Contest aims to build public dialogue around the importance of faith in Canadian culture

Jenny Burr
Spur Ottawa Correspondent

Faith in Canada 150 is celebrating Canada’s rich religious traditions by hosting a contest with a grand prize of $5,000.

“The Golden Thread Contest is for Canadians who are 30 years old and under,” explains Peter Stockland, a senior writer and editor for Faith in Canada 150. He says submissions must address “some aspect of faith in [the young person’s] life, how they came to faith, what it means to live with that faith in Canada, or it might be an interview with a friend or someone of a different faith.”

The contest’s name was inspired by the words of former prime minister Pierre Elliot Trudeau: “Faith is the golden thread which binds us all together.”

Young people can submit either a written story or a short video. The contest has two age categories—14 to 18 and 19 to 30 years of age—with prizes for each category. Stockland says they chose to highlight the work of young people because, “They are the future.”

After the contest deadline (September 25, 2017) Faith in Canada 150 plans to publish the submissions.

“Eighty percent of Canadians report that faith and spirituality play a role in their lives.”

“We believe there’s a need to highlight the role of faith and religion in making Canada and Canadians what they are today,” says Micheal van Pelt. He adds that their aim is to “honour, respect, and pass on that faith heritage as we mark 150 years since Confederation.”

Van Pelt is the president of Cardus, an ecumenical think tank based in Ottawa. In 2015, Cardus established Faith in Canada 150 as a special program to highlight what they see as a key element of Canadian history lacking in the government’s milestone celebrations.

Cardus has partnered with the Angus Reid Institute to conduct polls and surveys exploring the state of religion in Canada. van Pelt says an initial poll indicates that “just more than 80 percent of Canadians report that faith and spirituality play a role in their lives.”

“Faith was a central part of the Canadian project in 1867.”

The polls also reveal that family, honesty, and caring for others are common characteristics of religious Canadians. Another common thread among these strong, faith-based Canadians is that they elicit happiness and optimism.

“Faith was a central part of the Canadian project in 1867,” van Pelt shares, “be it through recognition of religious freedom for Quebec’s Roman Catholics, the principles enshrined in common law, or by borrowing from the Book of Psalms for Canada’s official motto, ‘From Sea to Sea’. And, as our polling has shown, faith continues to play a role in Canadians’ everyday lives.”

Cardus and Faith in Canada 150 hope submissions for the Golden Thread Contest will inspire public discussion about the role and impact of faith in today’s Canada.