President’s report to the 2024 Annual General Meeting
Publisher: In-Sight Publishing
Publisher Founding: September 1, 2014
Publisher Location: Fort Langley, Township of Langley, British Columbia, Canada
Publication: Freethought Newswire
Original Link: https://nep-humanism.ca/2024/04/27/presidents-report-to-the-2024-annual-general-meeting/
Publication Date: April 27, 2024
Organization: The New Enlightenment Project
Organization Description: This website was created in June 2021 by a group of Canadian Humanists who saw the need for a platform where all subjects of concern to Humanists could be discussed freely and where civilized debate could be held without fear… The members of the New Enlightenment Project Humanist Association adopt the Amsterdam Declaration 2002, as reproduced below, as the Association’s Statement of Values and Principles.
Consistent with our mission and vision statement adopted at our June 2023 annual general meeting, The New Enlightenment Project has continued to promote reason, science, and compassion in guiding the pursuit of knowledge, the practice of governance, and the pursuit of individual goals. Our mission and vision was encapsulated in the following poster presented to the Humanists International conference in Copenhagen in July of this last year:
The questionnaire referenced in the poster can still be found at this link: WHERE IS HUMANISM TODAY? (google.com). My thanks to past board member Bart Bloom for preparing the poster and questionnaire.
The New Enlightenment Project is not a member of Humanists International. I attended the Copenhagen conference as a delegate representing Canadian Humanist Publications. Our Vice-President, Robert Hamilton represented Humanists Ottawa while Pierre St. Amant represented Association humaniste du Quebec. Pierre’s report on the congress was posted on our website here: Humanists International 2023: An Exciting Congress – THE NEW ENLIGHTENMENT PROJECT (nep-humanism.ca)
Later in the year, I presented on “Using the Medicine Wheel in Counselling” at the Men and Domestic Violence conference in Toronto in October, and I managed to work the New Enlightenment Project into the conversation as the medicine concept can be used to exemplify scientific concepts. Also on the theme of indigeneity and humanism, NEP published an excellent article by Elder David Cook (Maheegun) Spiritual Stereotypes – An Indigenous Atheist’s Experience – THE NEW ENLIGHTENMENT PROJECT (nep-humanism.ca). This article was also picked up by In-sight Publishing. Scott Douglas Jacobsen of In-Sight (and NEP board member) interviewed me and Mandisa Thomas of the US. Organization, Black Nonbelievers: Interview With Dr. Lloyd Hawkeye Robertson & Mandisa Thomas | In-Sight Publishing. Recently I appeared on Chris DiCarlo’s podcast All Thinks Considered discussing aboriginality, humanism and Wokism: https://allthinksconsidered.com/2024/04/08/episode-8-lloyd-haweye-roberston/
I made two presentations to the Vancouver Chapter of Humanist Canada this past year – the first in November and one earlier this month (April, 2024). The first presentation examined the threat Woke Identitarianism to humanism and the second is a review and discussion based on my new book Psychology in the Snow: Mental Wellness in the North: https://in-sightpublishing.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/02/psychology-in-the-snow.pdf. This book integrates my theory of the self with Enlightenment Humanism. Thank you to Ullrich Fischer who arranged these sessions with Humanist Canada’s Vancouver branch.
With the technical assistance of Michel Pion who also doubles as our treasurer, we continued to produce our own podcast interview series. I began this year’s program by interviewing Carey Linde about his sixty years as a social activist. He was the first lawyer to live and practise on an Indian reserve in Canada, the first to argue the principle of equal shared parenting in custody disputes and the first to represent parents whose children had sexually transitioned without their permission or knowledge. The interview can be found here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tAG-RM3kAX4&t=20s, Later in the year I interviewed Scott Jacobsen (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQTvqg_WiRA&t=1099s). As a humanist and journalist Scott has interviewed former prime ministers, academics, refugees and U.N. officials while battling sectarianism and superstition in his home province of British Columbia. Both Carey and Scott agreed to join our board this year.
Michel Virard, who is retiring as Board Secretary has contributed to our growing list of publications by translating from the original French and posting the following on our website: Laïcity in the State, a delicate balance – THE NEW ENLIGHTENMENT PROJECT (nep-humanism.ca); The taboo of fiscal secularism – THE NEW ENLIGHTENMENT PROJECT (nep-humanism.ca); Rights and privileges, the reign of confusion – THE NEW ENLIGHTENMENT PROJECT (nep-humanism.ca); and, The misadventures of slavery in New France – THE NEW ENLIGHTENMENT PROJECT (nep-humanism.ca).
In September the British humanist magazine, Humanistically Speaking, published my article on the death of Richard Bilkzsto: How Woke puritanism can lead to fatal consequences: Reflections on the death of Richard Bilkszto (humanisticallyspeaking.org). This article examined, from a humanist perspective, how a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) infused workplace and social media campaign led the suicide of an innocent victim. In January of this year we published a detailed analysis of the DEI phenomena by Paul Nathanson: DEI must DIE – THE NEW ENLIGHTENMENT PROJECT (nep-humanism.ca)
Our mission statement includes, “We seek to animate and activate the humanist community through discussions about prevailing challenges of our times including, but not limited to, the challenge to individuality by pervasive collectivism.” In keeping with this mission, George Hewson has led a public consultation on sexuality and gender that can be found here: Sexuality and Gender Discussion – THE NEW ENLIGHTENMENT PROJECT (nep-humanism.ca). The results will be published on our website and communicated to other humanist organizations. We see this as the first of many public consultations on topics relevant to humanism.
Your board recently met with Leslie Rosenblood of the Centre for Inquiry Canada to discuss research into the privileging of religious funding in Canada (with cost of more than $6 billion to the Canadian taxpayer). Relatedly, I have been liaising with (and have agreed to serve on the board of) Outrage Canada, a new organization mandated with the task of exposing legal privileges preventing the full examination of and protection from sexual and physical abuse in the Roman Catholic Church.
We have been discussing many controversial issues in our FB page led by Ullrich Fischer. Members and other interested individuals are encouraged to join the discussion: (3) New Enlightenment Project Discussion Group | Facebook
Call me old-fashioned, but I believe one of the best ways of engaging in Enlightenment discussions is face-to-face. Along with representatives from Critical Thinking Solutions; Convergence Analysis, Secular Connexion Séculière (SCS), Society of Ontario Freethinkers (SOFREE), Centre for Inquiry Canada (CFIC), Society for Academic Freedom and Scholarship, In-Sight Publishing, and Canadian Humanist Publications (CHP), we are exploring hosting a conference to provide opportunities for people who hold opposing viewpoints to discuss them in a fair and respectful forum. This would involve the open acknowledgment and utilization of Enlightenment values such as freedom of thought and speech, human reason, scientific inquiry, and continued improvement of the human condition, while steel manning those who would question or oppose them.
We have accomplished much in the short ten months since our previous AGM in June of 2023, and we have the promise of accomplishing much, much more. Thank you to our team of board members which currently includes Robert Hamilton (Vice-President), Michel Pion (Treasurer), Michel Virard (Secretary), George Hewson, Scott Jacobsen, Carey Linde and myself.
Kind regards,
Lloyd Hawkeye Robertson
April, 2024
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