The Amish community of Ontario is being targeted by our government.

During covid, members of the Amish community continued to travel south of the border to visit and support family and friends in neighbouring communities.

With each trip, travelers were accosted at the border with demands that they download the ArriveCan app, return for valid testing or risk significant fines. In each case the Amish refused and continued on their way.

Unbeknownst to them, court dates had been set and their attendance was requested but never received, due to their lifestyle free from electronic devices and modern technology.

Their situation became clear when one member realized the government had placed a lien on his property for unpaid fines.

The total value of fines levied against their community exceeds $300,000, with fines issued to 74 community members.

The Amish are a respected community in Canada, known for their simple lifestyle and hardworking members. It is their long-standing religious beliefs and practices that dictate their lifestyle; religious rights that should be respected under our Charter.

Instead, our government has chosen to target them specifically for not engaging in the current trend of digitalization. An attack that attempts to directly impede their right to live as they choose and remain true to their faith.

This attack appears to be nothing more than an attempt by our government to assert their will on all whose rights stand in opposition.

This peaceful community deserves our support as they work with The Democracy Fund (TDF) to reopen their convictions and oppose the fines levied against them, purely for exercising their right to ‘peaceful, non-compliance with unconstitutional, scientifically unsupported COVID-19 policies’.

The freedom of religion that is supported by our Charter applies to all citizens of Canada. Government policy cannot unfairly target one religion over another, yet that is what we have seen in recent years.

We will continue to stand for our Charter rights and freedoms alongside agencies like TDF as they fight to ensure our laws are upheld as intended, in support all Canadians equally.

To read The Democracy Fund article and learn how you can donate, click here