How Faith Shaped Canada's Foundation

What invisible thread connects Canada's first schoolteacher, the author of a world-famous hymn, and our first Prime Minister? Faith—the golden strand woven throughout Canadian history that's often overlooked during national celebrations.
Today's special Canada Day episode takes us on a journey through "Canada Portraits of Faith," a collection of 52 remarkable individuals whose spiritual convictions shaped our nation in profound ways.  But the episode also delivers a gentle challenge: not to become a "land of forgetfulness" where conversations about righteousness vanish. Drawing from Matthew 5:13, we're reminded that today's citizens are called to be "salt of the earth," preserving what's good and making a positive difference.

 Whether you're celebrating Canada Day or listening from elsewhere, you're invited to consider how faith can still be a transformative force for good in our communities and nations. 

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:05):
Good morning and welcome to Starting Right with
Danny Mac.
I'm going to be here everyMonday to Friday to help you get
a great five-minute start toyour day.
So grab your cup of coffee, sitback, relax and let me help you
start your day right.
Well, good morning and happybirthday, canada.
Because it is Canada's birthdaytoday, I want to do something

(00:27):
just a little bit different.
A while ago, my wife gave me abook entitled Canada Portraits
of Faith.
In this book it lists 52individuals who, from even
before Canada became a nation,right on up through to more
recent times, of people whosefaith impacted our country
beyond measure.
Many of these names you mightbe familiar with, yet there are

(00:47):
others that you will probablynever have heard of before A
woman by the name of MargueriteBourgeois she was Canada's first
school teacher.
There's Joseph Scriven, whowrote the hymn what a Friend we
have in Jesus.
There's John Hunter, whoactually led Canada's first
prime minister to Christ.
Yes, he led John A McDonald,the famous drinker, to a saving

(01:11):
knowledge of Jesus Christ.
Right on up to Timothy Eaton,who most of us in Canada will
remember or know of the Eaton'sdepartment stores.
These are people of faith, andmany others in this book that
talk about our foundation, thatwe have a foundation that says
faith is important to who we are.

(01:31):
The preface of this bookcontains a quote from Pierre
Elliott Trudeau, who was thePrime Minister of Canada back in
the 1980s and is the father ofour current Prime Minister,
justin Trudeau.
But Pierre Elliott Trudeau saidthis the golden thread of faith
is woven throughout the historyof Canada, from its earliest
beginnings up to the presenttime.
Faith was more important thancommerce in the minds of many of

(01:55):
the European explorers andsettlers, and over the centuries
, as successive waves of peoplecame to this country, many in
search of religious liberty,they brought with them a great
wealth and a variety ofreligious traditions and values.
Those values have shaped ourlaws and our lives and have
added enormous strength to thefoundation of freedom and

(02:16):
justice upon which this countrywas built.
It is an acknowledgment of thatdebt that the Parliament of
Canada later gave its approval,during the constitutional debate
, to the statement that Canadais founded upon principles that
recognize the supremacy of Godand the rule of law.
Faith played a large part inthe lives of so many men and

(02:37):
women who have created in thisland a society which places a
high value on commitment,integrity.
Society which places a highvalue on commitment, integrity,
generosity and, above all,freedom.
To pass on that heritage strongand intact is a challenge worthy
of us all who are privileged tocall ourselves Canadians.

(02:57):
As we celebrate our countrytoday, let's remember the
heritage that we have.
Let us not forget what thatheritage meant.
Psalm 88 and verse 12, the lastportion of that verse says can
anyone in the land offorgetfulness talk about
righteousness?
No, if we start to forgetwhat's right, if we start to
forget what's good, if we startto forget the difference between

(03:20):
right and wrong, then we arebound to go down a path of
destruction and failure.
These 52 people of faith listedin this book, who were part of
the heritage of faith of ourcountry, all understood this
principle from Matthew, chapter5 and verse 13.
You are the salt of the earth,but if that salt has become
tasteless, how can it be mademore salty again?

(03:42):
It is no longer good foranything except to be thrown out
and trampled underfoot by men.
They recognized that principleof influence, that they were
people to make a difference.
They were called by God to makea difference in this country of
Canada and to the people aroundthem, and you and I are called
to do the same.
God is for us, he is with us.

(04:04):
He wants us to make adifference in the lives of
people and continue to make adifference in our country and to
not forget about what is rightand important and what we need
to stand up for.
I am so happy and proud to callCanada my home, and to all my
friends out there who are inother countries today, may God's
peace and strength and joy bewith you, and I want to

(04:27):
encourage you, too, that youhave got the ability to have an
impact.
Where you are, with peace andjoy and the faith in Jesus
Christ, our world can be changed.
For Him.
Have a great day, my friends.
Thank you for listening today,and I invite you to join me

(04:54):
Monday to Friday, right here onStarting Right, with Danny Mac.