SOURCE: Wikipedia, 2020-06-15
See also: Centre for Cultural Renewal which was incorporated into Cardus in 2010.
Centre for Cultural Renewal is a non-partisan Canadian think-tank focused on the relevance of religion within society. It was founded in 1994. Originally named the Centre for Renewal in Public Policy, the foundation is based in Ottawa, Ontario and supported by a number of notable Canadian scholars and practitioners in medicine, law, education and politics.
The Centre for Cultural Renewal, which is non-denominational, has often been cited by Parliamentary Committees and, on occasion, by the courts. It has co-sponsored conferences with Simon Fraser University, the University of British Columbia and the Faculty of Religious Studies at McGill University.
In 2010, the Centre was incorporated into Cardus, a public policy think tank based in Hamilton, Ontario.
See also [2019-09-18] [malfeasant agendae] Kenney Government Appointed Foreign, Koch-Funded Researcher to Rewrite Alberta's Education Curriculum. Appointee supports right-wing American-style education reforms to subsidize private religious schools with public tax dollars.
Echoes efforts by U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos to shift shift funding to wealthy schools.
Mentions: Ashley Berner | Cardus | Center for Education Reform | Koch Family Foundations | Manhattan Institute | ...
The right-wing billionaire Charles Koch is currently investing in education reform for the explicit purpose of pushing conservatism on children.
The Cardus Institute is a Canadian research and educational institution (think tank), whose stated mission is "the renewal of North American social architecture." Cardus comes from the root cardo, which was a north-south oriented street in Roman cities considered an integral element of city planning and city life. Cardus is based out of Hamilton, Ontario with offices in Calgary and Montreal as well. Its work relies upon Judeo-Christian social thought in order "to enrich and challenge public debate through research, events, and publications, for the common good."
Cardus has its roots in a charity established in 1974 under the name "Foundation for Research and Economics in Developing a Christian Approach to Industrial Relations and Economics," also known as the Work Research Foundation. Spearheaded by Harry Antonides and Bernard Zylstra, the work of the Work Research Foundation consisted primarily in the publication of a quarterly newsletter, Comment, and occasional conferences.
In 1996, the Work Research Foundation received a project grant from the Donner Canadian Foundation to deal with Freedom of Association in Canadian Labour Relations. This project included a survey of Canadian attitudes towards unions done in cooperation with Gallup; the publication of Buying a Labour Monopoly, and numerous smaller publications and presentations. Ray Pennings directed this project and, together with Gideon Strauss, developed a proposal to develop the Work Research Foundation into a full-fledged think tank that would be "public, credible and Christian." Michael Van Pelt, at that time the President of the Sarnia Chamber of commerce, was hired as the first full-time employee and began work in September 2000. Ray Pennings joined the full-time staff in 2002, having previously served as the Public Affairs Director for the Christian Labour Association of Canada. They developed a threefold strategy of utilizing publications, research, and networking events in order to map the institutional space that exists between government and the markets.
Early research projects looked at leadership in the business sector, patterns of trade between Canada and the United States, and labour mobility in Canada's construction sector. The publication of Comment magazine as an anchor magazine commenced in 2002 and regular events, many of which involved Senior Fellows recruited to the organization, were held across the country.
From its guiding principles, Cardus currently works on three fronts. First, partnering with Notre Dame University, Cardus launched the Cardus Education Survey, an ongoing study of the outcomes of education in both the public and private sectors in North American secondary schools. Second, Cardus is also involved in Social Cities, a project which helps promote the complex relationships of people, culture, and institutions that make up North American urban spaces. Third, Cardus is engaged with Work and Economics, constructing arguments and policy related to issues of work dignity and labour relations. In 2014, Cardus' research was used by Member of Parliament, Jason Kenney, in his remarks for a conference of Canada's New Industrial Revolution.
Education and Culture exists to provide reliable, credible data for non-government types of education.
Work and Economics connects belief and behavior as way to understand work and economics in North America that can contribute to the common good.
Social Cities explores complex issues around making good cities through integrating work in a variety of social infrastructure project areas.
Cardus produces two periodicals: Comment, a "journal of public theology for the common good"; and Convivium, a "journal of faith in our common life." Two occasional products round out Cardus's publications: Cardus Policy in Public and Lexview.
Cardus Policy in Public: Cardus's research in public policy covers the fields of urban planning, work and labour, and education. This research is released regularly throughout the calendar year. In addition to its regularly issued periodicals, Cardus also produces more in-depth reports.
Comment: Edited by James K.A. Smith, Comment magazine aims to be "a journal of public theology for the common good."
Convivium: Published by Peter Stockland and Edited by Fr. Raymond J. de Souza, Convivium is a periodical concerned with "faith in our common life" and publishes a range of writers of all faith traditions.
Lexview: Started in 1998, Lexview attempts to provide timely analysis to the court cases shaping Canadian Law.
Cardus Audio (podcast): A podcast and CD series of lectures and interviews conducted by Cardus on a range of topics.
Cardus hosts a variety of private and public events across North America for business, educational and political leaders.
The Hill Family Lecture series: An ongoing annual lecture series hosted by Cardus and funded by the Hill Companies. 2014 lecturers include Ross Douthat and Rex Murphy. Past speakers include Barbara Kay, Mark Carney, Conrad Black, and Rex Murphy.
