The event has ended. Thank you everyone who made this possible.
If you missed the live stream, you can still watch all the great content through the link sent in the thank you email.
We look forward to introducing you to Prof. Carl Trueman at Summit 2025 on
February 1st . Save the date!
Here are some additional links to resources mentioned at the summit
Dr. Ewan Goligher’s new book
Dr. Goligher’s Christian Catechism
Blaise Alleyne’s Apologetics Resource
Christian Medical and Dental Association Program
Mike and Jennifer’s testimony at the Canadian Parliament
Prof. Carl Truman's book
If you missed the live stream, you can still watch all the great content through the link sent in the thank you email.
We look forward to introducing you to Prof. Carl Trueman at Summit 2025 on
February 1st . Save the date!
Here are some additional links to resources mentioned at the summit
Dr. Ewan Goligher’s new book
Dr. Goligher’s Christian Catechism
Blaise Alleyne’s Apologetics Resource
Christian Medical and Dental Association Program
Mike and Jennifer’s testimony at the Canadian Parliament
Prof. Carl Truman's book
How can Christians bring a message of life in a culture that promotes euthanasia and assisted death? Join us February 3, 2024 for the Canadian Religious Freedom Summit, live and online.
Choosing Life in a Culture of Death
The numbers are staggering. Since 2016, over 40,000 Canadians have been legally euthanized under the Canadian medical system’s promotion of MAID (Medical Assistance In Dying). Though this practice was originally promoted for those near death, many have now been killed for other medical reasons. It’s not a surprise, then, that no other country with legalized euthanasia has seen their number of assisted deaths grow so fast. Worse, those numbers are set to expand as the government legalizes euthanasia for people who have mental illness.
We all, one day, will face end-of-life issues. The good news for believers is that God’s Word provides a trustworthy foundation for approaching the end of our earthly lives. But will we continue to have the freedom to share the biblical view of the value of life in a culture that promotes death?
Join us for what is likely to be Canada’s largest Christian conference on euthanasia and assisted suicide. At this year’s Canadian Religious Freedom Summit, we will hear from key Christian leaders who will remind us of the great value of each person made in God’s image. You’ll hear stories of medical staff navigating through the MAID issue, people with disabilities pressured to receive MAID, and parents who have lost their child as they faced end-of-life questions. Be a part of this practical and timely event where you will be equipped to encourage and support choosing life in a culture of death.
We all, one day, will face end-of-life issues. The good news for believers is that God’s Word provides a trustworthy foundation for approaching the end of our earthly lives. But will we continue to have the freedom to share the biblical view of the value of life in a culture that promotes death?
Join us for what is likely to be Canada’s largest Christian conference on euthanasia and assisted suicide. At this year’s Canadian Religious Freedom Summit, we will hear from key Christian leaders who will remind us of the great value of each person made in God’s image. You’ll hear stories of medical staff navigating through the MAID issue, people with disabilities pressured to receive MAID, and parents who have lost their child as they faced end-of-life questions. Be a part of this practical and timely event where you will be equipped to encourage and support choosing life in a culture of death.
Location
Online stream and in-person at the Metropolitan Bible Church in Ottawa
Date & Time
February 3, 2024
01:00 PM - 4:30 PM EST
02:30 PM - 6:00 PM NST
02:00 PM - 5:30 PM AST
12:00 PM - 3:30 PM CST
11:00 AM - 2:30 PM MST
10:00 AM - 1:30 PM PST
01:00 PM - 4:30 PM EST
02:30 PM - 6:00 PM NST
02:00 PM - 5:30 PM AST
12:00 PM - 3:30 PM CST
11:00 AM - 2:30 PM MST
10:00 AM - 1:30 PM PST
Speakers
Host and Emcee
Laurence Worthen
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, CHRISTIAN MEDICAL AND DENTAL ASSOCIATION OF CANADA
Larry Worthen is the Executive Director of the Christian Medical and Dental Association of Canada. He is a graduate of Dalhousie Law School (1981) who has had a career in management in the not-for-profit sector and Nova Scotia Department of Justice. He is a trained facilitator and adult educator. Larry is married to Dr. Linda Gagnon and resides in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia. He is an ordained deacon in the Catholic Church. In May of 2013, he graduated from the Atlantic School of Theology with his MA in Theology and Religious Studies. His thesis outlines the role of proclamation in the New Evangelization. Larry and Linda have two children, six grandsons and two granddaughters.
