BC's Atheists Call on 23 BC Municipalities to End Illegal Prayers

Courtesy of the BC Humanist Association:

In a report released today, the BC Humanist Association has found that 23 municipalities across British Columbia began their 2018 inaugural meetings with prayers—a practice which is a violation of the state’s duty of religious neutrality, as established by the Supreme Court of Canada. 

Starting municipal council sessions with prayer was ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in their landmark 2015 decision, Mouvement laïque québécois v. Saguenay. Since then, all municipalities across the country should have complied with this ruling and discontinued the inclusion of prayer in meetings. 

In failing to do so, members of the BCHA research team state that these 23 municipalities have not only violated their duty of religious neutrality, but also excluded people they are bound to serve. Of the prayers, the "Duty of Neutrality" report found that all were delivered by members of the Christian clergy, 73.9 per cent of whom were men. 

According to the National Household Survey in 2011, 44.6 per cent of British Columbians identified as Christian, while 44.1 per cent had no religious affiliation. 

The following are municipalities found to be in violation of Saguenay: 

100 Mile House 

Armstrong 

Chilliwack 

 Clearwater 

 Creston 

 Dawson Creek 

 Lake Cowichan 

 The City of Langley 

 The Township of Langley 

 Nanaimo Nelson 

 North Vancouver 

 Parksville 

 Peachland 

 Port Coquitlam 

 Qualicum Beach 

 Saanich 

 Spallumcheen 

 Terrace 

 Trail 

 Victoria 

 White Rock 

 Williams Lake 

Following these findings, the BCHA contacted the 23 municipalities in question to inform them of the Saguenay decision and to ask that they ensure future sessions are conducted in a manner that is inclusive and constitutional. A majority of these municipalities (69.5 per cent) responded to this call. 

Of those who responded, 68.7 percent stated that they would take the report under advisement or review current procedures. The City of Langley passed a resolution confirming their receipt of the BCHA’s letter. Among the most promising responses, Spallumcheen and Trail committed directly to not including prayer in future meetings, and the Township of Langley amended their procedural bylaws to remove invocations from agendas and meetings going forward. 

Ranil Prasad, Acting Executive Director, BC Humanist Association stated: 

“The Supreme Court of Canada affirmed that municipalities must uphold religious neutrality. It’s not just as their duty, but a democratic imperative. No one, regardless of religious belief or lack thereof, should be excluded from decision-making in BC. “We are hopeful that our research and correspondence with municipalities will end prayers included in city council meetings, and thus promote a more inclusive culture for all. Going forward, we fully intend to keep holding local governments to account on the issue of separation of church and state—not just in British Columbia, but across Canada.” “It is quite clear: the Supreme Court of Canada found that beginning a municipal council meeting with a prayer is unconstitutional and discriminatory.” The findings of this study reveal the need to verify compliance with court decisions, along with the vital role of ongoing research into issues concerning the separation of religion and government.