In 2015, Justin Trudeau made headlines and history when he became the first Canadian prime minister to make public his mandate letters to the newly appointed cabinet ministers. Each letter contains some standard text about the expectations for all cabinet ministers as representatives of the Trudeau government before outlining some priority areas of responsibility unique to each department, and in some cases [...]
Talk Turkey Josie Luetke I find it fitting as the clock winds down on 2019 to talk about a different clock running out. In a relatively brief span of time, I’ve been let down frequently. A former member of my high school pro-life club came out against banning abortions, asserting that she wished that more “pro-lifers” would understand that “our [...]
Editor’s Note:The Trump administration’s department of Health and Human Services, Global Affairs unit, released this statement on Nov. 14, and it was signed by ten other countries. We are pleased to speak at the Nairobi Summit on the 25th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) held in Cairo in 1994. The United States, on behalf of Brazil, Belarus, [...]
Laying down the Lawton - Andrew Lawton A rookie Alberta MLA is taking a stand for healthcare practitioners’ conscience rights. The organization that’s supposed to be standing up for the rights of doctors is, bizarrely, fighting him on it. Dan Williams, a United Conservative Party MLA for Peace River, introduced a private member’s bill in early November that would amend [...]
The British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal ruled Oct. 22 against transgender activist Jonathan “Jessica” Yaniv who had made formal “discrimination” complaints against a number of female beauty technicians for refusing to wax his genitals on the premise that as a “woman” he was entitled to be serviced by them. The court ruled that aestheticians who work from home have a right to [...]
US Secretary of Health Alex Asar told the United Nations there is no international right to abortion during an address before the General Assembly. The United States delivered a joint statement at the United Nations General Assembly Sept. 23 asserting “there is no international right to an abortion” and repudiating the use of ambiguous terms signaling abortion “rights” in UN [...]
Vicki Gunn Was anyone else part of the craze in the late 1960s that was called “Monkee Mania?” I was a fan from day one right through to the bitter end. Perhaps one of my favourite songs was “Shades of Grey.” The lyrics included the following: “It was easy then to know truth from lies, Selling out from compromise… But, [...]
Law Matters John Carpay Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. Think back to the year 2000, or even 2010, and imagine someone telling you this: “The law requires every school to set up a Gay Straight Alliance for K-12 children. No exemption for religious belief or parental opposition. The law makes it illegal for teachers and principals to inform parents [...]
The UN Women panel on "Gender Diversity Beyond Binaries" included five biologically males and two biological females, but four of the seven panelists identified as a different gender. On July 15, the United Nations hosted an event called “Gender Diversity Beyond Binaries.” The event included a panel of seven people, five of whom were biologically male, but only two identified [...]
A group of male pro-lifers arrived on the campus of Penn State University recently to dialogue with students about what is truly the most important moral issue of our time. The results were mixed. However, a few female students rigidly maintained that men have no business talking about abortion. Therefore, dialogue between men and women, in their minds, on the subject of [...]
Laying Down the Lawton Never doubt a group of politicians’ ability to find a cure that’s worse than the problem it is attempting to solve. This is truer than ever when it comes to the government’s efforts to curb online hate. Wishing to combat bigotry is a noble endeavour, but it isn’t the role of the state. Certainly not at [...]
Talk Turkey Josie Luetke What a whirlwind of a month, with abortion bubbling up in the public consciousness more so than ever before in my memory. The excitement began for me on the Tuesday prior to the National March for Life, at a screening of Unplannedin Ottawa. Friends who had already seen the film were raving about it, but I [...]
Laying Down the Lawton Andrew Lawton If you want to practice medicine, leave your beliefs at the door. That’s the key takeaway from a May decision by the Court of Appeal for Ontario ruling that conscience rights for healthcare practitioners effectively don’t exist. At least not when doctors are anywhere but in their own homes with the doors locked and [...]
Law Matters John Carpay Passing a law against “hate” is a popular move, but one that seriously threatens free expression because people cannot agree among themselves on what constitutes hate. The House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights is now looking at changing federal laws to stem “the propagation of hateful acts and the enticement of hate [...]
John Carpay Since 1982, judges have ruled in dozens of cases where a government, or a governmental authority, has violated the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (“Charter”). Section 2 of the Charter sets out the fundamental freedoms of association, peaceful assembly, conscience and religion, thought, belief, opinion and expression, including freedom of the press and other media of communication. [...]