The Ministry of Justice has entered into an agreement with the government of Canada that is providing cover for the LGBTQ push. This hidden agenda is under the cover of the well-intentioned restorative justice programme.
Restorative justice is one of the areas of focus for the newly launched Social Justice (So-JUST) Project, which is being financed by Canada to the tune of CAD$12 million. The initiative, which runs from 2021 to 2028, is intended to integrate the four pillars of social justice – equity, access, participation, and rights. Prior to this, the government’s Justice Undertakings for Social Transformation (JUST) Programme was implemented with Global Affairs Canada (GAC) funding support of $19.8 million. That project was intended to enable all Jamaicans to equitably access gender-responsive justice information, advice, and services.
Speakers at the launch of the So-Just project included Justice Minister Delroy Chuck and the High Commissioner of Canada to Jamaica, Her Excellency Emina Tudakovic. Also in attendance was Canada’s Minister of International Development, Harjit Sajjan, who outlined that, for many years, his country has been a primary international development partner for the Government of Jamaica.
Training material which have been used in the restorative justice programme adopt the tone of Jamaica’s international partners. One section of the material stated that “Religious teachings and a ‘fear of God’ are strong and foster both intolerances as well as capacity for openness and forgiveness.”
Pastors are among the groups targeted to be trained as restorative justice facilitators.
There are growing concerns about the influence international partners like Canada are having on Jamaica’s policies. Recently, the Jamaican government appointed a Canadian to Jamaica’s 15-member Constitutional Reform Committee, who, it was noted, supports the LGBTQ lifestyle. Several church leaders and representatives from para-church groups have since called for him to be taken off. Both Sajjan and Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau have also been supportive of the LGBTQ community and have participated in celebratory activities such as gay pride parades over the years.
The North American country has also implemented a ban on conversion therapy and now makes the practise of, promoting or profiting from conversion therapy a criminal offence in Canada. Coversion theraphy is any attempt to change an individual’s sexual orientation, gender identity, or gender expression and is seen as a threat to religious freedom by many pastors.
“It’s official: Our government’s legislation banning the despicable and degrading practice of conversion therapy has received Royal Assent – meaning it is now law. LGBTQ2 Canadians, we’ll always stand up for you and your rights,” Trudeau tweeted shortly after the legislation was passed.
During a presentation to the House of Representatives on September 13 last year, Justice Minister Delroy Chuck made an appeal for members of churches and faith-based organisations across Jamaica to take advantage of the training being offered in restorative justice practises. A week before, the leaders of 13 umbrella group of churches signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to train church members and leaders in restorative justice practises. The group of 13 represented over 3,000 congregations across Jamaica.
Chuck again made an appeal to church leaders during the National Service of Thanksgiving to kick-start the commemoration of Restorative Justice Week in February this year.
“We have hundreds of facilitators; we have millions of dollars in the Ministry of Justice waiting to pay these facilitators, but not enough cases are being referred to them. That is why the Ministry of Justice is going into the churches, into the schools, and into the communities to tell people about restorative justice,” the Minister said, while revealing that there was a need for more Jamaicans to use restorative justice centres islandwide.
