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Pro-family
activists are alarmed that legislation now before Parliament
could result in criminal prosecutions against faith groups
who publicly oppose homosexuality.
On
May 29, the House of Commons, with only about a dozen
MPs present, gave second reading or approval-in-principle
to Bill C-415[*1], a private bill introduced by New Democrat
MP Svend Robinson. If passed, it would amend sections
318 and 319 of the Criminal Code[*2], to the effect that
anyone who "advocates or promotes genocide"
or "incites hatred against any identifiable group"
on the basis of sexual orientation would be breaking the
law. Those convicted would face up to two years in jail.
The bill is currently before the Commons Justice Committee[*3],
and could be back before the House by October for a final
vote. "It will curtail freedom of speech," REAL
Women of Canada[*4] national vice-president Gwen Landolt
told The Report. "Religious organizations and publications
will be deeply affected."
Section
319 does contain several protections for expressing "an
opinion on a religious subject." But section 318
does not. And that concerns Canadian Alliance justice
critic Vic Toews[*5]. "Specific books of Islamic
law dictate that homosexuals should be punished harshly.
Under a broad definition of the law this could arguably
fit into the definition of advocating genocide based on
sexual orientation," he told MPs, according to Hansard[*6].
Certain Old and New Testament passages could also be judged
by the courts to be "hate literature," which
would impact Christians and Jews, he added. In an interview,
Toews warned if that happened, it would likely prevent
the Gideons[*7] and others from distributing Bibles in
public places. Landolt even doubts that the exemptions
in section 319 will do much good. "The law can be
manipulated," she said.
Toews
also questions why Robinson's bill does not include the
disabled and the elderly who fear that they could be the
victims of a so-called "mercy killing." "Why
are those other groups being ignored?" Toews asks.
"The answer is he's not really concerned about genocide,
he's concerned firstly about strengthening the gay position
in this country, and trying to stifle any criticism against
homosexuality."
Alliance
and pro-family Liberal MPs such as Dan McTeague[*8] say
they will attempt to kill Bill C-145 at the Justice Committee.
Failing that, says Toews, "we better make sure that
there are appropriate defenses to protect religious freedoms
and freedom of speech."
[*1]
Footnote
- online source
[*2] Footnote
- online source
[*3] Footnote
- online source
[*4] http://www.realwomenca.com
[*5] Footnote
- online source
[*6] Footnote
- online source
[*7] http://www.gideons.ca/
[*8] Footnote
- online source
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A
Battle on Many Fronts
Bill
C-415 is just one of several areas where homosexuals and
their supporters are currently attempting to advance their
cause in Canada. And that, says Janet Epp Buckingham,
legal counsel to the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada[*1],
makes it all the more important that people of faith not
lose their right to be heard. "These issues are very
much on the public agenda right now," she told TFN,
"and we don't want to see this put a chill on legitimate
religious expression of concerns about homosexuality and
the way that it's being treated by the government."
The
central issue, of course, is the definition of marriage.
And despite the government's decision last week to appeal
a lower-court ruling in Ontario which overturned that
definition, at least three members of Cabinet would prefer
to let this decision stand. As various media have reported,
Foreign Affairs Minister Bill Graham, Industry Minister
Allan Rock and Heritage Minister Sheila Copps have to
date all publicly expressed support for letting homosexuals
marry.
Rock
and Graham made their pronouncements in Vancouver where
they marched in that city's "gay pride" parade
over the weekend. Some parade organizers had wanted to
block Liberal MPs from participating unless they made
their views on marriage known. That threat was later abandoned
out of concern that it would be viewed as "censorship."
Meanwhile,
homosexual-rights activists are threatening to lodge a
complaint with the BC human-rights tribunal against civic
officials in Terrace, Kelowna and Oliver. All three had
bowed to complaints filed with the tribunal in 2000 for
having balked at declaring "gay pride" days
in their communities. As a result, they have now decided
not to issue any more civic proclamations no matter what
the event. But that, says lawyer Barbara Findlay, targets
homosexuals for hatred. "It further contributes to
the intolerance in the community," she told the Vancouver
Sun. "By saying that they will not do any more proclamations,
the eyes of the community may direct fault at our community."
As
Vancouver's The Province commented in an editorial, "Go
figure: civic officials violate human rights if they refuse
to advertise and support gay pride days but it's okay
for gay day organizers to refuse officials who don't bow
to their political views."
But
neither are pro-family advocates adverse to filing their
own human-rights complaints. Last week, the No Committee
2006 - which wants to prevent Montreal from hosting the
Gay Games in 2006 - complained to the Quebec Human Rights
Commission against the Royal Bank of Canada. Last year,
the bank had refused the committee's request to open an
account on grounds that its stance incited discrimination
against homosexuals. The committee argues that on the
contrary, it was the victim of discrimination. A similar
case decided in June of this year, the Ontario Human Rights
Commission determined that a business could not reject
a client simply because it did not share that client's
viewpoint on homosexuality. Toronto printer Scott Brockie[*2]
was required to pay $5,000 in damages to a pro-gay organization
and to complete for it a print job which he had originally
refused as incompatible with his Christian beliefs.
[*1]
http://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/
[*2] http://www.fotf.ca/familyfacts/tfn/2002/062602.html
[c]
2002 Focus on the Family Canada.
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