Interfaith meeting in Wolfville postponed over U.S. border concerns

A multi-denominational faith meeting that was set to take place in Wolfville, N.S., this summer has been postponed over U.S. border concerns.

The North American Interfaith Network was to hold its first in-person conference since COVID-19, but a recent poll of its attendees showed most of them aren't comfortable making the trip across the American border.

"In early February, we sent out a communique to our member organizations asking them if the new political climate would have any bearing whatsoever on their attendance. And three-quarters of those who responded said we are unable to commit at this time because of the uncertainty of the circumstances of our day," Rob Hankinson, a retired United Church minister and co-ordinator of the conference, told CBC's Maritime Noon on Monday.

Since U.S. President Donald Trump took office, there have been several high-profile incidents of tourists and visa holders being stopped at U.S. border crossings, or being held for weeks at American immigration detention facilities.

Organizers of the Moving Trans History Forward conference in B.C. told The Canadian Press last week its U.S. participants also expressed concerns about crossing into Canada because of what could happen when they try to cross back into the U.S.

Hankinson said over the last 30 years, the interfaith conference has usually drawn about 120 attendees from the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

Drea Parker of Charlotte, N.C., would have been among the participants this year. She said that as a U.S. citizen she wasn't concerned about travelling herself, but she could sympathize with others planning to attend the conference.

"I myself am not a person that ICE [U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement] would be looking for … I'm born and raised in America, but I have a lot of friends and colleagues that are working through their visas, trying to get those completed, getting their green cards confirmed and they're concerned. And so I just, I feel for them," Parker told Maritime Noon.

Parker said she is saddened by the decision to defer the conference but she understands.

"I feel like with everything that's happening currently in the political environment, there's no telling what's going to be happening in August. So I think it's better safe than sorry," she said.

Hankinson said organizers didn't want to put people in any form of jeopardy.

"When people responded saying that they were unable to commit because of their own sense of anxiety or uncertainty, because of these new circumstances, we wanted to respect that," he said.

The North American Interfaith Network meeting, first held in Wichita, Kan., in 1988, brings together people from different faith backgrounds. Hankinson said this year's conference was going to focus on best practices to address social justice issues. He said it would have been the first time for the event in Nova Scotia.

While the in-person conference has been postponed, Hankinson said the network's board of directors is meeting later this week to discuss possibly moving the event online.