Faith groups and Donald Trump’s tariffs in spotlight

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 15/03/2025 (565 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Earlier this week, a friend posted a prayer about Donald Trump’s tariffs and the silence of the churches over those threats.

In it, he asked: “I thought you said you’d never let hell overcome it, O Lord. But seriously, what the hell is with your church?”

It’s a good question. Six weeks after Trump launched the trade war, musing about taking over Canada, only one major Christian, Jewish or Muslim group or denomination has posted anything about this existential threat — despite the fact it dominates almost all discourse in this country these days.

The group that mentioned it was the Canadian Council of Churches. On March 5 it posted an Ash Wednesday resource titled “Canada at a Crossroads: An Ash Wednesday Reflection and Prayer.”

In the resource, the Council — made up of 26 denominations in Canada — acknowledged that “many Canadians are carrying a heavy load of worry, fear and uncertainty about the future” due to the threat of significant tariffs from the U.S. and election uncertainty in Canada.

It went on to express gratitude for Canada’s political leaders “who are seeking out every avenue to avert a costly trade war” and prays they will have “wisdom and courage in the face of what some may regard as unwarranted aggression.”

While this is a “harrowing and distressing” time, they said, “it is a comfort to know that we are not alone when we seek what is right and good. We have the assurance that God walks with us.

(Find the resource at https://councilofchurches.ca/)

When I asked the Council’s General Secretary, Peter Noteboom, why the organization decided to post that resource, he replied: “Because we saw your column about it.”

He was referring to my Feb. 19 column in this newspaper, where I noted while everyone seemed to be talking about Trump and tariffs, religious groups were silent.

After seeing it, the council decided to act. “We decided we should really go on the record about it,” Noteboom said, adding they wanted to recognize the anxiety being felt by many Canadians today without getting into policy issues.

“We wanted to emphasize the need for us to take care of each other at this time, not just think about saving ourselves,” he said. “This is a time to reach out and help one another.”

After talking to Noteboom, I heard from a bishop in another denomination who said that his group, too, felt challenged by that column and was working on a statement of its own.

I don’t say this to shine a light on me. I say it because this is one of the most important challenges facing Canada in recent history. At a time when everyone is talking about Trump and tariffs — politicians, business leaders, cultural groups, the media and even comedians like Mike Meyers with his “elbows up” comment on Saturday Night Live — it’s puzzling that religious groups are so quiet.

In saying that, I realize statements have limited value. But they have symbolic value; they tell people they are seen, that the groups they belong to are aware of their anxieties, that they are not ignoring the issue.

And yes, I realize how hard they can be to create. It can be especially tricky with issues involving politics. Groups want to be careful not to be calling on members to rally ‘round the flag or to engage in partisan support. Mixing church, synagogue, mosque, temple or gurdwara and state is never a good thing, and anything said about that must be done with caution.

But there must be some way faith groups can come together to demonstrate love for this country, and to show empathy, care and concern for the situation facing Canadians today.

They can also be hard to right when not everyone in a faith group will agree on what should be said. Even the Council of Churches equivocated, praying for wisdom and courage in the face of what “some” may regard as unwarranted aggression. (I can’t imagine many feel that way.)

Beyond individual groups issuing statements, what would also be effective is if different faith leaders came together to issue a joint statement, a collective acknowledgment of concern and commitment to work together.

We have precedence for this. Five years ago this week, the World Health Organization officially declared the COVID-19 pandemic. During that unprecedented time, faith groups pivoted to a completely different footing and soon were speaking into the crisis.

Even the prime minister got involved, working with the Council of Churches to meet online with faith leaders on Dec. 19, 2020 to learn how the government could support their efforts to serve Canadians during that time.

And maybe they could also use this moment as a chance to look for ways to be of service. As happened during the pandemic, thousands of people may lose their jobs due to the trade war. Food banks, counseling services, support for families — those are some of the things faith groups stepped up to do during COVID-19, and may be called on to do again.

To reiterate my friend’s prayer: “What the hell is with your church?” Or any with any faith group for that matter, when it comes to this important issue.

faith@freepress.mb.ca

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