The passage of Bill C-250 is the latest effort by the federal Liberal Government to shut down public debate on the move to redefine marriage, according to CFAC Executive Director Brian Rushfeldt. “Canadians who are speaking out against the redefinition of marriage are already being accused of ‘hate’ speech by homosexual activists. When C-250 is passed into law later this fall, the activists will begin to insist on prosecution to silence their critics with criminal sanctions,” says Rushfeldt.
The Passage of C-250 by the House of Commons on September 17, 2003, will quickly lead to the bill becoming law, so that those who publicly oppose the Liberal plan to encode same-sex “marriage” in law risk criminal prosecution.
Rushfeldt points out there will be no defence to accusations of ‘hate-mongering’ or ‘inciting hatred’, despite the claims of C-250’s sponsor, MP Svend Robinson. “The so-called religious freedom defence was already shot down by Saskatchewan Court of Queen’s Bench Judge Barclay in the Hugh Owens case last December 11. The judge said that even simply referencing Biblical passages condemning homosexual behaviour, ‘does expose homosexuals to hatred.'” Other cases such as Hall, Brockie and even Trinity are further evidence of an anti-Christian trend in court decisions.
“The Hugh Owens case also demonstrates that provincial attorneys-general will not hesitate to prosecute critics whose only ‘crime’ is to publicize their religious convictions,” Rushfeldt says. Bill C-250 when applied as we anticipate could result in violation of many people’s Charter rights.
Still, Rushfeldt maintains hope that C-250 can be ultimately overturned and the one-man, one-woman definition of marriage can be restored. He says, “In recent weeks we have seen tremendous response to our paid advertising campaigns on these issues with hundreds of thousands of Canadians mobilized to attend prayer rallies, and phone or write their MPs. And, if we can’t change the votes of some MPs, then we will work to ensure that we change who’s sitting in their seats after the next election.”
