In case Alberta politics isn't a hot enough topic, we're spending this episode on the intersection of religion and the machinery of public governance!

In 2015 the Supreme Court of Canada decided in the Saturday Decision that prayer at municipal governments violates the states duty to neutrality, but is that decision being followed?

To take this on, we sit down with Ian Bushfiled, the executive director of the BC Humanist Association and one of their main researchers Dr. Teale Phelps Bondaroff to talk about their efforts to document the overlap of religion and particularly prayer in government and their campaigns to ensure that the machinery of government remains neutral when it comes to matters of faith.

And what does Sea Cucumber crime have to do with all of this?

Some links compliments of the BC Humanist Association...

Alberta Report:

https://www.bchumanist.ca/last_municipality_standing

Ontario Report:

https://www.bchumanist.ca/open_for_unconstitutional_business

Manitoba Report:

https://www.bchumanist.ca/in_open_defiance

First BC Report:

https://www.bchumanist.ca/municipal_prayer?utm_campaign=muni_prayer_1&utm_medium=email&utm_source=bchumanist 

Second BC Report:

https://www.bchumanist.ca/we_yelled_at_them_until_they_stopped

Legislative prayer across Canada report:

https://www.bchumanist.ca/prayer-across-canada

Analysis of change in prayer in the BC Legislature:

https://utpdistribution.com/9780776637891/legislatures-in-evolution-les-legislatures-en-transformation/

A shorter analysis looking at prayer in the BC Legislature:

http://www.revparlcan.ca/en/thoughts-on-prayers-an-analysis-of-prayers-in-the-legislative-assembly-of-british-columbia-2003-2019/

Initial study of prayer in the BC Legislature:

https://www.bchumanist.ca/house_of_prayers_report

Paper exploring how inclusive prayers are impossible and the state cannot possible adjudicate these issues:

https://secularismandnonreligion.org/articles/10.5334/snr.140/?fbclid=IwAR2XO7BvxOLBM7_C-Hjh_YUzJsIrbtDW1kw2mXO1vT4xsJWmh_xktt6gCSI#

Work on sea cucumbers:

https://oceansasia.org/worldofseacucumbers/

Don't forget, we now have merch that's available at www.abpoli.ca, including a spring lineup!

As always, if you appreciate the kind of content that we’re trying to produce here at The Breakdown, please consider signing up as a monthly supporter at our Patreon site at www.patreon.com/thebreakdownab and we can now accept e-transfers at [email protected]!

If you’re listening to the audio version of our podcast, please consider leaving us a review and a rating, and don’t forget to like and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Threads!