Appeal for public school smudging ritual performed without parental consent heard in Vancouver

Children can’t attend an assembly in public school where the Lord’s Prayer is said in Canada, but they can be guided by teachers to watch a spiritual ritual being practiced without parental consent.

At least that was the ruling when Candice Servatius, a Port Alberni mom, had a legal case that argued both her and her children’s right to freedom of religion were breached when her children attended a indigenous spiritual ceremony called smudging in school. The BC Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that the smudging was a “cultural demonstration and not an actual ceremony or ritual.”

However, that could all change.

This past Monday, the Justice Centre For Constitutional Freedoms (JCCF) was back in court to appeal the decision made in the Servatius v. Port Alberni School District 70 case.

In this report, Rebel News interviews lawyer Karen Bastow, who was contracted by the JCCF to argue the appeal to talk about why it was important to do so, and how the two day hearing went.

If you believe that freedom of religion should be defended in Canada please considering making a charitable donation towards FightTheFines.com.

With your generous donations we have helped The Democracy Fund hire great lawyers to defend Canadians against tyrannical fines they received for doing things they should be free do, including a missionary couple named Denis and Eileen Nogue. The Nogues who were slapped with a $10,000 fine for choosing to quarantine in their own home rather than a COVID hotel after returning to Canada from a mission where they had provided meals to families in rural villages in northern Guatemala.

Drea Humphrey

B.C. Bureau Chief

Based in British Columbia, Drea Humphrey reports on Western Canada for Rebel News. Drea’s reporting is not afraid to challenge political correctness, or ask the tough questions that mainstream media tends to avoid.

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