Ohio Legislature Endorses Resolution to Place Canada on Watch List for 'Violations of Religious Freedom'

Contributing sentiments towards policy:

61% : It urged U.S. President Joe Biden and U.S. Congress, through the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), "to take whatever action is necessary to address and rectify the situation," and "consider adding Canada to the Special Watch List."
44% : "We, the members of the House of Representatives of the 134th General Assembly of the State of Ohio, have taken note of the abuses of religious liberty that have gone on throughout the Provinces of Canada during the COVID-19 pandemic," the resolution said.
44% : The resolution said the restriction orders by AHS that prohibited in-person faith group meetings, and other religious gatherings in private homes intrude "into the most sacred liberties of its citizens, those of religious freedom and privacy.""All of the Canadian provinces have at times prohibited religious gatherings outright, or have limited the size of religious gatherings, and many provinces still have severe size limitations on religious gatherings either held indoors or outdoors, punishable by harassment, fines, and jail time of faith leaders, thus limiting the parishioners' or members' ability to attend the assembly of their choice, and generally limiting religious liberty," it said.
40% : The Ohio representatives also stated in the resolution that the Liberal government's new law Bill C-4, which bans the practice of conversion therapy in Canada, has a chilling effect on religious liberties due to its "overly broad" scope.
36% : A resolution recently endorsed by the Ohio state legislature is urging the U.S. government to place Canada on a special watch list of countries for "violations of religious freedom."
36% :The Ohio House State and Local Government Committee voted 8-2 on May 18 to endorse House Resolution 194, urging action to address the "abuses of religious liberty" it says have been on the rise in Canada.
36% : "This act is overly broad in scope and has potential negative implications for religious liberties and expression, including a prison sentence of up to five years for merely expressing a biblical view of marriage, thus restricting the ability of religious leaders from expressing sincerely held religious beliefs on marriage and sexuality," the representatives said.
32% : The watch list is a record maintained by USCIRF of countries where the government engages in or tolerates "severe" violations of religious freedom, the resolution added.

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