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An
analysis of funding of the legal challenges by gay activists
reveals that the Canadian taxpayer is footing most of
the bill for their legal challenges, while family oriented
defenders of marriage are obliged to raise their own funds.
Chief
Justice Roy McMurtry of the Ontario Court of Appeal not
only decided that traditional matrimonial law in Canada
is unconstitutional, he ordered that the federal treasury
pay the costs of the homosexual challengers. $645,000
went to Toronto Lawyer Martha McCarthy who acted for several
of the homosexual challengers, and $409,162 to Toronto
lawyer R. Douglas Elliot who argued the case on behalf
of the homosexual/ lesbian/transgender Metropolitan Community
Church.[i]
The
homosexual lobby group and matrimonial law challenger
EGALE (Equality for Gays and Lesbians Everywhere) received
generous financial support from the Court Challenges Program
for its legal challenges on same-sex marriage. The Court
Challenges Program also paid the costs of the intervenors,
the Canadian Coalition of Liberal Rabbis for Same-sex
Marriage. This government Program receives millions of
dollars annually from the federal Heritage Department
(2.75 million a year minimum). Status of Women and the
National Film Board are listed on EGALE’s website
as sponsors of their efforts. This funding also comes
from Canadian taxpayers.
Documents
obtained under the Access to Information Act, indicate
that hundreds of thousands of dollars flow annually from
Status of Women to Lesbian advocacy groups.[ii]
With
the funds they receive from compulsory union dues, Canadian
unions are also financially backing homosexual activists.
EGALE lists Canadian Auto Workers, Canadian Union of Public
Employees and Canadian Labour Congress as its “Gold”
sponsors on its website.[iii] Also “Gold”
are the United Church of Canada, IBM and Canada Digital
Collections.
CIBC
(Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce) “has also been
a major donor to a number of LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual
and Transgender) related organizations over the year”
according to CIBC President and CEO John Hunkin.[iv]
If
Justice Minister Irwin Cotler wants to make legal changes
to prevent public opinion from being “mortgaged to
the highest bidder,” as he recently stated, he should
start by cutting off the flow of taxpayers’ money
to advocacy groups for homosexual and lesbian marriage.
[i]
Lawyers Weekly, November 19, 2004
[ii] http://www.realwomenca.com/newsletter/2003_sept_oct/article_7.html
[iii] http://www.egale.ca/index.asp?lang=E&item=113
[iv] http://www.samesexmarriage.ca/advocacy/CIBC120804.htm
For
further information contact:
C. Gwendolyn Landolt Diane Watts
(905) 787-0348, (905) 731-5425 Researcher
(905) 889-1993 (613) 236-4001
PR-02-05
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