The R.E.A.L. WOMEN of BC Newsletter

MARCH 1999 BOX 39068, Point Grey RPO, Vancouver, BC V6R 4P1 Tel:463-1611 Fax:463-1601

REAL Women of BC was shocked to learn that the NDP government has publicly acknowledged that it is implementing undivulged security measures against a segment of the British Columbian population.

In the December 1998 issue of MLA’s at Work (News from the NDP Caucus) which was circulated in at least one NDP riding in the province in January, an article trumpeted the fact that the government actively supports abortion rights and has committed up to $250,000 for increased security for abortion providers. Besides establishing two more bubble zones, where the right of free speech for all is no longer guaranteed, the government has promised it will conduct security assessments and provide safety counseling, as well as providing a special Crown counsel to monitor "all cases of intimidation of reproductive health care workers" (abortion industry related workers). The article then promises that "other measures are also being taken that can’t be disclosed publicly."

REAL Women of BC calls upon the government to come out of the closet with all its secret initiates to provide special treatment to BC to abortion providers. In a free and democratic society, where is the need and the justification for secret measures by the government on behalf of a few citizens at the expense of the individual rights and freedoms of the majority? Express your concern for our eroding freedoms and request a response identifying in detail the "other measures" and an explanation for the need of them in a free and democratic society.

Write to Hon. Glen Clarke, Premier, or Hon. Ujjal Dosanjh, Attorney General of BC, Parliament Bldgs., Victoria, BC, V8V 1X4 and send a copy (cc) to Hon. Gordon Campbell or Hon. Geoff Plant, Rm. 201, Parliament Bldgs., Victoria, BC V8V 1X4. Fax #s (area code 250): Glen Clarke-387-0087, Ujjal Dosanjh-387-6411; Gordon Campbell-387-2550; Geoff Plant-387-8596

NEW INTERNET SITE PROVIDING INFORMATION ABOUT ABORTION

The www.abortiontv.com site is now up and running. It provides information that our young people and adults do not get in school or through the media. Video clips are available to play online or to download.

Surfers will also find informative text and links to other sites.

This site is not for the squeamish, or for those individuals not really interested in learning the truth about abortion, but it will effectively counter any pro-abortion misinformation that the fetus is just a product of conception or that it is the woman’s right to choose, which have been presented as fact.

Check it out and keep that address handy, just in case.

According to the recent federal budget, families with a stay-at-home parent will continue to pay thousands of dollars more in taxes than two income families earning the same total income. This gross discriminationcontinues to reflect an underlying philosophy that some women’s choices can be penalized while other women’s choices shall be subsidized.

REAL Women of B.C. was invited to join MPs Grant McNally and Jason Kenney at an informal meeting with members of the business and private sector to discuss ideas on how to improve our tax system. Not only are Canadian taxes some of the highest in the world, but our standard of living is continuing to erode compared to the rest of the industrialized world. Discussion covered the Capital Gains Tax, the Off-Shore Assets Disclosure being mandated by the federal government, a lack of Industry Research and Development due to regressive corporate taxes, and the effects that a flat tax system would have on the economy.

REAL Women prepared a brief and Laurie Geschke added our recommendations for tax relief for families to the discussion. Our brief will also be submitted to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance and a subcommittee that has been struck to look at family taxation policies.

Pro-lifers around the province are saddened by the decision of Cheryl Eckstein, founder of CHN, to end her advocacy work due to illness. Mrs. Eckstein and the CHN led the fight against legalized euthanasia in the early 1990s when the Sue Rodriguez case elicited much sympathy for so-called death with dignity (murder with impunity). The organization is almost bankrupt. Its advocacy role has been taken up by the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC).

Best wishes to Mrs. Eckstein, that her time may be spent getting well, now that CHN’s mandate will be taken over by EPC.

Apr 23-24 Fri-Sat BC Pro-Life Society - Campaign Life Coalition BC - AGM and CONVENTION. Kamloops. (REAL WOMEN of BC will have a table at the convention)

Apr 30 Fri. PRO-LIFE CONFERENCE for Catholic High Schools. Notre Dame Secondary School.

May 9 Sun (MOTHERS’ DAY) - North Shore Pro-Life - Demonstration at Lions Gate Hospital.

Vancouver Right to Life - Vigil at Vancouver General Hospital.

Monday, May 10, l999 "Focus On Life"

Major TV Fundraising Dinner. Sponsored by BC Pro-Life Society who is trying to raise $500,000 for TV ads. These ads were put on TV in the States with great success. In those areas where the ads ran, there was a significant decrease in abortions. PLEASE BE PART OF THIS IMPORTANT FUND RAISER. INVITE YOUR FRIENDS. Speakers: Norma McCorvey (formerly the Roe in Roe v. Wade decision that led to legalized US abortion), Dr. Heather Morris, Co-founder of Alliance for Life and Dr. Darrel Reid, president of Focus on the Family Canada. Music by "The Faithful Blend" quartet. $50 per person or $500 for table of 10. Info: BC Pro-Life Society,(604)574-0225.

