What are you not seeing on Parliament Hill!
We just wanted to point out in more detail some of the highlights regarding collaboration between MP’s in Ottawa that we heard while attending the various National Prayer Breakfast events last week.
We thought it would be encouraging for you to know that there is a Parliamentary Prayer meeting that happens every Wednesday morning at 7:15 in the dining hall of West Block. This prayer meeting is attended exclusively by Members of Parliament of every party. Here they can put down their partisan partnership and come together in unity to pray for Canada and for each other. We love this because we know that praying together brings unity. In prayer we must put down our agendas for His agenda. Praying together activates vulnerability and accountability. We pray that our members would develop grace and mercy towards each other.
“Put on then, as God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, compassionate hearts, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience, bearing with one another and, if one has a complaint against another, forgiving each other; as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony.”
Colossians 3:12-14
For those members that love God, we pray that their unity as believers would trumpet Jesus as Lord to the other members who don’t yet know Him and to the rest of Canada.
“I have given them the glory that you gave me, that they may be one as we are one - I in them and you in me - so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”
John 17:22-23
Another highlighted collaboration happens at certain committees. The Honourable John McKay who is the Liberal member for Scarborough-Guildwood spoke about the All Party Parliamentary Group to end modern slavery. This committee is chaired by Mr. McKay, Julie Miville-Dechêne, Independent Senator for Quebec, Andréanne Larouche, Member of Parliament for Shefford (Bloc Québécois) and Co-Founder, Arnold Viersen, Member of Parliament for Peace River – Westlock (CPC).
It took a few kicks at the can but together they were able to bring Bill S-211 to Royal Assent on May 3 of this year. It is a bill to enact “Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in the Supply Chains Act”. This is a bill resulting from teamwork and cooperation on both sides of the house.
Another bill built on collaboration was tabled by Richard Bragdon in November of 2020. Bill C-228 received Royal Assent in June of 2021. It is an Act to establish a federal framework to reduce recidivism. Richard testified of the much-needed advice and guidance that he received from John McKay when presenting this bill. This certainly inspired our faith in our Members of Parliament being able to work together across the aisle. We see so much partisan rhetoric in the media and in Question Period that it is refreshing to hear that MP’s of different parties can work together and be friends.
We encourage you to continue to pray for your Members of Parliament. You may not have voted for them. However, you must still pray for them. Thank God for their public service both to the constituency and to the nation. Pray that God would bless them and their families. Pray for Wisdom from Heaven as they manoeuvre the complexities of creating legislation for our nation. As James tells us, earthly wisdom only produces bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, deception, and chaos but Wisdom from Heaven is peaceful, gentle, sincere, willing to yield and bears good fruit. Only Wisdom from Heaven can help them to solve the issues they are faced with in the House of Commons.
“Who is wise and understanding among you? Let them show it by their good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom. But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it or deny the truth. Such “wisdom” does not come down from heaven but is earthly, unspiritual, demonic. For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice.
But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.”
James 3:13-18
Pray that the Parliamentary prayer meetings expand to include more MP’s. Pray that those seeking the truth would find this safe place.
Pray that collaboration would expand to more committees.
“So let’s not get tired of doing what is good. At just the right time we will reap a harvest of blessing if we don’t give up. Therefore, whenever we have the opportunity, we should do good to everyone—especially to those in the family of faith.”
Galatians 6:9-10