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| title | chunk | source | category | tags | date_saved | instance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Center for Inquiry | 3/4 | https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Center_for_Inquiry | reference | science, encyclopedia | 2026-05-05T10:20:13.315459+00:00 | kb-cron |
CFI Canada (CFIC) is the Canadian branch of CFI Transnational, headquartered in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Justin Trottier served as National Executive Director from 2007 to 2011. Originally established and supported in part by CFI Transnational, CFI Canada has become an independent Canadian national organization with several provincial branches. CFI Canada has branches in Halifax, Montreal, Ottawa, Toronto, Saskatoon, Calgary, Okanagan (Kelowna), and Vancouver.
== Affiliate organizations ==
=== List of affiliates === Organizations affiliated with the Center for Inquiry include:
Centre for Inquiry Canada Centre for Inquiry UK Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society (see below) Committee for Skeptical Inquiry (CSI) Committee for the Scientific Examination of Religion (CSER) Commission for Scientific Medicine and Mental Health Practice (CSMMH) International Academy of Humanism Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science
=== Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society === The Institute for the Secularisation of Islamic Society (ISIS) is an organization of writers that promotes the ideas of secularism, democracy and human rights within Islamic society. Founded in 1998 by former Muslims, the best known being Ibn Warraq, the group aims to combat theologically driven fanaticism, violence and terrorism. The organization subscribes to the rule of secular law, freedom of speech and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. It does not promote any belief system or religious dogma.
== In the media == CFI participates in media debates on science, health, religion and its other areas of interest. Its "Keep Healthcare Safe and Secular" campaign promotes scientifically sound healthcare. It has been an outspoken critic of dubious and unscientific healthcare practices, and engages in public debate on the merit and legality of controversial medical techniques. In 2014, CEO Ron Lindsay publicly criticized Stanislaw Burzynski's controversial Texas cancer clinic. CFI campaigns for a secular society, for example in opposing the addition of prayer text on public property. The center supports secular and free speech initiatives. On November 14, 2006, the CFI opened its Office of Public Policy in Washington, DC, and issued a declaration "In Defense of Science and Secularism", which calls for public policy to be based on science rather than faith. The next day The Washington Post ran an article about it entitled "Think Tank Will Promote Thinking". In 2011, video expert James Underdown of IIG and CFI Los Angeles did an experiment for "Miracle Detective" Oprah Winfrey Network which replicated exactly the angelic apparition that people claim cured a 14-year-old severely disabled child at Presbyterian Hemby Children's Hospital in Charlotte, North Carolina. The "angel" was sunlight from a hidden window, and the girl remained handicapped.
=== Consumer fraud lawsuits against CVS and Walmart === In July 2018, CFI filed suit against CVS in the District of Columbia for consumer fraud over its sale and marketing of ineffective homeopathic medicine. The lawsuit in part accused the CVS of deceiving consumers through its misrepresentation of homeopathy's safety and effectiveness, wasting customers' money and putting their health at risk. Nicholas Little, CFI's Vice President and General Counsel said, "CVS is taking cynical advantage of their customers' confusion and trust in the CVS brand, and putting their health at risk to make a profit and they can't claim ignorance. If the people in charge of the country's largest pharmacy don't know that homeopathy is bunk, they should be kept as far away from the American healthcare system as possible." In May 2019, CFI announced that they have filed a similar suit against Walmart for their range of homeopathic products. In July 2019, CFI announced that the Stiefel Freethought Foundation was contributing an additional $150,000 to the previously committed $100,000 to support the two lawsuits. In 2020 both cases were dismissed. In September 2022 the District of Columbia's Court of Appeals revived the lawsuits.
=== Lack of racial diversity on its board of directors === In 2016, the atheist Sikivu Hutchinson criticized the merger of the secular organizations Center for Inquiry and the Richard Dawkins Foundation for Reason and Science, which gave Richard Dawkins a seat on the board of directors of the Center for Inquiry. Her criticism was that both organizations had all white boards of directors.
=== Wyndgate Country Club and Richard Dawkins, 2011 === During Richard Dawkins' October 2011 book tour, Center for Inquiry – the tour's sponsor – signed a contract with Wyndgate Country Club in Rochester Hills, Michigan, as the venue site. After seeing an interview with Dawkins on The O'Reilly Factor, an official at the club cancelled Dawkins' appearance. Dawkins said that the country club official accepted Bill O'Reilly's "twisted" interpretation of his book The Magic of Reality without having read it personally. Sean Faircloth said that cancelling the reading "really violates the basic principles of America ... The Civil Rights Act ... prohibits discrimination based on race or religious viewpoint. ... [Dawkins has] published numerous books ... to explain science to the public, so it's rather an affront, to reason in general, to shun him as they did." CFI Michigan executive director Jeff Seaver stated that "This action by The Wyndgate illustrates the kind of bias and bigotry that nonbelievers encounter all the time." Following the cancellation, protests and legal action by CFI against the Wyndgate Country Club were pursued. In 2013 this case was settled in favor of the Center For Inquiry.