Christian lobby group vies for support
Canada Family Action Coalition unites conservative views
By
Kevin Heinrichs
ChristianWeek staff
CALGARY–Bill C-33 was the last straw.
The homosexual-rights legislation that was passed in 1996 lit the fire under then dean of Victory Bible College Brian Rushfeldt and Edmonton pastor Roy Beyer, who both felt there had been no united voice from Christian conservatives on the issue.
But Rushfeldt also noticed that several grassroots organizations in Alberta were all trying to do the same thing: get Christians active in the political process. By uniting these groups, the Canada Family Action Coalition was born, with Rushfeldt as executive director and Beyer as president.
"We won’t see a change in Canada unless the grassroots Christian and conservative community brings accountability to elected officials," says Rushfeldt.
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Initially started in Calgary and Edmonton, the organization is making inroads east and west with local chapters in Surrey, B.C., Lethbridge, Alta., Winnipeg, Kingston, Ont., and one in Ottawa headed by Peter Stock, former executive assistant to Reform MP Ed Harper, who retired after the last election. There is also interest in Saskatchewan. Rushfeldt’s vision is to see a local chapter in every federal riding but says he is initially working towards starting one in every major city. |
| COURTESY
OF CFAC Meet the press: Dave Rutherford (l-r), Roy Beyer and Brian Rushfeldt discuss the CFAC voter's guide on The Rutherford Show radio program. |
With a budget of $80,000, CFAC has three on payroll–Rushfeldt and his wife, who works in administration and bookkeeping and Stock in Ottawa.
Uniting the right?
In existence since early 1997, CFAC has largely been literature-driven. One of its early campaigns was to distribute a voter’s guide for the 1997 Alberta provincial election. In keeping with one of CFAC’s goals, to press politicians for their stand on moral issues like abortion funding and gambling, the brochure printed the results of a questionnaire sent to each candidate on those topics.
Though the candidates’ response was sparse (25 of 76–almost all of them Social Credit candidates–answered the questions), CFAC gained press coverage with the brochure, which was distributed to 90,000 homes, mainly through churches and its toll-free line.
More recently, CFAC distributed half a million voter’s guides for the last federal election. CFAC now manages a huge database and makes extensive use of email bulletins. CFAC also has a presence on the World Wide Web (www.familyaction.org), though its site was disabled for most of the summer due to the bankruptcy of its web host, CleanNet.
CFAC’s mission is "to train, motivate and activate Canadians in defending and promoting Judeo-Christian principles in Canadian society."
"Our thrust is to get action… to get people actively involved, whether it be running as a candidate, working on a campaign, phoning or at the very least voting. Voting is part of an action philosophy," says Rushfeldt.
The idea of a united voice for Christians on political issues inevitably leads to comparison with the powerful right-wing Christian Coalition lobby group in the U.S. While Rushfeldt acknowledges a similar organizational structure to the Christian Coalition, heavily allied with the Republican Party, he says Canada’s multi-party system requires a non-partisan approach.
"We won’t tell you who to vote for, but we will give you information to decide. We’ve taken a [structural] model that the Christian Coalition uses, chapter organizations across the nation, but it’s not because they’re doing it. Research shows that is how the community is activated."
Rushfeldt, 50, says he’s always been concerned about national affairs. But it wasn’t until after a 15-year career as an air traffic controller, then a 10-year career as a social worker and four years at Victory Bible College that he decided to enter the political realm. While he has turned down several invitations to run for political office, both provincially and federally, he says his prayers have led to him to decide to continue with leadership at CFAC.
Rushfeldt says he was inspired to take up the cause when he compared today’s Canadian society with the one he grew up in. "I’m working for my grandchildren’s sake, to leave them a similar country to what I have. I have a responsibility to them," he says.
