---
title: "ABC council candidate's prayer post draws secular pushback as advance voting opens"
description: "ABC Vancouver's Lorraine Lowe posted a prayer on social media as advance polls opened on October 3, drawing criticism from the B.C. Humanist Association and prompting ABC to distance itself from the post."
canonical_url: "https://voche.me/news/lorraine-lowe-prayer-post-advance-voting-october-6"
last_updated: "2026-10-10T04:01:12.529Z"
---

ABC Vancouver city council candidate Lorraine Lowe (刘黛明) posted a prayer on X and Instagram on October 3 as advance voting opened in Vancouver, CTV News reported. The B.C. Humanist Association called the post surprising and said candidates must speak for all voters. ABC said it was a personal prayer the party did not approve.

## What Lowe posted

CTV News reports Lowe wrote: "Father God, here we are. Advance polling. Your Word says, 'we wrestle not against flesh and blood.'" She added: "Remind us that this is ultimately a spiritual fight for truth, love, humility and light, not a fight against people. Protect our team and everyone we love."

Lowe was not made available for an interview with CTV News.

## The response

Ian Bushfield, executive director of the B.C. Humanist Association, told CTV News the use of explicitly religious language was surprising. Bushfield said religious language in a campaign does not resonate with voters, and that candidates need to be politicians for everyone, regardless of belief.

Bushfield also said ABC Vancouver needs to be careful about mixing religion and politics. He pointed to the party's 2022 mayoral inauguration ceremony, which included prayers. The B.C. Humanist Association threatened legal action over that ceremony. The Supreme Court of Canada found unanimously in 2015 that opening council meetings with prayers was unconstitutional, and the City of Vancouver later determined it had breached its duty to uphold religious neutrality.

## ABC's response

In a statement to CTV News, ABC Vancouver said Lowe's post was "a personal prayer at the end of a long campaign." The party said it did not approve the post and that it wants candidates "to be authentic and true to themselves, and politics could use more of that. We stand with Lorraine."

Mayor Ken Sim, who leads ABC Vancouver and is seeking a second term, publicly supported the post. "I have spent the last more than eight years visiting gurdwaras, mosques, synagogues, churches, and we celebrate that," Sim told CTV News. "That's what Vancouver is, and so I 100 per cent support it."

## Religion in B.C.

A 2025 poll by Research Co. found B.C. has the largest share of agnostic, atheist or non-religious residents of any province in Canada. Research Co. president Mario Canseco told CTV News: "We don't see the same type of situation in Ontario or in Quebec, or on the prairies. And there's no area in the United States that is comparable to this."

Dr. Carmen Celestini, a lecturer in Religious Studies at the University of Waterloo, told CTV News the post could divide some voters and draw in others. She said it could appeal to those who believe God plays a role in politics. She did not take a position on whether the post was appropriate.

## For voters

[Lorraine Lowe](/candidates/lorraine-lowe) is one of the ABC Vancouver candidates for City Council on the October 17 ballot. Advance voting continues through October 15 at locations listed at [/where-to-vote](/where-to-vote).

## Sitemap

See the full [sitemap](/sitemap.md) for all pages.