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Despite the additional information, applicants must still attest that “both the job and the organization’s core mandate respect … the right to access safe and legal abortions … and the rights of gender-diverse and transgender Canadians.”

Photo by Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press

The key clarification is that the “core mandate” is the “primary activities undertaken by the organization that reflect the organization’s ongoing services provided to the community. It is not the beliefs of the organization, and it is not the values of the organization.”

In a failed attempt to make things better, Hajdu has made thing worse. Worse still, she has not the faintest idea of why she is going backwards, as the terrain of human rights appears alien to her.

Hajdu has not the faintest idea of why she is going backwards, as the terrain of human rights appears alien to her

Her position is that groups who do not agree with her on abortion, or do not have a position on abortion, can still attest that they do support the government’s position because working against it is not part of their “core mandate.”

A pro-life landscaper can therefore say that she supports abortion on demand — and therefore be eligible for a student wage subsidy — because the government has decided cutting grass is the core mandate of the small business. The business owner can be forced to profess what she does not believe, not to worry, because the really important business is mowing the lawn. The core mandate, now defined by the government, is the activities — landscaping, summer camp, refugee assistance — and not the “beliefs” or “values.”