This event is hosted by KASHA - the Kelowna Atheists, Skeptics & Humanists Association

The Canadian constitution does not have a formal establishment clause separating church and state as the USA does, so can Canada be considered a secular country? In this presentation, BC Humanist Association Executive Director Ian Bushfield will argue that Canada’s unique legal and political history, coupled with a forward-looking Charter of Rights and Freedoms and judiciary, has resulted in more robust protections for the nonreligious and state neutrality than presently exist in America. Bushfield will walk through several of the major legal cases in Canadian religious law, from Big M Drug Mart to Saguenay and Trinity Western University. Along the way, he’ll highlight how secular activists and humanist organizations have increasingly made their voices heard through the justice system and identify several issues on the horizon.

Ian Bushfield has been involved in the BC Humanist Association since 2009 and aside from two years in the UK, he has been the Executive Director since 2012. He has a background in physics and non-profit management and grew up in Alberta. In 2017, he joined the BC Civil Liberties Association's Board of Directors. Today, he lives with his partner and two young children in Coquitlam on the traditional, ancestral, and unceded territory of the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (Kwikwetlem First Nation).

We'll have dinner at 6 pm, and the Forum will start at 7 pm.
The Creekside Pub provides the meeting room for free.
We ask that you purchase a beverage or food while attending our Forums.
The presentation will be held in the events room of the Creekside Pub.