The Methodist Tradition in Canada: Part 3

Wealth of the Canadian Methodists:

In the meantime the social position of Methodists was changing in Canada. Earlier the Church of Scotland and the Church of England had formed social elites inaccessible to Methodists, the latter being poor and frequently despised. Zealous in evangelism and ardent in their pursuit of godliness, however, their sobriety, industry and thrift fuelled their social ascendancy. Some Methodist families became wealthy: the Goodherams from grain and railways, the Masseys from farm implements, and the Flavelles from meatpacking. By mid-18th century they were able to challenge the Anglican monopoly on education and political power.

The Methodist Tradition in Canada: Part 2

Canadian Methodist Missions

Methodists were committed to missions among aboriginals. The “first nations” had been exploited since the days of the fur trade, the exploitation manifesting itself in alcohol-abetted destitution. Eager to avoid paternalism, the Methodists sought to put mission leadership in the hands of aboriginals themselves. Peter Jones, Chief of the Mississaugas, was ordained the first aboriginal itinerant. Egerton Ryerson, soon to be the best-known Methodist minister, represented Canada in the Society for the Protection of Aboriginal Inhabitants of the British Dominions.

Missions overseas paralleled those in Canada. In 1873 the Wesleyans were the first of the Canadian Methodist “family” to begin working in Japan, concentrating on evangelism, medical assistance, post-elementary education and theological training for Japanese ministers. By 1884 Canadian Methodists had established a theological college in Azabu, supported by the Women’s Missionary Society’s efforts in training Japanese women for church work. Canadian Methodist missions commenced in China in 1891 amidst circumstances that were uncommonly dangerous.

The Methodist Tradition in Canada: Part 1

The following is a short outline of Methodism and its early developments in what is now Canada. It comes from my short historical anaylsis paper on the history and development of the Methodist societies in Canada.

• 1766 – Arrival of Laurence Coughlan, in Newfoundland and marked the beginning of the work there amongst the Protestant English and Irish settlers.
• 1771 – William Black, born in England but raised in Nova Scotia, commenced evangelizing in the Maritimes, his work falling under the supervision of British Wesleyans in 1800. In 1855 this body formed the Wesleyan Methodist Conference of Eastern British America.
• 1774 – Barbara and Paul Heck, brought Methodism from New York to Upper Canada. They were United Empire Loyalists. Paul took up arms for the British and his farm was confiscated in Vermont and he and his family fled to Montreal.
• 1791 - William Losee, of the Methodist Episcopal Church (U.S.A.), established on Christmas Day in 1784, began work in among British immigrants to Upper Canada.
• 1828 - the Methodist Episcopal work in Canada had formally severed ties with the U.S.A. In 1833 most of it joined with the British Wesleyans to form the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Canada, adding to itself the Methodist people of Lower Canada in 1854. That part of it which absented itself from the union re-formed into the Methodist Episcopal Church of Canada (1834), eventually growing into the second largest Methodist body in Canada.
• 1874 - In turn the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Canada and the Wesleyan Methodist Conference of Eastern British America united in 1874, annexing as well the Methodist New Connection Church in Canada (itself an amalgam of several small groups), thereby forming the Methodist Church of Canada.
• 1884 - Methodist Church of Canada joined with the Methodist Episcopal Church in Canada, together with the Bible Christian Church of Canada and the Primitive Methodist Church in Canada, bringing to birth the Methodist Church (Canada, Newfoundland and Bermuda.) This lattermost union made the Methodist Church the largest Protestant denomination in Canada.
• 1925 - the Methodist Church united with 70% of the Presbyterian Church in Canada and 96% of the Congregational Union of Canada to form The United Church of Canada.

More refugees sneaking into Canada

Canada’s refugee agreement with the United States is forcing more people to try to enter Canada illegally, a study from Harvard says. The report, Bordering on Failure, says the number of refugee claimants at Canadian border crossings has dropped by more than 50 per cent in the past 18 months. However, the researchers say that doesn’t mean fewer people want to settle in Canada. They believe refugees are trying to find other ways into the country, including human smuggling. “What we found was dramatic decreases in legal border crossings,” said Deborah Anker, a Harvard law professor who co-wrote the study. “There were a number of reports from NGOs [non-governmental organizations] who had been contacted by refugees who were applying for asylum with relatives who had entered Canada without authorization.”

Anker said the connection is clear: Fewer refugees are trying to enter Canada legally because of the new safe third-country agreement that came into effect just over a year ago. The agreement was intended to reduce the number of refugee claims at the border by designating the United States as a safe haven. The problem, Anker said, is that many migrants don’t consider the United States a safe haven. “We are really in a very troubling situation in terms of refugee protection in the U.S.,” she said. The study backs up a report by the Canadian Council for Refugees. Janet Dench, executive director of the council, says the number of refugee claims has dropped to about 4,000 from 9,000 in the year before the agreement was signed. And she says illegal crossings are on the rise.

“We do know that some of them are finding a way of getting into Canada irregularly,” Dench said. “This is what we were frightened would happen. They have no recourse but resort to dangerous methods of crossing borders.”

Canadian Conservative Turns Another Year Older

OTTAWA (AP): Today is the birthday of a famous Canadian Conservative. Joseph Krohn, has been a long-time party faithful and an ungoing support of the Harper government. The Prime Minister today issued special birthday wishes to Mr. Krohn and mentioned that a possible Senate appointment may becoming available, sometime in the next five years. Mr. Krohn currently attends God’s Bible School and College, where he is pursuing a degree in Ministerial Studies. Contact with Mr. Krohn can be made through his office: (513) 721-7944 (ex. 239) or through his business e-mail address: jkrohn@gbs.edu.

Loonie closes above 90 cents US

The Canadian dollar closed above the 90-cent US mark on Tuesday for the first time in 28 years.

The loonie breached the 90-cent barrier in international trading Tuesday morning and stayed there all day. It closed at 90.38 cents US, up 0.55 cents on the day. Analysts are saying there appears to be little stopping further appreciation of the loonie. Some are forecasting that the Canadian and U.S. dollars could be worth the same by the end of 2007. Rising commodity prices are helping to keep the Canadian dollar at a 28-year high against its U.S. counterpart.
The currency is being bolstered by rising demand for Canadian commodities, including oil, gold and nickel.

Oil held steady below $74 US a barrel on Monday, keeping within sight of record highs.
The Canadian dollar has been creeping upward for four consecutive years and has increased about 4.2 per cent against the U.S. dollar so far this year.

Duceppe to prop up Conservative minority

Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe says he’s willing to support Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s budget and prop up his minority Conservative government. “This is a transition budget. The real budget will be next year,” said Duceppe, whose party’s 51 seats can combine with the Tories’ 125 seats to deliver enough votes to pass the budget. Liberal Leader Bill Graham and NDP Leader Jack Layton denounced the budget, saying the government has failed to address aboriginal, child-care and environmental concerns. Duceppe said Harper’s “firm commitment to settle the fiscal imbalance” within a year is the main reason his party will support the budget.

Harper campaigned on a promise to address the fiscal imbalance, or the difference between what the provinces send to Ottawa and the amount they receive back in federal transfer payments and other spending. “This is the one thing we’ve been fighting for for quite a long time. The burden of proof is now on their side,” said Duceppe. Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty called the issue a “great challenge,” but said he sees an opportunity for a resolution.
“My feeling is that this is a unique time … there is a willingness to listen,” said Flaherty. “It will take the influence of the prime minister.” Duceppe said he also liked the government’s promise of $1.5 billion in aid for farmers, $800 million for low-income housing and $1.3 billion for public transit infrastructure.