Keynote Speakers
Dr. John Wyatt
Emeritus Professor of Neonatal Paediatrics, Ethics & Perinatology at University College London
John Wyatt is Emeritus Professor of Neonatal Pediatrics, University College, London in the UK. He worked for more than 25 years as a consultant neonatologist in central London, caring for sick and extremely premature infants, and as a medical research scientist developing new treatments for the prevention of brain injury in newborn babies. He has a long-standing interest in ethical dilemmas raised by advances in medicine and technology and has frequently engaged in public and professional debates on bioethical issues at the beginning and at the end of life. His book Matters of Life and Death – Human Dilemmas in the Light of the Christian faith has been translated into more than 10 languages. Dr. Wyatt is currently the President of the UK Christian Medical Fellowship and a member of the Ethics Advisory Committee of the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health.
Alex Schadenberg
executive Director, Euthanasia Prevention CoalitioN
Alex is the Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC) based in London,
Ontario. The EPC and EPC-USA are the largest anti-euthanasia organizations in the world. Alex is well-versed on laws around the world and how Canada’s laws compare. He speaks all around the world in front of legislative bodies, conferences, and churches.
Ontario. The EPC and EPC-USA are the largest anti-euthanasia organizations in the world. Alex is well-versed on laws around the world and how Canada’s laws compare. He speaks all around the world in front of legislative bodies, conferences, and churches.
Dr. Ewan Goligher
Professor, University of Toronto
Ewan Goligher (MD, PhD, FRCPC) is an Assistant Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto. His research focuses on life-saving interventions for patients with acute lung failure. He has published over 150 papers and several book chapters. His work has been published in leading medical journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, Lancet, JAMA, and subspecialty journals. In his medical practice, he cares for patients admitted to the intensive care unit with acute life-threatening illness, where he is regularly involved in helping patients and families navigate difficult decisions about medical care at the end of life. He also writes and speaks on ethical issues in end-of-life care in a variety of environments including churches and universities. He has written from a Christian perspective on conscience, disability, and euthanasia for the National Post, Ottawa Life, Christianity Today and The Gospel Coalition Canada.
Dr. Heidi Janz
Professor, John Dossetor Health Ethics Center at University of Alberta
Heidi Janz is an adjunct professor with the John Dossetor Health Ethics Centre at the University of Alberta. She is also the chair of the Ending-of-Life Ethics Committee for the Council of Canadians with disabilities. She says she approaches these issues as a Christian from a biblical perspective. Dr. Janz is also an accomplished playwright, writing plays about how people with disabilities deal with a pro-euthanasia society.
Daniel Winter
Senior Pastor, Calvary Church Toronto
Daniel Winter is the senior pastor at Calvary Church Toronto (AGC) where he has served for almost 10 years. Calvary Church is a 95-year-old inner-city church in Toronto located across the street from a busy TTC subway stop. The church’s campus includes a 14-story long-term care facility and an adjoining subsidized apartment building for seniors. (Nisbet Lodge Corporation.) Daniel serves on the board of directors at Nisbet Lodge along with 7 church members. In 2017, Nisbet Lodge received intense pressure from the governing authorities to provide MAID at their LTC facility, which both Daniel and the membership of the board have successfully resisted until now.
Mike and Jennifer Schouten
Director, ARPA Canada
Mike Schouten is the Executive Director of the Association for Reformed Political Action (ARPA). ARPA educates, equips, and encourages Christians to political action and defends biblical values and beliefs in Canada’s capital. They can be found at arpacanada.ca. He and his wife Jennifer will be sharing their son Markus' story as he faced terminal cancer.
Lia Milousis
Human Rights Advocate
Lia Milousis is a human rights lawyer, motivational speaker, and self-published author. Her
practice focuses on constitutional law, human rights law, and family law. Lia earned her Bachelor of Social Sciences from the University of Ottawa in 2017, completing a Joint Honours Degree specializing in Political Science and Women’s Studies. She returned to the University of
Ottawa and earned her Juris Doctor in 2020, graduating with a specialization in Social Justice.
practice focuses on constitutional law, human rights law, and family law. Lia earned her Bachelor of Social Sciences from the University of Ottawa in 2017, completing a Joint Honours Degree specializing in Political Science and Women’s Studies. She returned to the University of
Ottawa and earned her Juris Doctor in 2020, graduating with a specialization in Social Justice.
