January 30, 2006
On January 23, Canadians elected a government headed by Stephen Harper. Harper is an evangelical Christian and attends Christian and Missionary Alliance congregations in Ottawa and Calgary. He is the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada and governs with a minority in Parliament.
The Conservative Party victory ends 12 years of a liberal administration plagued by corruption and ineffective leadership, which in recent years promoted an aggressive social agenda that changed the traditional definition of marriage to include homosexual couples.
In his election night speech, Harper thanked supporters for their “labors, donations, and prayers” and concluded wih “God bless Canada”—a phrase rarely heard among this country’s politicians.
In his first press conference after the election, Harper said he intended to ask Parliament whether it wishes to consider restoring the traditional definition of marriage.
(Some information for this news item from ChristianityToday.com, 1/30/06.)