Law Matters John Carpay Society never becomes more tolerant, but merely shifts the target of its intolerance. At various times in history, and in various places, the authorities have sought to crush anti-slavery speech, anti-Communist speech, and a multitude of religious doctrines deemed to be heretical. Censorship always stems from the same impulse: the authorities are firmly convinced they have [...]
National Affairs Rory Leishman Who would have thought that it might take a crass narcissist like United States President-elect Donald Trump to curb the greatest moral catastrophe in the history of the United States: namely, the deliberate, mass slaughter in the womb of more than 50 million babies over the past 40 years. Trump has got off to a promising [...]
Light is Right Joe Campbell Pity the poor legislators. Increasingly, Big Brother watches their every move. Well, not just Big Brother, Big Sister, too. Being constantly watched is intimidating. Having what you painstakingly put together repeatedly taken apart is demeaning. But that’s the fate of legislators under a judicial dictatorship. From time to time, I’ve called Big Brother/Sister, also known [...]
Donald Trump On Jan. 20, over the chants of protesters and the lamentations of elites, Donald Trump will become the 45th president of the United States. His unlikely path to victory overturned so much so-called “conventional wisdom” that, if pollsters and pundits depended on accuracy for their livelihoods, they would, like so many recently unseated incumbents, now be looking for [...]
I have always been a sucker for the “first-contact” subgenre of sci-fi movies – films like Close Encounters of the Third Kind, Contact, 2001: A Space Odyssey, Alien, District 9 and, at the very genesis of the genre, The Day The Earth Stood Still. Distinct from the usual sort of sci-fi that re-imagines westerns or war movies with ray guns and space [...]
Health Canada approved the abortion drug Mifegymiso in 2015 for use in 2016, but thus far its Canadian distributor, Celopharma Inc., has yet to make the so-called “gold standard” in medical abortion available in Canada. In early December, the Canadian Press reported on the status of Mifegymiso, which used to go by the name RU-486, saying “the drug’s Canadian distributor, Celopharma Inc., [...]
On Nov. 29, former MP Pierre Lemieux entered the Conservative Party leadership race, and less than two weeks later he released a video calling for a “respectful debate” on sex-selective abortion. The former Glengarry–Prescott–Russell MP said that “in a democracy such as ours, there should be no debate that is closed.” He said that sex-selective abortion was an issue that should be [...]
In a year-end interview with Andrew Lawton of London’s AM980, Ontario Progressive Conservative leader Patrick Brown was unambiguous about where social conservatives stand in the party: he “will not tolerate” pro-life or pro-family views within the party. Brown told Lawton, “I have encouraged more free votes ... but what I will not tolerate, is, is, we are going to have a very [...]
Terminally ill patients seek access to unapproved drugs A group of Canadians with terminal illness is asking for the right to try unapproved drugs or treatments for their conditions. “We have the law that allows us to kill ourselves. We just don’t have the law to do something else,” said Jeff Pereault, one of the founders of the Right to Try campaign, [...]
Lawyer Clayton Ruby questions victim’s memory Editor’s Note: The story below contains colloquial and graphic details of an alleged sexual assault. Also, the decision in the historic sexual assault trial of Rev. Brent Hawkes, originally scheduled for Jan. 18, was postponed till after The Interim went to press. Because Associate Chief Judge Alan T. Tufts needed more time, the matter was adjourned until [...]
Q: The allegations date back to the mid-1970s. Some leaders fear that even after retirement somebody disgruntled somewhere will bring up a complaint out of nowhere. Why do we even prosecute historic sexual assault? A: Regardless of whether they’ve held authoritative roles, most observers would recognize that allowing minors to drink in one’s home would be most unusual for a teacher and [...]
MPP Sam Oosterhoff 10. Renewed pro-life political activism in Canada Social conservatives were making news in Canada for grassroots involvement. The October victory of 19-year-old socially conservative Sam Oosterhoff over Ontario Progressive Conservative president Rick Dykstra for the party’s nomination in a by-election was heralded as a victory for the movement over the party establishment. But it began when grassroots [...]