Harper launching long-awaited religious freedom office

New arm of foreign affairs department promised during 2011 election but post hard to fill

CBC News

Posted: Feb 18, 2013 10:42 PM ET

Last Updated: Feb 19, 2013 10:02 AM ET

Details about a long-awaited Office of Religious Freedom, and the person who will lead it, will be announced today by Prime Minister Stephen Harper.

Harper first promised the new branch of Foreign Affairs nearly two years ago during the last federal election campaign.

The announcement will be made at the Ahmadiyya Muslim community centre and mosque in Vaughan, Ont., a community north of Toronto.

The government's plan has been delayed for several months after it was revealed that Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird had trouble filling the top job.

Senior government sources told CBC News in the fall that at least two people had turned down the position of ambassador after being approached by Baird.

The foreign affairs minister, who is on a six-country tour of Latin America this week, will not attend the announcement.

Harper will be joined by International Co-operation Minister Julian Fantino, who represents Vaughan in the House of Commons, and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney, a key player in the Harper government's relationship with ethnic communities.

The new office is reported to have a price tag of $5 million, including $500,000 for operations.

NDP foreign affairs critic Paul Dewar said there are many questions to be answered on what role the office will play.

"It really is a question of at what cost to other areas?" said Dewar. "Are they going to come forward with other initiatives on human rights protections, democratic development?"

The idea of an office has not been without controversy over a possible bias and which religious communities it will represent.

In 2011, a closed-door meeting about the office, organized by the government, was criticized by some scholars after it turned out four of the six panellists being consulted were drawn from Christian religions, with the other two being Jewish and Ba'hai.

Around the same time, Baird went to Washington to meet with Suzan Johnson Cook, head of the U.S. Office of International Religious Freedom, which the Canadian office may be modelled after.

The U.S. office was put in place by the Clinton administration.

With files from The Canadian Press

Stay Connected with CBC News

Big Box Advertisement

Power & Politics Ballot Box question by Rosemary Barton May. 22, 2013 5:39 PM Do you believe the P.M. learned about the Duffy/Wright deal through the media?

Top News Headlines

2nd suspect named in Tim Bosma slaying: The second suspect arrested in the Tim Bosma slaying has been identified as Mark Smich, 25, of Oakville, Ont., Supt. Dan Kinsella of Hamilton police announced Wednesday afternoon. more »

Harper 'not consulted' about Duffy Senate expense repayment: Prime Minister Stephen Harper says that not only did he not know about his chief of staff's "gift" to repay Senator Mike Duffy's expenses before the story broke in the media, he was not consulted and did not sign off on Nigel Wright's decision to write a personal cheque. more »
2 infants confirmed among dead of Oklahoma tornado: Rescue workers raced to complete the search for survivors and the dead in the Oklahoma City suburb where a mammoth tornado destroyed countless homes, cleared lots down to bare red earth and claimed 24 lives, including those of 10 children. more »
'You will see him again in heaven,' Sharlene Bosma tells daughter: Sharlene Bosma told more than 1,000 people at the public memorial service for her slain husband, Tim Bosma, about the love they shared. more »
Senators' Alfredsson on defeating Penguins: 'Probably not': The Pittsburgh Penguins scored four times in the third period and six unanswered goals in all to blow out the Ottawa Senators 7-3 and take a 3-1 lead in their Eastern Conference semi-final series. more »

Must Watch

Latest Politics News Headlines

Harper 'not consulted' about Duffy Senate expense repayment

Harper 'not consulted' about Duffy Senate expense repayment: Prime Minister Stephen Harper says that not only did he not know about his chief of staff's "gift" to repay Senator Mike Duffy's expenses before the story broke in the media, he was not consulted and did not sign off on Nigel Wright's decision to write a personal cheque. more »

Mike Duffy's primary home not P.E.I., unedited Senate report says: A copy of the original report by an internal Senate committee on Senator Mike Duffy's expense claims, obtained by CBC News, makes it clear the committee believes Duffy's primary residence is in Ottawa, and not in P.E.I. more »
Nanos Number: Few see positives in current political climate: Nik Nanos digs beneath the numbers with CBC New Network's Power & Politics to get to the political, economic and social forces that shape our lives. This week: Few Canadians believe the current political environment will result in positive results. more »
Internet bill would unlock personal details, says watchdog: The Harper government's recent bid to give police more information about Internet users would have unlocked numerous revealing personal details — from web-surfing habits to names of friends, says a new study by the federal privacy watchdog. more »
Wallin refuses to answer questions about repaying expenses: Speaking as an independent Saskatchewan senator for the first time, Pamela Wallin is not answering any questions about whether or not she has repaid expense money. more »

More Headlines »

The National

The House

Questions mount for Harper and chief of staff Nigel Wright in Senate scandal May. 18, 2013 1:15 PM This week on The House, with Senators Wallin and Duffy now out of the Conservative caucus, we get reaction from NDP Ethics critic Charlie Angus. We also hear directly from Senator Patrick Brazeau who says the Conservatives have thrown him under the bus. Plus we speak with B.C. Premier Christy Clark after her stunning victory.