Alert over population body
MONTREAL – The leader of Campagne Quebec Vie has expressed surprise and disappointment over plans to establish a Parliamentary committee dedicated to population and family planning issues. Gilles Grondin suggested that the committee, headed by Liberal MP Jean Augustine (Etobicoke-Lakeshore), will eventually attempt to implement UN family planning priorities on a national level. Grondin, who has monitored UN depopulation initiatives at conferences in Copenhagen, Istanbul and Cairo, said the formation of a Parliamentary committee is the next logical step in promoting family planning policies in Canada.
Bible remains best-seller
TORONTO – A recently released United Bible Societies’ report indicates that the Bible remains the world’s best selling book. According to the societies’ scripture division, more than 19 million copies of the Bible were distributed in 1996, an all-time record. The greatest increase in Bible distributed is in North and South America, followed by the Asia-Pacific region. Among the highlights of the report, the Amity Press in Nanjing, China, recently printed its 15 millionth Bible. As well, nearly three million Bibles were distributed by Chinese churches in 1996. The report indicates a growing interest in faith and Scripture despite a steady onslaught of materialism and secular values.
Charities fight status change
TORONTO – Pro-life groups remain concerned over Revenue Canada’s decision to revoke the charitable status of Alliance for Life and Human Life International. A third pro-life group, Focus on the Family, is now being audited. Revenue Canada claims to audit charities randomly, or based on public complaints. Pro-life officials however, suggest Revenue Canada auditing decisions may be based on ideology. Meanwhile, Alliance for Life and Human Life International are appealing the revocation of their charitable status in federal court.
Alliance copes with flooding
WINNIPEG – Workers with the Alliance for Life office managed to conduct business as usual despite devastating floods that hit Winnipeg in early May. Alliance executive director Michelle Blanchette said that while the flood waters did not reach the organization’s downtown office area, there was serious concern over the threat of sewer backup. Alliance for Life moved 70 per cent of its operations to a higher floor in their building until the flood waters subsided. “Whatever we went through was nothing compared to the suffering and loss of many people in southern Manitoba,” Blanchette said. She said many people in the province, including pro-lifers, showed a tremendous community response to the disaster. She was one of thousands who took time off work to fill sandbags at dike locations.
Equality gesture runs amok
VANCOUVER – West coast pro-family supporters are confused over a teenage boy’s suspension for making unflattering comments to a topless 15-year-old female classmate. According to an item in the Western Report magazine, the male student, 16, made disparaging comments in an effort to hide his discomfort over seeing a topless classmate. His comments were also an attempt to have the student put her shirt back on. The girl in question apparently was trying to make a point about a woman’s right to expose her breasts in public. A “peer-review committee” at the privately-run high school subsequently imposed a two-day suspension on the male student for sexual harassment.
Parents and teachers at odds
FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. – Parents in northern British Columbia are not taking lightly plans by the provincial teachers’ federation to promote “gay-positive” material in classrooms. Parents’ groups, led by the Citizens’ Research Institute in Langley, believe recommendations endorsed by B.C. teachers and by education minister Paul Ramsey, actually favour homosexual behaviour. They say programs encouraging greater tolerance in school curricula for homosexuality remove the rights of parents as primary educators. The parents have considered taking their children out of schools in protest against the teachers’ federation.