by CONNIE TABBERT
Editor
COBDEN — A prayer will continue to be said prior to the start of each Whitewater Region council meeting.
Four members of this council decided prayer is important to them and voted against a motion to remove it from the agenda.
The motion was to remove the prayer and have a period of silent reflection, which is what the County of Renfrew is now doing prior to its council meetings.
“I’m certainly not in favour of this,” said Councillor Daryl McLaughlin at last night’s council meeting. “That’s not proper or right.”
Coun. McLaughlin noted council has not taken the time for prayer or a moment of silence prior to the start of the last four council meetings.
“That’s not proper or right,” he said, “To me, the prayer is very important.”
He requested a recorded vote on the motion to abolish saying the prayer at the council meetings.
If there’s not a prayer, he would concede to two minutes of silence.
“You can show your respect one way or the other,” he said. “I think this, in my thoughts, the whole law of the land is brought out from the 10 Commandments, and I’ve said that over and over many times.”
He believes removing the prayer is responding to the time in which we live, which is unfortunate.
There is no reason the generic prayer cannot be said, he added.
Mayor Hal Johnson agreed with his councillor.
“I’m dead against this,” he said. “If we can’t say a prayer I don’t think we need any minutes of silence because we have cancelled out the rights of the people to have a prayer.
“We don’t need to show any respect with the silence, because that too will eventually be a burr in somebody’s craw,” the mayor added.
The legal system in Canada did a wrong by causing this situation, he said, adding, people view this as their rights being taken away and their heritage removed.
“A lot of people feel that there is somebody responsible for this and it’s tearing our country apart in a lot of places and I am dead against removing this,” he said.
Councillor Charlene Jackson said it all comes down to a legal ruling. If the township continues saying the prayer, there’s a possibility it could be sued, she said.
“If we’re challenged, and you can very well be challenged because now-a days it’s well publicized, and I’m sure the newspaper and the articles will be written and we have to be very concerned about that,” she continued.
The prayer that has been said for years is not a non-denominational one, she said.
“It’s a very strict prayer,” she said. “It doesn’t recognize the fact that in politics there’s no need to have religion.”
The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that municipal councils in the province of Quebec cannot say prayer during a council meeting, Coun. Jackson said.
Mayor Johnson said he would like the prayer to be said until “somebody within our constituency coverage” complains. If there’s a complaint, then council can revisit the issue, he added.
Voting against the motion were Mayor Johnson, Coun. McLaughlin, Councillor Chris Olmstead and Reeve Terry Millar. Voting to cancel the prayer were councillors Dave Mackay, Cathy Regier and Coun. Jackson.
Following the vote, Reeve Millar suggested if council has time for two minutes of silence it has time for a prayer.
Mayor Johnson agreed, saying, “We will be doing that on a regular basis. We will follow our own rules.”