May 14 Fri. OTTAWA - 2nd annual MARCH FOR LIFE (Can) - commemorating

Canada’s "Day of Infamy", May 14, 1969, when the House of Commons approved the legalization of abortion. Info: Campaign Life Coalition BC, 604-534-4828, fax line 604-532-9353.

May 14 Fri. DAY OF INFAMY MEMORIAL PROCESSION AND SERVICE. Info:

Abbotsford Right-to-Life Society, (604) 852-4623

Jun 2-5 Wed-Sat Crisis Pregnancy Centers NATIONAL CONFERENCE. Trinity Western University.

Jun 5 Sat Annual WALK FOR LIFE - Abbotsford. Info: Abbotsord Right-to-Life Society, (604) 852-4623.

Jun 14 Mon Joint Council of Pro-Life Groups meeting. Abbotsford. Details to follow.

Egale (Equality for Gays and Lesbians everywhere) announced the swearing in of J. Gary Cohen Q.C. as a judge in the Provincial Court of British Columbia a few weeks ago. Judge Cohen has been actively involved in the homosexual lifestyle for many years, and politically involved as a chairperson of the SFU gay and lesbian organization, as a founder of UBC Gay and Lesbian Law School Association, and as a member of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgendered Issues Section of the BC Branch of the Canadian Bar Association (C.B.A.) since its inception as well as being very active in the Family Law Section and a founder of the Benevolent Association for the C.B.A.

Speakers at the event, including Warren Wilson, President of the Law Society of British Columbia, acknowledged Judge Cohen’s relationship to Bruce Fraser. Judge Cohen acknowledged his debt to Mr. Fraser, his "spouse" and his "partner in law and partner in life", and commented that he wouldn't be on the bench without Bruce's consistent support during their almost 20 years together. Judge Cohen also stated he appreciated the provincial government's commitment to reflecting the diversity in our province in its appointment of him to the bench. Ujal Dosanjh, the Attorney General for B.C., was present in the audience.

This is the first time that an admitted homosexual has been appointed to the bench in B.C. It is an event worth noting.

Focus on the Family invited R.E.A.L. Women to participate in a press conference on Monday, March 8, l999 with respect to the tax discrimination against single income families. Doris Darvasi and Laurie Geschke attended on behalf of R.E.A.L. Women as well as Linda Rasmussen representing the Canadian Family Action Coalition and Father Hattie from the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Vancouver.

The Knowledge Network "Studio BC" contacted Doris Darvasi to ask her to participate in a live debate on March 10, l999. The topic was "Is the Feminist Movement out of touch with Women?". On the same side as Doris was Lisa Muri, a businessperson and councillor from the Distric of North Vancouver. On the feminist side were feminist and political activist Frances Wasserlein and Andrea Welling, a graduate student in women’s studies at Simon Fraser University. The debate went very well and we received positive comments and mail even from people who had never heard from us before.

On Sunday night, March 14, l999, Doris Darvasi received a call from the radio station CKNW. They phoned following the press release sent out regarding the BCTF (B.C. Teachers’ Federation) who had its meetings that particular day. CKNW inquired about R.E.A.L. Women’s opinion on BCTF and Doris had an opportunity to explain how much BCTF was ignoring parents and their rights. The interview went very well and it was aired on the 11 o’clock news. The news showed R.E.A.L. Women in a very positive light and mentioned that it was a national organization with over 55,000 members.

CABINET POWERS TO BE EXTENDED

(Bill C-63 - The Citizenship of Canada Act)

The Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, Lucienne Robillard, has recently tabled Bill C-63 in the House of Commons. Bill C-63 contains a clause which proposes to give Cabinet ("Governor in Council") the sole power to redefine the family in Canadian law without input from Canadians through debate or approval from Parliament. The Minister stated that once the amendments are passed by Parliament, the Government aims to "expand the definition of spouse to include common-law and same-sex couples." According to the Ministry, "The definition of spouse is used to determine both who may be sponsored in the family class and who may accompany the principal applicant in other categories."

Specifically, sections of Bill C-63's clause 43 state: "43. The Governor in Council may make regulations (b) specifying who may make an application under this Act on behalf of a minor;... (i) defining who is a spouse for the purposes of this Act; (j) defining what constitutes a relationship of parent and child for the purposes of determining entitlement to citizenship under any provision of this Act;..."

