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Justin Trottier | |
|---|---|
| Born | Justin Trottier (1982-12-04)4 December 1982 (age 42) |
| Education | Bachelor of Applied Science, Engineering |
| Alma mater | University of Toronto |
| Occupation | executive director |
| Years active | 2002-present |
| Organization(s) | Canadian Association for Equality (CAFE), Canadian Centre for Men and Families |
| Relatives | Lorne Trottier |
Justin Trottier (born 4 December 1982) is a political activist, former political candidate and founder of Canada's largest social-political movements for secularism and men's issues. He was one of several founding members of several secular organizations such as theCentre for Inquiry Canada in 2007, where he served as National Executive Director until 2011. He also founded the Freethought Association of Canada, which created the 2009atheist bus campaign where Trottier served as one of the spokespersons. He also founded the Canadian Secular Alliance. In 2011, he was aGreen Party candidate in the 2011 Ontario provincial election. Later, Trottier co-founded and has served as the chairman and spokesperson for theCanadian Association for Equality (CAFE), and was heavily involved in CAFE's campaign to open the Canadian Centre for Men and Families in 2014. He currently serves as the Centre's director.
Trottier graduated from theUniversity of Toronto with a degree in Engineering Science in 2006.[1] His uncle,Lorne Trottier, is the co-founder ofMatrox computing.
In 2005 Trottier founded the University of Toronto Secular Alliance with Jennie Fiddes. The organization successfully lobbied for the secularization of the University of Toronto's graduation ceremony through the removal of convocation prayers.[2]
In March 2006, Trottier opened the Secular Freethought Centre, the first community centre in Canada for secular humanists. By January 2007 the Secular Freethought Centre had become theCentre for Inquiry Canada (CFI) and Trottier was hired as its first Executive Director. CFI currently operates 10 branches in Canada as a national educational charity. Until 2011, Trottier served as chief spokesperson and led the national office.
In June 2010, Trottier hiredNathan Phelps, the estranged son of PastorFred Phelps of the notoriously anti-gayWestboro Baptist Church, to head up the Calgary, Alberta, branch of the Centre for Inquiry. Trottier's Canadian Campaign for Free Expression sparked the Centre for Inquiry's annualBlasphemy Day.[3]
Trottier co-founded the One School System Network which advocates for the defunding of the tax-payer supported Roman Catholic School System in Ontario.[4] The One School System Network lobbied against the Conservative Party leaderJohn Tory's 2007 election campaign proposal to fund all private faith-based schools in Ontario fully.[5]
In June 2014 he filed an affidavit and was granted intervenor status by theSupreme Court of Canada on behalf of the Canadian Secular Alliance, in the case ofMouvement laïque québécois v Saguenay, aSupreme Court of Canada case looking at the constitutionality of government prayer. Atheist Alain Simoneau and the secular rights organizationMouvement Laïque Québécois had initiated an action before the Quebec Human Rights Tribunal (Commission des droits de la personne et des droits de la jeunesse) against Jean Tremblay, Mayor of the Quebec town of Saguenay, calling for an end to the practice of the municipal council initiating its city council meetings with a Catholic prayer, on the basis that doing so infringes on freedom of conscience and religion. The Supreme Court unanimously agreed with the plaintiffs, and ordered an end to the practice.
Trottier is the founder and former president of theFreethought Association of Canada. During his leadership he acted as one of the primary spokespersons for the 2009Canadian Atheist Bus Campaign, which received considerable media attention.[6] The campaign ran atheist ads on public transit vehicles in multiple Canadian cities. A variety of cities refused to run the ads, although some withdrew their prohibition after a Supreme Court ruling found banning political or controversial ads a violation of the free speech provision in the Canadian constitution.[7]
The Canadian Atheist bus ads sparked counter campaigns in response, which Trottier publicly supported, including an ad sponsored by Syed Sohawardy of the Islamic Supreme Council of Canada and another by theUnited Church of Canada.
Trottier has made many media appearances, representing various atheist, men's issues, and political groups.[8] In 2010 Trottier was the skeptical voice on the pilot episode ofThe Conspiracy Show with Richard Syrett, airing onVisionTV.[9] He subsequently became a regular guest, speaking on crop circles, the Shroud of Turin and freemasonry. He has also been featured on the cover ofEye Weekly magazine,[10] and been interviewed for Vision TV's two-part documentary "Godless."[11][better source needed]
Since January 2011, Trottier has appeared regularly on theJohn Oakley Show's Tuesday morning Culture War segment on Toronto Talk Radio AM640.[12] His debate opponents have tended to be conservative religious leaders, including ReverendCharles McVety, Pastor Scott Masson, and Rabbi Mendel Kaplan. In April 2009, he was invited to become a contributor to theNational Post's online Holy Post blog.[13]
In 2005, Trottier joined the board of directors of theCanadian Space Society and had served as the society's external director and as the managing editor of its publication, theCanadian Space Gazette. In 2012 Trottier became the executive producer and host of the Star Spot Radio Show and podcast.[14][15] The program is aired onCJRU The Scope at Ryerson University.[15]
In 2011, Trottier became the leader of the Toronto Men's Issues Awareness Campaign. In an interview with theToronto Star about the campaign, Trottier stated that "in gender issues, it’s not as simple as women are always victims and men are always the victimizers," and that "there’s a far more nuanced debate that we should be having." Describing the campaign as "about equality and equalism," Trottier suggested that "for all our talk of equality, it’s ironic that our societal investments have really been on women’s issues."[16]
Trottier co-founded, and currently acts as chair and spokesperson for theCanadian Association for Equality (CAFE).[17][18][19][20] CAFE has often been described in the media as being amen's rights group, and has frequently been the subject of controversy.[18][21][22]
In 2013, CAFE announced plans to build Toronto's first "Men's Centre," to be named the Canadian Centre for Men and Families.[21][23] Trottier was involved[18][20] in CAFE's campaign[21][24][25] to raise funds for and open the Canadian Centre for Men and Families, and he now serves as the Centre's director.[24][26] Trottier has described the centre as a "hub for men’s and boy’s issues and for the health and well-being of boys more generally,"[24] but it has also faced criticism from feminist and anti-domestic violence organizations such as the Toronto YWCA and theWhite Ribbon Campaign.[21][27] The centre opened in downtown Toronto in August 2014, with programs including grief counseling, sexual trauma support, anger management, suicide prevention, fathering, tutoring and mentorship.[17][24][27][26]
In 2011, Trottier became theGreen Party of Ontario candidate inParkdale—High Park in the2011 Ontario general election.[28] Trottier placed fourth in the election with 3.33% of the vote. New Democratic Party candidateCheri DiNovo, who was the incumbent, kept her seat.[29]
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