Blaise Alleyne
EASTERN OUTREACH DIRECTOR, Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform
Blaise Alleyne is a pro-life activist, technologist, musician, writer and public speaker. Blaise is the Eastern Outreach Director for CCBR, founder of the Toronto Against Abortion project, and co-author of CCBR’s book, A Guide to Discussing Assisted Suicide. He also volunteers as the Vice President of Toronto Right to Life. Blaise has had thousands of conversations about abortion over a decade and half on the streets of Toronto, and has provided support to pro-life campus and community activism groups across Ontario for years.
Steve Brown
Steve Brown is passionate about sharing his faith on Vancouver streets as a street preacher. One time, as he preached, by-standers filed a complaint against him with the police, claiming he was loud and hateful, something Steve denies. The police charged him for mischief. Steve reached out to Carol Crossan who took his case. After almost two years in court, his case was dismissed late last year. Steve will share his experiences preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus on the streets and the need to defend the right to continue to boldly proclaim it publicly.
William Swinimer
William Swinimer grew up in Nova Scotia where he attended Forest Heights Community High School. As a committed Christian, he often shared his faith with his classmates. But in 2012 when he wore a T-shirt that said, “Life is wasted without Jesus,” he was suspended. As he did not want to in anyway deny Christ and still wanted to use the T-shirt as a door to share the gospel with his peers, he continued to wear it and received more and more suspensions. He still has a formal reprimand on his record today. The Education Minister of Nova Scotia at the time stated that students should NOT be able to criticize other people’s religious beliefs. The principal told him that these kind of messages are hate talk, make people feel unsafe at school, and that these kinds of messages caused people to commit suicide. William explained that he only wanted people to experience the joy, peace and life in Christ Jesus that he had found.
Päivi Räsänen - On trial for sharing her beliefs
Dr. Erwin Lutzer speaks on Christianity's unifying message
Don't miss out.
We look forward to having you join us in-person or online!
While there is no registration fee for the Freedom Summit, contributions are welcome and will help cover expenses. Suggested contributions are 25$ for in-person attendance and 15$ for online.
While there is no registration fee for the Freedom Summit, contributions are welcome and will help cover expenses. Suggested contributions are 25$ for in-person attendance and 15$ for online.
Schedule
1:00 PM
Opening Remarks and Prayer
1:10 PM
Dr. John Wyatt - Made in God’s Image: A Christian Response to MAiD in Canada
1:45 PM
Lia Milousis- The Weight of Hope: Mental Health Ministry to Youth as Followers of the Man of Sorrows
2:05PM
Alex Schadenberg - Protecting People from Euthanasia
2:35PM
Blaise Alleyne - A Guide to Discussing Assisted Suicide
2:50 PM
Break
3:05 PM
Mike and Jennifer Schouten - Markus Died Well
3:20PM
Dr. Ewan Goligher - How Should We Then Die? Christianity and Medical Aid-in-Dying
3:55 PM
Pastor Daniel Winter - MAiD and Pastoral Ministry
4:05 PM
Special Guest - Personal testimony
4:15 PM
Dr. Heidi Janz - Rescue Those Who Are Being Taken Away to Death: What All Christians Need to Know About Ableism, Autonomy, and the Expansion of Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) in Canada
4:45 PM
Concluding Remarks
5:10 PM
Bonus Q & A Panel
Conference Location
This conference will be held both online and in-person
Online
Online streaming link will be sent to your email on the day of the event.
In-person
The Metropolitan Bible Church
2176 Prince of Wales Dr,
Ottawa, ON, K2E 0A1, Canada
Online
Online streaming link will be sent to your email on the day of the event.
In-person
The Metropolitan Bible Church
2176 Prince of Wales Dr,
Ottawa, ON, K2E 0A1, Canada
Sponsors
News & Updates
UPDATE: Bill C-4 received Royal Assent on December 8.
On Tuesday, December 7, Bill C-4, which criminalizes conversion therapy, passed the Senate in a single motion. It had already passed the House in a single motion on December 1.
On Tuesday, December 7, Bill C-4, which criminalizes conversion therapy, passed the Senate in a single motion. It had already passed the House in a single motion on December 1.
On Tuesday, December 7th the Canadian Senate passed Bill C-4, effectively banning the practice known as conversion therapy. The bill had been introduced to the House of Commons on November 29th and was approved on December 1st without further debate or study. It received Royal Assent today and will become the law of the land in 30 days.
Contact Us
Our Mission is to protect and promote freedom for gospel ministry in Canada.
The Canadian Religious Freedom Summit is convened and facilitated by the Metropolitan Bible Church, Ottawa, with the gracious help and advice of the Summit’s sponsors.
Please use the following form to contact us or directly through email at [email protected].
Please use the following form to contact us or directly through email at [email protected].