Cardus is supported through its publications and from private donors. It is a registered charity in Canada and in the United States.
Notable scholars associated with Cardus include:
Ashley Berner [links to Jason Kenney]: [2019-09-18] Kenney Government Appointed Foreign, Koch-Funded Researcher to Rewrite Alberta's Education Curriculum.
[captured 2020-06-15[ Ashley Berner, Senior Fellow, Education
Dr. Ashley Berner is Deputy Director of the Johns Hopkins Institute for Education Policy and Assistant Professor of Education. She served previously as the Deputy Director of the CUNY Institute for Education Policy and the Director of the Education Program at the Institute for Advanced Studies in Culture, UVa. Dr. Berner has published articles and book chapters on the relationship between educational structure and state funding in democratic nations, religious education and citizenship formation, and teacher preparation in different national contexts. Palgrave MacMillan published "Pluralism and American Public Education: No One Way to School" (2017). She consults regularly on projects that examine the academic and civic outcomes of different school sectors. Her teaching experience took place in a Jewish pre-school, an Episcopal secondary school, and an open university in Louisiana. She is currently a Senior Fellow at the Center for the Study of Law and Religion at Emory University Law School. She holds degrees from Davidson College (Honors A.B.) and from Oxford University (M.Litt. and D.Phil. in Modern History).
[captured 2020-06-15] Brian Brenberg.
Brian Brenberg teaches classes in business and economics at The King's College. His teaching is backed by a variety of for-profit and non-profit experience. Prior to joining King's faculty, he served as grants manager at the Charles Koch Foundation. He also held positions in the medical device and financial services industries, as well as public policy research.
Prof. Brenberg earned an MBA with distinction at Harvard Business School and an MPA at the John F. Kennedy School of Government. During his time at Harvard, he served as co-president of the Harvard Business School Christian Fellowship. A native of Minnesota, Prof. Brenberg now resides in New York City with his wife, Krista, and their two daughters, Maria and Anna.
[PressProgress.ca, 2021-12-15] Ontario Education Minister Discussed Childcare With a Religious Lobby Group That Likened Public Childcare to "Misogyny". Stephen Lecce discussed childcare with is one of Canada’s most prominent social conservative organizations.
Ontario's Education Minister [Ministry of Education (Ontario)] - Stephen Francis Lecce - posted a photo of himself discussing the need for "
Good recent dialogue with leaders from @cardusca to discuss the imperative of advancing a flexible child care agreement that supports all families, respects parents' choices, and delivers long-term affordability. pic.twitter.com/wh4YDLIEPq
-- Stephen Lecce (@Sflecce) 2021-12-14
Pictured in the photo appears to be Cardus program director, Andrea Mrozek [local copy], who writes regularly for the think tank's publication, Convivium.
The same day Stephen Lecce posted the photo,
"For Ontario, it will be particularly important to ensure all families benefit, including those who do not want licensed, not-for-profit centres. There are ways to ensure this happens, which include
Ontario Coalition For Better Childcare Policy Coordinator Carolyn Ferns [local copy] said Cardus has a long history of opposing child care. "Cardus has long had really socially conservative views," Ferns told PressProgress. "So, it is really troubling that that's who our Minister of Education is talking to."
As PressProgress noted previously, an earlier Cardus report - "The Daycare Lobby's Misogyny" - argued public investments in childcare are a means of "coercing Canadian mothers into the workforce" to serve a "dystopian fantasy."
Elsewhere, Cardus has argued on its website:
Traditional marriage helps people's ""recovery from illness;"
"Abortion is the destruction of a developing human being, and a civilized society would not permit it;"
"Sexual revolutionaries" are creating a culture of "unstable families and social disarray;"
"Divorce is correlated with lower graduation rates, higher rates of drug use and higher rates of early sexual initiation for children;"
"The time has come for the government of Canada to use its coercive powers to legislate that a couple being married must be one man and one woman;"
On "sexual openness": "Canadian women have lived through enough broken relationships and casual hook-ups to see that today's sexual openness isn't all its cracked up to be;"
On anti-vaxxers: "They are sterling critical thinkers who unreservedly reserve the human prerogative to question, to challenge, to voice non-compliance with what infringes their physical, emotional and spiritual integrity."
Asked about its position on childcare, a spokesperson for Cardus told PressProgress:
"Cardus maintains that child care is the care of a child, no matter who provides that care. Families have diverse care needs and rely on a variety of forms of care to meet those needs. Public policy best serves families when it offers flexibility and is equitable for all families, regardless of the type of care they use.
"Cardus talks about 'choice' but it's not really about choice" Carolyn Ferns said. "It's about a very socially conservative view of the
🚨There is so much going on, but Lecce is laser-focused on his prize: privatization, everywhere.
We know what this meeting means & we call on @JustinTrudeau to not cave. Lecce wants to break public ed via Charter &/or voucher models that will fund private "choice" with public 💰 https://t.co/CfFDlVfxTP
-- Ontario Parent Action Network (@parentaction4ed) 2021-12-15
Ontario's Ministry of Education did not respond to requests for comment.
Return to Persagen.com