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Great White himself, Roy Green. The Roy Green Show on the Chorus Radio Network. So thank you to everybody who's sending me these prescriptions for how to deal with what I've got. First of all, I don't know what I've got.
I know I've got a bug and I've got a bit of a fever. It's the flu, right? It's the flu because Roy didn't get the flu shots and I always got the flu. Thank you very much for sending me your cures.
I would have to get five more jobs to buy all the stuff that you're suggesting. It looks interesting. It'd be the giant blender, but we'll know. It's going to come out of the other end.
Derek and Frances Bars made headlines nationally, internationally, when the former foster parents took the Hamilton, Ontario Children's Day Society to court, alleging their two young foster children were removed from the Bars' home because the Bars insisted on telling the kids neither Santa Claus nor the Easter Bunny are real. That application against CIS alleged that their charter rights were violated because of their religious beliefs. And the Bars' case that I've been telling you against Hamilton CIS goes to court in Hamilton next Monday. There is, by the way, there's still that film I want you to take a look at.
It's free and it's online. The film is titled Powerful as God. And that is what a CIS worker sent to a family who was powerful as God. And they tried to stop that film from being released, but they weren't successful.
So Derek Bars joins us from Alberta. Derek, thank you for the time. Please remind us how Children's Aid first challenged you and your wife about telling the kids not to Santa nor the Easter Bunny are real. What was that reproach?
How did CIS approach you? Well, I thank you very much for having me on rolling from one voice worker to another. I hope you'll get well soon. I have to preach tomorrow.
And my throat is not happy either. Uh-oh. So we suffered together. But that's all right.
Anyway, to the point you were raising about what CIS was asking us to do, we did not insist on telling the children that the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus are not real. We were told by the agency that we were required to tell them that Santa Claus and the Easter Bunny are real. And we were told that if we did not do that, we would be shut down. As a foster home, the children would be removed.
That ended up happening with 24 hours' notice. So I'm assuming you must have been absolutely miserable foster parents then if they shut you down in 24 hours, tongue-in-cheek, over the Easter Bunny and Santa. Isn't the idea really to provide the kids with a good stable home? One would think so.
And by their own records, we had told CIS ahead of time. There are things we're prepared to do. There are things we cannot do in good conscience. Among them were trick-or-treating on Halloween, suggest telling the children that Santa Claus was the one who gave the gifts or that the Easter Bunny was the one who hid chocolate eggs.
But other than that, their file indicates that we did a fine job as foster parents. Okay, so you were looking after the children the way they needed to be looked after. They had a solid firm, foundation, and all they were looking at. What about people who would say to you, come on, Derek, it's just little white lies for little kids.
Surely you can bend the rules a little bit. Well, the position of saying that we are only going to speak the truth, we're not going to lie to you, you're not going to lie to us. If any lies are permitted, that's an inconsistent position. Does this disqualify you as foster parents throughout Canada or just in the Hamilton area, and for how long?
We would need to let other agencies know about what's going on, what had happened in Hamilton. And we are desirous to adopt children if the Lord opens those doors in Edmonton. And we've been up front about what had happened in Hamilton. There have been people, as you know, who've criticized you and your wife and said, come on, these people shouldn't have those kids because they're just forcing religion on them.
What do you say to those people? I would say that our religion is, well, number one, it's the advantage of being true. We're Christians. Number two, it's protected by the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
And if the Charter means anything, our Charter rights must be protected. And we hope that that will happen. And just for the record, it's Wednesday of next week. Is it Wednesday?
What did I say? 11 a.m. You said Monday. Okay, well, we get people there early.
Very early, very early. Yeah, they'll be fine. So, are there other foster parents who've had children taken away from them for similar reasons? Are you aware of anything?
Any other cases? Anybody in touch with you? I'm not aware of situations precisely like ours, but I'm aware of another situation where JCCF, the legal firm that's representing Francis and me, is also representing a Christian evangelical couple in Edmonton who were cleared to adopt, except they hold the traditional religious views about homosexual relationships. They would urge their children in their care, their adopted children, not to pursue that path because of their religious motivation.
And for that, they were not permitted to adopt. Would they raise the issue with the children, or would they speak to it only if the children brought it in conversation? Or you don't know? I don't know.
You don't know? Okay. So, you go to court on Wednesday, and you're asking for money. We are not asking for money.
We are asking for our charter rights to be protected, that Children's Aid Society would not discriminate against people with sincere religious beliefs. There are probably other people previously described as having alternative lifestyles that they would not be caught dead discriminating against today, and so we're asking for equal treatment. Where are the children now? I'm not entirely sure.
And that's confidential. You have every right to ask it, but we agree to keep contact. Okay, fair enough. And you don't want to become foster parents again?
We wish to become adopted. Adopted parents, all right. So, Wednesday morning, the Johnson-Pinker Courthouse in Hamilton is when your case will be heard. Right, 11 a.m., and I believe it'll be open to the public, and those who want to come and watch in an orderly way are most welcome.
All right, Derek. Thank you for the time today. Thank you. Derek Bars joining us from Edmonton.
There'll be more about this case, I'm sure, as the week progresses. We'll come back in a minute.