As currently worded in Bill C-63, Cabinet could make changes to the definition of spouse or the family without debate or approval by Parliament. Essentially, the Minister and Cabinet would have the power to make fundamental changes to our most important social policy terms without any oversight by Canada's elected representatives. These provisions in clause 43 of the proposed Citizenship of Canada Act would be an unprecedented power grab on behalf of Cabinet and the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration to redefine the family in Canadian law, without ever going to Parliament for approval or debate.

A Constitution is being drafted for the province of British Columbia. Currently, our province does not have one and our rights and freedoms are being eroded almost daily.

The B.C. Constitution will be a common sense constitution for the common good. It will protect our freedoms and our prosperity for generations to come. While the final draft is yet to emerge, a template has been prepared as a rough draft to provide some structure and form, from which to begin. It may nevertheless change dramatically as your ideas and concerns emerge. Please forward your input to creating a ‘common sense constitution for the common good’ of all British Columbians to:

The BC Common Sense Constitution

PO Box 466, Surrey, B.C. V3T 5B7

Fax: (604) 584-7721

E-mail: grnorton@direct.ca

The British Columbia Constitution:

Whereas British Columbia is a province in the confederation of Canada that recognized the supremacy of God, and the rule of law,

And whereas the people of British Columbia wish to create a truly democratic province that recognizes and respects the free and sovereign will of its people;

Now therefore, we the people of British Columbia, do hereby ordain and establish this constitution for the Province of British Columbia, proclaimed this _____ day of _______

Article 1 General Provisions:

This constitution is in no way to be interpreted as limiting the legitimate powers of the Province of British Columbia, but rather it seeks to assert and define, with greater clarity, those same powers, rights and freedoms.

Article 2 Democracy:

(This section will list the democratic mechanisms the people of B.C. prefer to b governed by -- ie: recall, referenda, fixed election dates, citizen-led initiatives, etc.)

Article 3 Society:

(This section will list the common values and/or definitions of how B.C.’s citizens see themselves, ie: official language, definition of citizenship, definition of marriage, family, etc.)

Article 4 Freedoms:

(This section will list the basic freedoms of the people such as speech, assemble, conscience, etc.)

Article 5 Rights:

(This section will list the people’s rights such as life, liberty, equality, legal, mobility, etc.)

(Many people believe we have become a rights-obsessed nation, without due emphasis on the responsibilities of citizenship. This section could list our responsibilities such as parental, citizenship, respect for the law, courtesy, etc.)

Article 7 Government:

(This section would outline the powers of government and its form, or "reform" as it were. It would have things like balanced budgets, limits on taxation powers and amounts, etc.)

Article 8 Amending Procedure:

(This section will have the amending procedure; something to the effect that the entire constitution is subject to ratification and amendment only by a 2/3 majority of the people in a province-wide referendum.)

Article 9 Limitations:

(This section will have a clause that will restrict governments, courts or others from pulling an end run around democracy as we have seen too much of lately -- ie: None of the articles of this constitution are to be deleted, amended, expanded or limited by any act of parliament, order-in-council, or any other governing act, or by a court of law, without the express approval of the people according to the Amending Procedure in Article 7 of this constitution.)

Article 10 Amendments:

(This section will list any/all amendments to the constitution as decided by the people in future, according to the amending formula in Article 8.)

LIBERALS REVERSING THEIR PUBLIC POLICY AND OUR LAWS:

"marriage" would directly contradict what the Liberal government has previously told Canadians who expressed concern about these issues:
Anne McLellan, the current Justice Minister, wrote to a concerned citizen on April 24, 1998 and stated, "I continue to believe that it is not necessary to change well-understood concepts of spouse and marriage to deal with any fairness considerations the courts and tribunals may find."
When amending the Canadian Human Rights Act in Bill C-33, then Justice Minister Allan Rock distributed a document to Canadians concerned about its potential implications. This document, Working Against Discrimination - The Amendment to the Canadian Human Rights Act: The Facts (May 1996), stated, "The Government will continue to support the role of the family in our society through legislation and policy. The proposed amendment will have no bearing on definitions of 'marriage,' 'family' or 'spouse.' ... No changes to the definitions of 'marriage,' 'family' or 'spouse' are planned or necessary as a result of this amendment."

The government's response to petition from citizens concerned about a redefinition of marriage states that "...the term 'marriage' in Canada is clear in law and is defined as 'the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.' This case has been applied consistently in Canada and states that no marriage can exist between two persons of the same sex, and is void ab initio, similar to 'marriages' made within prohibited degrees of consanguinity. This government remains committed to supporting Canadian families and there are no plans to legislate a change to the definition of the term 'marriage.' The definition of marriage is clear in law in Canada and has been successfully defended before the courts as the union of two persons of the opposite sex." (Response to Petition No. 361-1061).

