It may restrict our ability to have hymns such as Amazing Grace, which are often sung at Remembrance Day services or commemoration services. These are some issues we're hearing from chaplains and others in terms of concerns they have about the upcoming Remembrance Day ceremonies. This is something that leaves a lot of questions to be answered, and that's why we need to move this motion.
We had the Minister of Veterans Affairs come to this committee and try to deny that this directive, first of all, even existed, but when I pointed out that it did in fact exist and that I had a copy, suddenly she said that she did remember there was a directive but tried to claim that it didn't restrict prayer.
However, there are a lot of questions that remain, especially given the radio interview. I have a transcript of said interview, which was on News Talk Radio, 580 CFRA. The director of chaplaincy services for the chaplain general—the office that wrote the memo—responded to a question from the interviewer, who asked if chaplains would still be able to talk about God on Remembrance Day. The colonel said that in faith-based settings and church settings, they will, of course, speak about their own faith and the role that God or their heavenly being has in that setting, but in a public setting, they will not use that language. In other words, they will not use the word “God”. They will not speak about their faith. They will not speak about a heavenly being.
That leaves a lot of concerns for many of our chaplains. I've heard from a number of them who expressed very clearly that they believe not only that the directive indicated they would not be able to do such things as pray, or mention a god or a heavenly father, but also that they have been told that very clearly.
Of course there are reasons they wouldn't want to speak publicly about that, but they have expressed these concerns that they won't be able to pray, or that they can't wear symbols, such as a cross or the Star of David, or...the Quran.