Recession saving marriages?
Statistics Canada reports that there has been a dramatic increase in the divorce level: for every two weddings, one marriage breaks up.
Twenty years ago, the U.S. rate was more than twice as high as ours, ten years ago it was 50 per cent higher, now they are about even.
“I don’t think we can be sanguine about the consequences, particularly when there are children involved, commented Robert Glossop, research director for the Vanier Institute of the Family.
The Globe and Mail commented editorially that passing a new divorce law in Canada is like firing a starter’s pistol: the 1968 Divorce Act sparked a steady increase in the number of couples wanting to have their unions rent asunder. But “experts” say that tough economic times may hold family members together. It is certainly not a good time to sell a house and the high cost of running two households may make couples think twice before splitting up.
One wonders what these ‘experts’ do for a living.
Baby boom?
Statistics Canada also reports that Canadian women had more children in 1989 – 392,000, than in any other year since 1965.
But spokesman Jean Dumas, said that the higher number of births does not mean a baby boom is expected. There are more women in their middle or late childbearing years who are expected to have fewer children than previous generations, he explained.
His own daughter “waited until 33 before having her first child. She first bought a car after she married, then she bought a house and furniture.” Baby comes last!
In the Army now
The Canadian Armed Forces have officially recognized common-law relationships as equivalent to legal marriages. But the couples must be of opposite sexes; same-sex couples don’t count.
The change follows a Federal Court of Appeal ruling two years ago that the refusal to allot married quarters to common-law couples in the armed forces was discriminatory.
N.B. Film and Video Classification
The New Brunswick Film Classification Board now has the power to rate video movies, and even ban some from distribution. But “the role of the board has never been to censor,” said Tourism Minister Roland Beau, the man responsible for the Board.
Videos are being classified so that people will know what they are viewing, he said. M. Beau added that the concern of parents whose children are bringing home materials which has not been classified has been building over the years.
Still David Stephen, a video store owner, called the legislation a form of censorship. “The government should not be putting its eyes and ears into our bedrooms,” he maintained. Mr. Stephen made this statements after the head of the Classification Board had made clear what types of films or videos are likely to be banned – those depicting sexual activity with children, animals or dead bodies.
CHP candidates win votes
As expected, Jean Chretien, leader of the Liberal Party was elected to the Commons December 10 in the riding of Beausejour.
Jean Chretien supports the Law Reform Commission’s approval of abortion on demand for the first six or seven months of the unborn baby’s life. He received 17,137 votes in the predominantly Acadian (French speaking) riding.
Pro-life candidate, May Boudreau-Pederson of the Christian Heritage Party (CHP) came in fifth, with 297 votes out 33,479, or less than one per cent of the total.
On the same day, in another by-election held in York North (near Toronto) the winner was the Liberal candidate, Maurizio Bevilacqua.
Mr. Bevilacqua believes that life beings at the time of conception and that the government should withdraw Bill C-43 and introduce legislation protecting the unborn. He received 21,445 votes.
Christian Heritage Party candidate William Ubbink came in fourth drawing 1391 out of a total of 42,721 votes cast (incomplete returns), or just over three per cent of the total votes cast.