However, the last federal budget failed to rectify the problem of court-awarded equivalent-to-married benefits for homosexual partnerships. This means the Liberal Government has accepted and endorsed the determination of an Ontario high court ruling in case called Rosenburg delivered last year. The court ruled that homosexual partners must be considered "spouses" for the purposes of certain sections of the Income Act.

REAL Women has always maintained that marriage is a voluntary union between a single man and a single woman. Additionally, it always has stressed strongly that a healthy family is the backbone of a healthy society. Changes as those suggested have such far reaching consequences, that they should never be done without the input of the public. Such changes will dramatically alter our society as we know it and therefore, Input from the public is absolutely crucial.
Make your voice heard. If you are concerned about this issue, you can do a number of things: The first would be to express your concerns to your local MP, the Prime Minister, the Minister of Citizenship and Immigration and other members of Cabinet (see contact information below). In addition, there will soon be a second reading vote on Bill C-63 in the House of Commons. Should the bill pass this initial vote, the bill will be referred to a Parliamentary committee for review. Individuals or organizations may request to appear before the committee as a witness, and may give their opinion on the bill directly to the Members of Parliament on the committee. Leon Benoit, MP (Ph: 613-992-4171) is the Reform critic for this piece of legislation, and is fielding requests from individuals and organizations who would like to appear as committee witnesses.

To follow is some contact information which may be of assistance, as well as the Official Opposition critic for Citizenship and Immigration, Leon Benoit, MP - FAX: 613-996-9011; email: benoit@reform.ca

A letter may be mailed to the above individuals (postage free) simply by addressing it to them, followed by: House of Commons Ottawa, Ontario, K1A 0A6

Appeal Court of Alberta Justice John McClung has been under a lot of fire lately. He has, however, received help from one source, R.E.A.L. Women of Canada.

Justice McClung acquitted Steve Ewanchuk of sexual assault charges brought against him. The case was further appealed and Justice McClung’s decision was overruled. The problem arose when Supreme Court Justice Claire L’Heureux-Dube attacked Judge McClung in her decision. Gwen Landolt, Vice-President of REAL Women of Canada says that "Judge L’Heureux-Dube particularly named Judge McClung and tore him to pieces in a very humiliating and demeaning way. You may disagree with him, but it is your duty as a Supreme Court judge to treat him with dignity and respect". REAL Women of Canada has now filed a formal complained with the Canadian Judicial Council asking it to recommend Judge L’Heureux-Dube be dismissed.

In answer to the complaint filed by REAL Women of Canada, the National Action Committee on the Status of Women issued a Press Release venting their anger. NAC called the remarks made about Judge L’Heureux-Dube "outrageous" and called REAL Women "archaic and out of touch with the reality of the majority of Canadian women". NAC continued to say how "unrepresentative" REAL WOMEN was, claiming that NAC represents over three million women from the grassroots level. At the end of the Press Release NAC states…as for REAL Women …. Get REAL! We say we are ---- it’s in the name!

RECOMMENDED READING

Alfie's Home, by Richard A. Cohen and Illustrated by Elizabeth Sherman is the story of a boy who struggles with homosexuality well into his teenage years, then transitions naturally into heterosexuality after finding help and experiencing love in his family. Alfie's Home is the first resource of its kind for teachers, parents, students, counselors, pastors, and anyone interested in helping children and adults heal their sexual identity.

This is the first in a series of children's books that will identify various causal factors of homosexuality and how change takes place. Did you ever wonder how the pro-homosexual children's books like Heather has two Mommies, and One Dad, Two Dads, Brown Dad Blue Dads got into our libraries? Liberal-minded citizens and supporters and activists from the homosexual community throughout North America were asked to buy them and donate them.

Would you consider doing the same now with Alfie's Home? Donate a copy to a library, a school, or to a social or religious institution. In this way, we can counter the homosexual propaganda and spread the truth about healing homosexuality.

"Alfie's Home is most definitely a vitally needed book for our children and for our school systems throughout America." (Dr. Thomas L. Brown, Commissioner, Indianapolis Public Schools)

‘Richard Cohen has hit upon the essential causal and curative themes of the homosexual condition. Many of my adult clients would not have needed psychotherapy today if their parents had read Alfie's Home." (Dr. Joseph Nicoolosi, Psychologist, Author, Reparative Therapy of Male Homosexuality).

To order, check out www.amazon.com and request it by title and get it for as little as $10.96 USD. Regular cost is $14.95 USD for the Hardbound Color Edition, ISBN 096-370-5806. You may also be able to get a copy of Alfie's Home through your local book store, using the ISBN

______________________________

Dated in Surrey, March 20th, 1999 Doris Darvasi, President, R.E.A.L. WOMEN OF BC

1:30- 2:15 TBA

3:00- 3:15 COFFEE BREAK