A Peacemaker Confronts the Courts

By David Milne – March 9, 2009

 

“Jesus calls us to make peace. Because Lockheed-Martin is involved, if I cooperated with the census I would violate my own religious beliefs.” Todd Stelmach gave this testimony on March 5 in a Brockville, Ontario courthouse packed with reporters and supporters, including members of Christian Peacemaker Teams.  Mr. Stelmach cited passages from the Old and New Testaments to support his testimony and defend himself against the charge of not completing the census, an offence punishable by up to three months in prison or a fine of up to $500. The pastor of his church testified that in his opinion Mr. Stelmach sincerely believes the call to be a peacemaker; this is not an argument of convenience.

 

The Director of Statistics Canada took the stand before Mr. Stelmach. He maintained that the North American Free Trade Agreement, which the government of Canada signed, means that Lockheed-Martin has the right to bid on the contract to do the support work needed to complete the Canadian census of both 2006 and 2011. The Director stated that Lockheed-Martin’s bid was the best one in a fair and open process and that refusing to award it to Lockheed-Martin would have violated NAFTA.

 

In his testimony the Director revealed that Lockheed-Martin will be paid $49 million for the census of 2006 and $18 million for the one in 2011. He also noted that between 900,000 and 1.4 million people were not counted during the 2006 census because they could not be found. Further, some 21 First Nation bands refused entry to census takers.

 

He outlined the importance of the census to the operation of federal and provincial governments in fields such as health care, education and social assistance. Mr. Stelmach, an occupational therapist who also works with homeless people and youth, agreed. “Health programs rely on information the census provides. I support that. But it’s wrong for the world’s largest arms maker, one that makes weapons that kill innocent people, to be involved.”

 

The Crown Attorney objected that Lockheed-Martin was involved in the census. It’s Lockheed-Martin Canada that’s doing the work. Similarly, it’s hearsay (inadmissible) that Lockheed-Martin is in fact a weapon’s manufacturer. The judge agreed. They also agreed that Mr. Stelmach could not rely on the Charter of Rights clause that guarantees freedom to practice one’s religion as a defence.

 

Citing the complexity and novelty of the case the judge reserved his decision to April 6 at 10 a.m. The last word, for the moment, should go to Mr. Stelmach’s pastor. When the Crown Attorney asked him if he had completed the census in 2006 he said “I did. But I’m thinking about whether I’ll do it again.”