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“In terms of church groups that are concerned that this may invalidate them from funding, in fact, my perspective is that it won’t, as long as their core mandate agrees with those hard won rights and freedoms that Canadians expect us to stand up for,” she said.

Her office is aiming to draw a distinction based on the phrase “core mandate,” and says there’s a difference between a group founded solely to oppose abortions and a religious group that happens to hold pro-life beliefs. Yet the application process still means all groups must sign the attestation.

“We think this is a fair process,” Hadju said. She said many faith groups are fine with checking the box because “their core mandate is actually, for example, administering the word of God, or administering spiritual guidance for people … These are the kinds of things that, if you look at the core mandates of faith groups, that they talk about.”

Pressed on how her ministry decides what a core mandate of a church is, Hajdu said the government is simply declaring its own values and it’s up to churches to decide if their core mandate allows them to sign the attestation.

“We’re working very closely, as I said, with faith groups to make sure that they understand that as long as their core mandate is not in violation of Canadian human rights and the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, and it’s not violating a woman’s ultimate right to control her own body, that they should have absolutely no problem receiving grant money, provided they, you know, fill out the application properly,” she said.