Canadian Bishop: When does state neutrality threaten one’s religious freedom?

Summary

The article reports that the Canadian government issued new instructions on July 29, 2026, titled “Canadian Armed Forces Military Personnel Training 03/26 – Spiritual Reflections in Military Contexts.” According to the article, the instructions prohibit Canadian Armed Forces chaplains and other Department of National Defence personnel, including volunteers, contractors, and employees, from using language referring to God during events connected to official government business. The policy is presented as an effort to respect freedom of conscience, religious expression, and diverse spiritual traditions. Bishop Scott McCaig, Bishop of the Military Ordinariate of Canada, criticized the instructions, arguing that they may improperly restrict religious conscience and establish a broader precedent for the place of religion in Canadian public life. He said the dispute concerns competing interpretations of “true secularity”: freedom from religion versus an open neutrality that protects both religious and nonreligious expression. McCaig is working with the Interfaith Committee for Canadian Military Chaplaincy, which includes concerns shared beyond the Catholic community but seeks dialogue with the government. The article links the controversy to the Supreme Court of Canada’s 2015 Saguenay decision concerning state neutrality toward religion and says the meaning of that ruling remains contested. McCaig describes Canada as having moved beyond Christendom while expressing hope that dialogue can produce an inclusive policy that better serves military personnel.