OTTAWA — Conservative lawmakers are advocating for the repeal of a military directive that they argue restricts religious expression during public commemorations. New Brunswick Conservative MP Mike Dawson criticized the Chaplain General’s 2023 Direction on Chaplain’s Spiritual Reflection in Public Settings, calling it an affront to the memory of fallen soldiers.

Dawson expressed his discontent in the House of Commons, stating, "I am ashamed that our government intends to restrict public expressions of faith in our military, or in plain terms, to ban prayer. It is cowardice to ask our sons and daughters to put themselves in harm’s way but refuse them the right to express their faith in God. To deny those who provide our freedom the right to openly pray is an insult to those who never came home."

The directive, issued by former chaplain general J.L.G. "Guy" Bélisle in October 2023, requires chaplains to use language that is inclusive of all attendees, including atheists. It also prohibits chaplains from wearing religiously symbolic scarves, such as those featuring crosses or crescent moons, at military ceremonies. Instead, all chaplains are mandated to wear identical scarves displaying the neutral emblem of the Royal Canadian Chaplain Service.

Bélisle stated that these changes were necessary to comply with the Supreme Court of Canada’s 2015 Saguenay decision, which emphasized the need for religious neutrality in public settings. During his own Remembrance Day address at Ottawa’s National War Memorial last year, Bélisle referred to his remarks as a "reflection" rather than a prayer.

Reverend Doctor Andrew Bennett, who leads faith community engagement at a faith-based think tank, criticized the directive for prioritizing irreligion over religiosity. He remarked, "To say that Canadian Armed Forces chaplains cannot speak about God or cannot pray at public ceremonies of remembrance is showing a lack of understanding of who is in the armed forces, men and women who serve this country, many of whom are religious and live out their faith. They don’t put their faith aside when they join the armed forces. And so it is perfectly fitting that it’s ceremonies of remembrance when we remember the dead who are fallen for this country."

Conservative defense critic James Bezan supported these views, stating in an email, "We should be encouraging Canadian Armed Forces chaplains of all faiths to offer benedictions and prayers, rather than order them to exclude faith-based prayers from their public remarks."

Bennett further emphasized the historical connection between faith and military service, referencing the saying, "there are no atheists in foxholes." He added, "(The directive) dishonours those men and women who fell for this country in combat, when they were in the trenches at the Battle of the Somme or when they were fighting in the Pacific Theater at the fall of Hong Kong. You don’t think that they were praying that they would survive and see another day?"

Now, Colonel Lisa Pacarynuk, who became Canada’s first female chaplain general in May, has the authority to reverse the directive.

Retired Canadian Forces veteran Bonnie Critchley, who recently ran as an independent candidate in a byelection, believes the criticisms of the directive are exaggerated. She stated, "Your spirituality is your own thing. Religion tends to get messy. Yeah. And I am not a religious person. I am a spiritual person. My own spirituality is my own … I absolutely do appreciate a spiritual tone versus a religious (one)."

Pacarynuk’s office has not yet responded to requests for comment.