My number one Christmas wish would be for a time when a newly elected Member of Parliament – with the unlikely name of I.Yamma Windsniffer – stands up in the House of Commons in Ottawa and says: “Although I’m personally pro-abortion, I will not allow my personal convictions to stand in the way of me voting pro-life!” Then I. Y. Windsniffer will [...]
Attorney-General moves to gag peaceful expression The Ontario government wants to make it illegal to peacefully protest abortion or to counsel women in selected cities across the province. The Attorney General, Marion Boyd, began a court action in April of this year restricting pro-life activity. She was acting on the recommendation of a Task Group Report on access to abortion in the [...]
After four years of infighting, and $28 million of taxpayers’ dollars, the Royal Commission on Reproductive Technologies finally delivered its report to Prime Minister Jean Chretien’s office on November 15. Chretien’s office announced immediately that the report will not be issued to the public until the end of the month. The report, estimated at 1,400 pages, is said to contain nearly 300 [...]
U.S. Senate passes pro-abortion bill Led by Massachusetts Senator Edward Kennedy, the U.S. Senate has approved measures to curb Operation Rescue and other forms of pro-life activity. U.S. pro-life leaders worry that the new measures will lead to similar attorney general-backed injunctions which Canadian pro-lifers have endured since 1988. The Canadian experience has been that these injunctions not only clamp down on [...]
Catholic lay people should “accept their responsibility to revitalize society with Gospel values,” the Ontario Catholic Bishops told Pope John Paul in a recent visit. The bishops informed the Pope of the actions of the Ontario New Democrat government in prosecuting pro-lifers in the province, calling special attention to the proposed injunction which would ban most forms of activism. They called the [...]
Rose: Christian Heritage Party For being the only officially pro-life party in this election. In many ridings, the CHP was the only choice for those who wanted to vote in good conscience. 30,000 Canadians voted for the party in over 50 ridings. A special rose to Ken Willis of Lambton-Middlesex who managed to defeat the NDP candidate in his riding and finish [...]
The Christian Press Now that October madness has finally subsided it is time to see how the Christian press dealt with the election, especially regarding the pro-life issue. As usual, B.C. Catholic gets top marks for its excellence coverage and comprehensive lists of all the pro-life candidates running in the province. Christian Week chose to skip over abortion and not treat it [...]
Due to the enthusiastic approval in the fan letter that I received, (yes, editor, “letter” is correct) I have decided to return to my political past. This takes me to a time when I was seeking my fame and fortune-- especially my fortune--by running for the Liberal party. I decided to ride my lowly job as a school trustee and the Ontario [...]
A private member’s bill to “prevent the unjust enrichment through proceeds of crime” passed second reading in the Ontario legislature Oct. 21. Sponsored by Cam Jackson, Conservative MPP for Burlington South, it is the first of its kind in Canada. Jackson is concerned that criminals, while paying their “debt to society,” can be making millions granting interview rights and making book, tv, [...]
On October 25, it became startlingly clear to Canadians that the Reform Party would have a far greater role in Parliament than almost anyone would have predicted just six months ago. Preston Manning as done a brilliant job of convincing people that he is a populist. He has recognized that millions of Canadians feel alienated from the political process. They see Members [...]
After any election, the only statistic that should interest pro-lifers is whether or not the results offer a step forward in the fight to protect preborn children, their mothers, the disabled and the medically vulnerable. At this early stage, the overall numbers of known pro-life MPs elected shows a decline from the numbers of the last Parliament, but the election shows a [...]
It was an election which saw voters forget about every other issue but getting rid of the Tories. In the aftermath of the Liberal sweep, pro-life leaders are counting the cost of the single-minded effort by Canadians to depose the Progressive Conservative Party and bring in the party which promised them jobs and an end to their economic woes. The new Prime [...]
The man many people look to as one of the great pro-life hopes in the new Liberal government admits he has his work cut out for him. Tom Wappel, MP for Scarborough West, carries with him to Ottawa new pro-life legislation which he hopes to introduce after the government is sworn in and the new parliament assembles. It hasn’t been easy for [...]
Public debate A recent Supreme Court of Canada decision may have ramifications for the 18 Ontario pro-life activists who have been named in an injunction to ban pickets in front of hospitals, abortuaries and abortionists’ homes. Canada’s top court has ruled that the city of Peterborough could not stop Kenneth Ramsden from putting up posters in prohibited areas. The city had argued [...]
The smaller federal parties claim to be different. They say they are not afraid to adopt risky policies and stand apart from the big three. But, most of them have identical policies to the mainline parties on life issues. The National Party of Canada, headed by Mel Hurtig, professes to stand for “equity for all Canadians.” Yet the fledgling Canada-first party has [...]