The duty to engage in politics is not negotiable in John McKay’s view. “You have the absolute right not to vote”, the Scarborough-Guildwood MP asserts with this warning to those politically asleep at the wheel, “and I have the absolute right to impose a $100 fine on your tax return.”

Engaging in politics is not new to McKay. After successfully running in nine federal elections, he is now stepping down from his role as federal parliamentarian.

When asked what motivated him to pursue a political career, he replied “I’m wondering myself!”

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A man of Christian faith, he says he didn’t have any sort of “road to Damascus” experience calling him into politics. An opportunity simply became available to him, and he took advantage of it. In hindsight, though, he recognizes that there were certain points in his career where he believes he was meant to be there to handle particular issues of the day.

McKay believes his faith is reflected in the three private member’s bills that he sponsored during his 27 years in office. Although he sees himself as a pro-business liberal, he says “there are things in business you simply cannot do.” Child labour exploitation and products that burn houses down figure amongst the issues he has been most successful in tackling. “I don’t think you need a Ph.D. in theology to figure out that this is just wrong,” McKay says.

In 2004, McKay’s amendment to the Hazardous Products Act was passed prohibiting cigarettes that didn’t meet flammability standards.

The Official Development Assistance Accountability Act, which McKay sponsored and became law in 2008, seeks to have Canadian development aid focused on poverty reduction.

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Most recently, Bill S-211, co-sponsored by Senator Julie Miville-Dechêne, received royal assent in May 2023. The bill enacted the Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act. Since then, thousands of companies have filed reports to help pinpoint which companies may be engaged in child and slave labour. According to McKay, “this bill has the potential of being a real game changer in the way Canadian companies do business.”

If citizens want to become informed about government and elections, McKay advises to avoid Internet searches where results are based on algorithms that find only what people like to see, thus adversely affecting critical thinking.

Instead, he encourages people to engage in civic literacy early, and often. In fact, in his view, civic literacy courses should be mandatory in schools and taught with the same rigour as mathematics for the reason that “our democracy writ large is under extreme pressure.” He also encourages citizens to become directly engaged with their party of choice.

McKay’s view that voting should be considered as part of our civic responsibility aligns with Catholic social teaching. According to the non-partisan website Catholic Conscience (www.catholicconscience.org), which provides election guides, party platform comparisons, and applicable Church teachings, the Catechism of the Catholic Church encourages all citizens to take part in public life.

When asked what advice he would provide other persons of faith seeking to pursue public office, McKay jokingly replied “Gird your loins with the breastplate of righteousness.” Potential candidates should realize, according to McKay, that people will not see the world the way that the candidate sees the world. It is important, he continued, that candidates be able to adjust to other people, and realize that others may not necessarily reciprocate the adjustment.

McKay believes that political office is a terrific calling when basing one’s work on a moral foundation. He is concerned about efforts in society to expunge faith from Canadian public life. “Bear in mind”, McKay warned, “if you’re taking something out, you’re inevitably replacing it. Power abhors a vacuum.” Such elimination of faith in several countries has not resulted in people being better off. In fact, he asserts, “the evidence is overwhelmingly the other way.”

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Although not seeking re-election, it might take some time before the politician is fully removed from John McKay. He concluded our conversation by asking my permission to place his party’s sign on my lawn when the next election is called.

(Lea Karen Kivi is a Toronto-based communications professional. MP John McKay is one of 14 pro-life advocates featured in The Catholic Register’s just-released Lives Lived for Life magazine.)