There are two signs of old age. One is you forget things. I can't remember what the other is! With all the activity of Christmas and New Year, I had forgotten that I am supposed to write a column for The Interim each month. But a few days ago I called into the Campaign Life office and met David Curtin, the editor [...]
As I pen these words, various friends and colleagues are preparing for the United Alternative convention in Ottawa. A lot will be said both before and after the event, and I really have no way of knowing if the whole exercise will be successful. But I have some thoughts on the UA and its dangers - oh, the dangers! - which are [...]
The Rev. Jerry Falwell has been roundly ridiculed by gay advocates and the fellow-travelling liberal press for asserting that one of the characters on Teletubbies, the popular British TV show for preschoolers, incorporates pro-homosexuality symbolism. The program's producers, however, have not stepped forward to explain why, if homosexual advocacy is not their intent, the male-voiced tubby, "Tinky Winky," carries a purse and wears [...]
There was some very bad news in the February 1999 issue of First Things. Peter Singer, professor of philosophy at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia, has been offered the "Professorship of Bioethics" at Princeton in the U.S.A. Singer (not to be confused with the Canadian Peter Singer) has been called the "darling" of Monash's medical establishment in new reproductive technologies. Since 1980, [...]
I bet faithful readers want to know what the dirty five-letter word is. My wife Ileen was doing a crossword puzzle recently and she asked me for a five-letter word meaning "biased." Instantly, I replied, "CBC TV. See if that fits." John Grierson, the Englishman who invented the "documentary" back in the 1940s, is famous for making Adolf Hitler "dance." Hitler was [...]
Search team still working to get candidates in more ridings On Feb. 27 the Family Coalition Party of Ontario held an upbeat pre-election annual meeting in Toronto. The pro-life social justice conservative party is looking forward to its fourth Ontario election. Having survived the three great Liberal, NDP, and Conservative electoral sweeps of 1987, 1990, and 1995 respectively, it sees an opportunity [...]
THE FATHER OF MEDICINE TAUGHT THAT THE PHYSICIAN'S PURPOSE IS TO HEAL, NOT TO HARM Hippocrates is considered both the father of modern medicine, history's most famous physician and - as was common in his time - a philosopher. He gained distinction for rejecting superstition in favour of scientific observation, for classifying diseases, and for creating a set of moral and professional [...]
In five short years, the National Foundation for Family Research and Education has seen its influence grow slowly, but it hopes that a number of major projects will make it the premier provider of information on the family in the years to come. The non-profit, non-partisan Calgary-based think-tank is positioning itself to be the most quoted and most recognized source of reliable [...]
Study intended to gauge true status of Canadian families The National Foundation for Family Research and Education has achieved something remarkably rare and refreshing: an honest and thorough examination of the economic, social, and psychological health of Canadian families. The NFFRE recently published the Family Health Index, which examines family breakdown, teen pathologies such as drug use and suicide, health care, and [...]
Paul Lee wanders into the Toronto Right to Life office at around 10 a.m. He's a little late, because he spent hours on the phone the night before talking with students across the province of Ontario, assisting them with transportation and logistical planning to get to the next Ontario Students For Life conference in Ottawa. Today he has to send more registrations, [...]
Ontario's Renfrew County may soon have a crisis pregnancy centre, thanks to the momentum created by the 15th annual Pembroke and Area Lutherans for Life conference last October. A statement of faith has been developed that all the major Christian denominations in the area were able to approve, and a 12-member steering committee is being set up to oversee the organization of [...]
This year marks the 25th anniversary of the formal establishment of the pro-life movement in Prince Edward Island. And that calls for a party. "We are the only province in Canada that does not provide abortion services. It seemed appropriate to mark these years of successful effort in protecting the unborn with a joyous celebration of life and living," said Vince McIntyre, [...]
You could have heard a pin drop on the first night of the United Alternative convention. Ralph Klein, the premier of Alberta and poster boy of fiscal conservatism, was at the podium delivering a workman-like speech to over 1,500 delegates and populist elites. Democracy, he affirmed, is about choice. Conservatism is about being true to ourselves and our principles. And then he [...]
'When there is hope, cancer is victim, not victor. When there is hope, death is subject to resurrection' If I were rich, I always said, I would have a floral bouquet delivered to my home every week of the year. In my dreams, I would never be without good music, fine art, or fresh flowers. My world would be filled with beauty. [...]
So what have our parliamentarians been up to in the last couple of months? With a controversial court ruling in B.C. over the possession of child pornography as the backdrop, the Hon. Lucienne Robillard, the minister of citizenship and immigration, introduces Bill C-63 to amend the Citizenship of Canada Act. Among other things, the legislation will give the government the exclusive authority [...]