Church weighs in with election advice

Six weeks before Canadians vote on 19 October, Churches are releasing election guides for voters, writes Peter Kavanagh.

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ 2015 Federal Election Guide notes that a citizen has a “responsibility and duty” to participate in the creation of the common good.

The document cites five examples of how Catholic moral and social teaching is to be applied. Starting with “Respect for life and human dignity” and moving through social justice and family support questions to “A healthy country in a healthy environment”, the guide lays out church teachings and then advises that candidates be judged on how well or poorly policies and positions align with the church perspective.

The bishops note that a Catholic voter is not permitted to vote for a policy contrary to “fundamental content of faith and morals” of the Church.