categories of people: temporary foreign workers filling labour shortages, international students, spouses and children accompanying workers or students, and refugee claimants. If Alberta wants temporary foreign workers and international students to come here, contribute to the economy, and eventually become permanent residents, policies that treat them differently for accessing services may discourage them from coming to Alberta. We are voting NO on Question 3.”

-Founders & Contributors of BeforeVoting.ca
 

Merciful God, help us to love immigrants as we love ourselves. May we support them with compassion as they find their way in our communities. Grant us the wisdom to create a place where all feel welcome and everyone’s needs are met.
 

Amen 

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Question 4:

Assuming that all Canadian citizens and permanent residents continue to qualify for public health care and education as they do now, do you support the Government of Alberta charging a reasonable fee or premium to individuals with a non-permanent immigration status living in Alberta for their and their family’s use of the health care and education systems?

Our response:

Matthew 20:1-16 20 God’s kingdom is like an estate manager who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. They agreed on a wage of a dollar a day, and went to work. Later, about nine o’clock, the manager saw some other men hanging around the town square unemployed. He told them to go to work in his vineyard and he would pay them a fair wage. They went. He did the same thing at noon, and again at three o’clock. At five o’clock he went back and found still others standing around. He said, ‘Why are you standing around all day doing nothing?’ They said, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He told them to go to work in his vineyard.

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When the day’s work was over, the owner of the vineyard instructed his foreman, ‘Call the workers in and pay them their wages. Start with the last hired and go on to the first.’ Those hired at five o’clock came up and were each given a dollar. When those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more. But they got the same, each of them one dollar. Taking the dollar, they groused angrily to the manager, ‘These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.’ He replied to the one speaking for the rest, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn’t we? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you…So the last will be first, and the first will be last.

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“The workers are angry because the vineyard owner was generous to somebody else. That is the uncomfortable center of this parable. They do not resent injustice. They resent grace. They were perfectly content with what they had received until they discovered that somebody they considered less deserving had received the same thing. And their complaint is astonishing: “You have made them equal to us.”

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The kingdom that Jesus announces is not constructed around our carefully maintained hierarchies of deserving and undeserving. Grace is not distributed according to seniority. Equality is not an insult to those who already have a place at the table. Someone else receiving dignity does not diminish yours. Someone else receiving rights does not take away yours. Someone else being welcomed does not make you less welcome. Feed people. Protect people. Welcome people. Advocate for people.”                      ~ Michaelangelo D'Arrigo

 

“People who live, work, and study in Alberta help fund public services and contribute to the economy through taxes, consumer spending and foreign student fees. This proposal would require many to pay twice for services that their taxes already support. Fees, in addition to taxes, could be a barrier to temporary workers and their families getting timely health care and lead to greater costs and poor health outcomes down the road. We are voting NO on Question 4.”  https://beforevoting.ca/article-source/question-4

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God of grace, when we are sent into the town squares, help us to find the people waiting to be hired. May we welcome them into the community, offering them dignity and a place at the table, education and health care.

Amen