The first-ever national survey of pro-family supporters has found, not surprisingly, that those who subscribe to the pro-life ethic place a high priority on religion; are well educated and politically active. The survey, conducted by York University sociologist Lorna Erwin as part of her Ph.D. project, complements an earlier series of in-depth interviews she conducted with leaders in the pro-life, pro-family movements. [...]
A bit of a levity occurred when a reporter of the press conference to announce the official formation of the Family Coalition Party recently, mistook Donald C. MacDonald (a former leader of the Ontario New Democratic party and now the Chairman of the Commission on Election Finances) as a candidate for the new party 11,000 signatures Mr. MacDonald was sitting beside Don [...]
Pro-lifers across Canada are lobbying federal Members of Parliament to vote in favor of Dr. Gus Mitges’ Private Members’ motion to amend the Charter of Rights and Freedoms to explicitly protect the unborn child. Only one hour and forty-five minutes of debate remain before a vote is called on the motion, probably in the first week of May. A survey of MP’s [...]
A synopsis of who has said what on pro-life, pro-family issues in Parliament. Abortion – John Oostrum urged the reinstatement of Statistics Canada record keeping on abortion; Alan Red way called for more frequent publication of statistics on abortion; Gordon Taylor compared “the murder of 60,000 human babies a year” to the atrocities of Nazi death camps; Ross Belcher revealed the efforts [...]
Physicians for Life president, Dr. Colin Merry, is suing the government of Manitoba, because of an agreement that the government made with the Manitoba Medical Association (MMA). Under a new agreement worked out with the government of Manitoba to ban extra billing and create binding arbitration, the MMA secured the right to require all licensed physicians in Manitoba to pay an annual [...]
Meanwhile, in Ontario, the Tory party holds a leadership convention again, this time to elect a successor to ex-premier Frank Miller. November, 1985 Leadership candidates Alan Pope and Larry Grossman, speaking on CBC’s open-line Radio Noon about Catholic hospitals, offer the opinion that hospitals should be forced to accept abortion facilities. Pope (Cochrane South), says, “I think it is clear that a [...]
September, 1984 Brian Mulroney wins a landslide victory. He favours “better, and more equal access for abortions.” October, 1984 The Prime Minister appoints Stephen Lewis, former Ontario NDP leader and outspoken pro-abortionist, as Canada’s ambassador to the United Nations. Pro-abortion Walter McLean (Waterloo) is named Minister of State for Women’s Affairs. January, 1985 The “Jury for Life” postcard blitz (following Morgentaler’s jury [...]
October 28, 1984 The Ontario Tory leadership race is under way. Candidate Dennis Timbrell declares that he accepts the federal law on abortion (Section 251 of the Criminal Code). However, he opposes abortion on demand and any further liberalization of the abortion law. December 4, 1984 Then Ontario Attorney General, Roy McMurtry, appeals the jury acquittal of Morgentaler of November 4, 1984, [...]
The following is the third summary of party policies and activities concerning abortion and other family-related legislation. The first, “New Democrats and abortion,” appeared in February 1985 (off-prints are available). It covered the period 1965-85. The second summary, “Crumbling mortality under Ontario Grits. How Ontario Liberals have helped to undermine the family since 1985,” appeared last month. The summary covered abortion, the [...]
Premier William Vander Zalm’s throne speech on March 9, contained promises to reduce abortion, help parents who choose the independent education process for their children and generally cut the costs of government. Although the Premier promised, “funding to reduce the high rate of abortions,” the speech did not go into details. The Pro-life Society of B.C. submitted a brief to the Vander [...]
“I’m tired of voting for Catholics who aren’t” quipped one middle-aged gentleman, a recent convert to the Christian Heritage Party, who attended their special news conference in February, in Hamilton, Ontario. “We’re all from somewhere else,” laughed a Christian Heritage Party aide. “We’re all ex-NDP, ex-Liberals, ex-Tories. We’re all fed up with that’s going on in Ottawa. You’re going to see a [...]
Secretary of State David Crombie recently stopped payment on an $8,000 cheque to an Alberta pro-family group, following allegations that the funds would be used to promote pro-life activities. “We fund neither pro-life nor pro-choice,” Crombie’s press aide told the Ottawa Citizen. “We have nothing to do with abortion,” she said, noting that activities promoting either side of the abortion issue are [...]
Feminists across Canada gathered for workshops, film presentations and dances during the first week of March to celebrate what has become known as International Women’s Week. Since the UN proclaimed March 8 as International Women’s Day in 1975, feminist organizations have gradually expanded the event, and many cities in Canada are now treated to a full week of feminist-related activities surrounding that [...]
Observers said that Ontario Health Minister Murray Elston deliberately buried the Liberal government’s announcement to implement the Powell report on abortion. The reason? An election is looming and the Liberals don’t want to be picketed by pro-lifers everywhere they go. Proposals to act on the Powell report were announced at a news conference on “Women’s health programs” on March 13. Initiatives included [...]
In December 1986, the Provincial Parliament of Ontario approved the controversial Bill 7 that amended seventy Ontario laws to conform with the Federal Charter of Rights and Freedoms. One particular amendment to the Ontario Human Rights Code made it illegal to discriminate on the basis of “sexual orientation,” providing homosexuals with full protection for employment, housing and access to services. The Province [...]