Religious Freedom Under Siege

Canadians have long assumed they can freely practice their faith, especially since religious freedoms are written into Section 2 of the Charter of Rights. However, in recent years this freedom has been ignored by courts, human rights tribunals and the federal government.

Consider the record:

• Due to anti-Christian attitudes, prayer is prohibited in most public schools. Also, the Ontario Court of Appeal banned prayer in that province's municipal council meetings.
  At the 1997 memorial service held in Peggy's Cove for victims of the Swissair crash, government officials told a United Church minister and a Catholic priest that they would not be allowed to utter the name of Jesus or read from the Bible.

• At the memorial service on Parliament Hill held for victims of the September 11th 2001 tragedy, the Liberal government made a decision to not permit any prayer. Canada was the only nation in the free world to prohibit prayer. The Prime Minister boasted to his Liberal caucus that preventing a priest from speaking at the Parliament Hill memorial for September 11th was "the best decision I ever made." *

• A BC Judge overturned a school board's decision to disallow materials promoting homosexuality in Kindergarten classrooms, stating the decision was invalid because it was based on the religious world view of the parents and Board. The ruling in essence stated that if your beliefs on a moral issue are based on religion, they are not valid.
  The Durham Region Catholic School Board was forced by an Ontario court to allow a homosexual student to bring his "partner" to a high school prom, in clear violation of Catholic teachings on sexual morality.

• The federal broadcasting commission, the CRTC, systematically suppresses Christian broadcasting by refusing or delaying licenses and placing onerous restrictions on religious broadcasters.

• In summer of 2002, courts in Ontario and Quebec struck down the constitutionally protected man-woman definition of marriage, a definition all the world's major religions support.

• Saskatchewan resident Hugh Owens was fined $5000 by his provincial human rights commission for placing an ad in a local newspaper that included references to Bible passages that forbid homosexual behavior.

• Canadian Forces chaplains were told to stop using specifically Christian prayers at public commemorations.

• Ontario Christian printing shop owner Scott Brockie was fined $5000 by the Ontario Human Rights Commission for refusing to print letterhead for a homosexual rights organization. He was told he must restrict the practice of his Christianity to his church and his home, and not take it with him to the public marketplace.

Worse to come:

In the coming months Parliament will likely vote on Bill C-250, which will criminalize speech opposing homosexual behavior.

This will be used as a powerful weapon to suppress dissenting opinions about the radical homosexual agenda. Even reading scripture references that refer to homosexual behavior could become a criminal act. Christian viewpoints would be denied in public debate, and people of all faith groups would be hindered from publicly expressing their faith.

Also, if courts force the legalization of homosexual marriage, clergy could be fined or even jailed for refusing to marry homosexuals in their church.

Can something be done?

Of course. Parliament can:

• Refuse to pass Bill C-250, or any similar bill repressing freedom of religion and freedom of speech.

• Defend the historical legal definition of marriage.

• Override court decisions that infringe on freedom of religion or freedom of speech.

What can YOU do?

• Tear off and sign the postcard in the adjacent panel of this brochure, place it in an envelope and mail it to Canada Family Action Coalition.

• Donate to this urgent educational campaign. Millions of Canadians are uninformed about the anti-religious climate being fostered by our own government and its agencies. Your donation will help us get the word out.

IMPORTANT!

Please read and sign the letter below. Then mail it to Canada Family Action Coalition. Please also consider including a donation with your letter. We will maintain a record of the number of responses, and mail all the letters to the Justice Minister.

Please download one of the following formats of this letter for mail-in submission. MS Word Format Religious Freedom Letter Adobe Acrobat Format Religious Freedom Letter

What else can YOU do?

• Call or write to your Member of Parliament
  Ask him or her to defeat Bill C-250 or any similar bill that represses freedom of religion or freedom of speech. Share your concerns about the trend in our courts to suppress religious freedoms.

To obtain your MP's name and contact information, go to:
www.elections.ca or phone toll free 1-800-463-6868

• Obtain our petition in Defence of Marriage, and have friends and family sign it. The petition can be downloaded off our website: www.familyaction.org

• Contribute financially to our campaign. In the next four months,
  CFAC plans to:

  • Continue our petition campaign "In Defence of Marriage"

  • Produce 500,000 of these brochures

  • Run media advertising to build public awareness and generate citizen response

  • Prepare and present a Justice Committee brief with recommendations for Bill C-250 to ensure that freedom of religion and conscience are protected