The House of Commons passed C-14, the government’s “Act to amend the Criminal Code and to make related amendments to other Acts (medical assistance in dying),” on May 31, a day after defeating ten amendments limiting the scope of euthanasia and assisted-suicide, and a week before the Supreme Court’s deadline to pass a law, after which the practices would be permitted and [...]
On June 29, the Ontario Court of Appeal allowed the Ontario legal profession to exclude graduates from Trinity Western University’s proposed law school. TWU, a British Columbia Christian university, said it will appeal the decision. The Law Society of Upper Canada said it would not permit graduates of TWU’s law school, which is not operational, because the private universities Community Covenant requires [...]
A Canadian pro-abortion group compared the pro-life movement to “racists” and “white supremacists” to get Prince Albert’s mayor to take down a pro-life flag, but could only wring from Mayor Greg Dionne the concession to consult the British Columbia Human Rights Commission over the dispute. Joyce Arthur, executive director of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, sent Dionne and Prince Albert’s city [...]
John Carpay The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is wrongly seen as the sole guarantor of freedom of expression. In fact, Canada’s tradition of tolerance for free speech dates back to 17th century England. In the 18th century, British politician and philanthropist William Wilberforce exercised his freedom of expression to turn public opinion against the slave trade. The right of Canadians to offend [...]
Uniting with the estimated 22,000 pro-life advocates who marched in Campaign Life Coalition’s Ottawa March for Life on May 12 – to mark May 14, 1969, the day Pierre Trudeau’s Liberal government legalized abortion – pro-life Canadians held similar marches in provinces across the nation. Newfoundland and Labrador The March for Life “is truly a national event from sea to sea,” noted [...]
Media downplayed the massive annual pro-life demonstration in the nation’s capital, counter-protesters attempted to “end the March for Life,” and police re-routed the march through the streets of Ottawa to prevent a clash with a small group of pro-abortion activists , but organizers and 22,000 participants are pleased with the National March for Life, inspired by the messages of hope from religious [...]
Interim Conservative leader Rona Ambrose interfered with the policy committee to nix pro-life proposal. After months of grassroots engagement at the riding and regional level, the National Policy Committee of the Conservative Party of Canada took it upon themselves to scuttle socially conservative proposals to the party’s convention in Vancouver. One resolution was reportedly reconsidered and nixed after the intervention of [...]
Amusements Rick McGinnis As the father of daughters, I always feel a bit guilty when I find myself railing against the excesses and absurdities of contemporary feminism. I mentally prepare myself for the counterarguments my position will invite: Don’t you believe women should have the same opportunities as men? Don’t you think equal work should mean equal pay? Do you [...]
John Carpay, founder of the Justice Centre for Constitutional Freedoms. The routine censorship of pro-life speech at Canadian universities has now expanded into a new realm. In early April, the Men’s Issues Awareness Society launched a court action against the Ryerson Students’ Union for having denied this student group official recognition as a campus club. Without official club status, MIAS cannot [...]
The government introduced its assisted-suicide legislation, C-14, and immediately made both sides unhappy. The pro-life and disabilities communities are concerned that doctors are going to become assassins, abandoning their mission to heal in order to kill. The pro-euthanasia side does not like that there are restrictions on who can be killed, wanting a broader law with fewer restrictions. National Post columnist Robyn [...]
A screen capture from the new National March for Life promotional video. On March 14, Campaign Life Coalition unveiled a new promotional video for the National March for life and announced the theme for the 2016 march would be #EndTheKilling. The march is Canada’s largest annual pro-life event, attracting 25,000 participants last year in Ottawa, and more than 10,000 others [...]
The Ontario Progressive Conservatives met March 4-6 in Ottawa for their general meeting. Nearly 1700 delegates voted on constitutional amendments, elected a new executive, and attended breakout sessions on how to run local riding associations and elections. In anticipation of the 2018 Ontario election, the party also launched its new policy development process. The process was explained by Kaydee Richmond, director of [...]
Education Minister Liz Sandals The Ontario Liberal government spent $4 million in taxpayers dollars on an online and television advertising campaign in September 2015 to sell its controversial sex-ed curriculum, LifeSiteNews has learned through documents obtained in a Freedom of Information request. Email correspondence from Education Minister Liz Sandals also reveals she opposed MPPs holding constituency community meetings on the [...]
Former CBC host Jian Ghomeshi leaving a Toronto courtroom with lawyer Marie Henein. As I write this, the trial of former CBC Radio host Jian Ghomeshi is in recess until the judge hands down a verdict later this March. What was supposed to be an open and shut indictment of the onetime media darling turned out to be a hugely [...]
Cardinal Thomas Collins Editor’s Note: On Feb. 3, Cardinal Thomas Collins of the Archdiocese of Toronto, made the following presentation to Special Joint Committee on Physician-assisted Dying on behalf of Coalition for HealthCARE and Conscience. We were brought together by a common mission: to respect the sanctity of human life, which is a gift of God; to protect the vulnerable; [...]