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Death of Freedoms of Speech, Religion In Canada
CFAC - Canada Family Action Coalition ^ | April 28, 2004 | CFAC Press Release

Posted on 04/28/2004 7:03:12 PM PDT by GMMAC

Liberal dominated Senate Oppresses Free Speech CFAC News Release April 28, 2004 - For Immediate Release

"Today the Senate sounded the final death knell in legislation that will severely limit free speech and freedom of religion and even freedom of the press in Canada," says Brian Rushfeldt, Executive Director, Canada Family Action Coalition (CFAC). "As other democratic nations watch in amazement, Martin's Liberal government and the Liberal controlled Senate have passed Bill C-250, a draconian piece of legislation that will criminalize people who express an opinion contrary to homosexual behaviour, including views based on religion, conscience, morality, and even medical or humanitarian concerns."

Given the undefined, ambiguous wording in this severely flawed piece of legislation, Christians and other faith groups are worried that expressing their religious or moral views, or even quoting from the Bible or another religious text, may become a criminal act, says Rushfeldt. Every Canadian citizen who publicly opposes homosexual behavior will be criminalized, he says.

He points out that terms in the legislation, including 'hatred', 'promoting hatred' and 'sexual orientation' remain undefined. They will be determined only one is "taken" to court.

"I have been accused by homosexual activists of 'promoting hatred' simply for expressing the view that marriage should remain defined as between one man and one woman. Will expressing that view now make me a criminal? Will a religious leader who expresses the view that homosexuality is immoral be convicted of a hate crime? Will a parent who refuses to allow her child to take a sex education class promoting homosexuality be criminalized? Nobody can answer those questions, for it will now be up to the courts to interpret the ambiguous wording in this legislation."

Based on recent court decisions, CFAC has grave concerns about how this law will be applied and interpreted by judges. "There is a growing trend among courts and human rights tribunals to rule against religious freedom in favor of homosexual 'rights'," he points out.

"Civilized democracies are founded upon basic principles of freedom of speech, thought, opinion and religion. The Canadian Liberal government and the Senate have struck a severe and destructive blow against democratic freedoms. It is a little like Communists arresting someone because some authority decided you broke some law."

"The only solution now is to elect a government that will rescind or amend this dangerous undemocratic law. The fight is not over. We will be asking people not to vote for those MPs responsible for this."


TOPICS: Canada; Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Government
KEYWORDS: canada; churchandstate; family; freedomofreligion; gayagenda; homosexualagenda; totalitarianism
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A day of imfamy !!! Work even harder to elect Conservatives!!!
1 posted on 04/28/2004 7:03:17 PM PDT by GMMAC
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To: GMMAC
Could be worse, the city of Hamtramck Mi decided to allow the 5 times daily call to muslim prayer. The ACLU is noticably AWOL on this one.
2 posted on 04/28/2004 7:07:23 PM PDT by cripplecreek (you tell em i'm commin.... and hells commin with me.)
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To: GMMAC
Is there any mainstream coverage of this? The National Post website didn't mention it.
3 posted on 04/28/2004 7:50:49 PM PDT by Unam Sanctam
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To: GMMAC
Wow, and the Canadians despise the USA for being heavy-handed?
4 posted on 04/28/2004 7:53:32 PM PDT by RanchoStash
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To: GMMAC
We are very close to having similar laws enacted in this country.

It will be interesting how the Canadians react. My bet is there will be a few vocal complaints, but in the end they will do nothing and simply sell their free speech to the socialist mob without hardly a whimper.

5 posted on 04/28/2004 7:54:36 PM PDT by The Great RJ
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To: GMMAC
It should be all over the newspapers tomorrow.

The Liberal Party of Canada has unleashed the hounds of anti-Christian bigotry in Canada. A grievous blow has been delivered to those of us in Canada who fight for our liberty, but we are not defeated yet. We will fight on and we intend to make this a major issue and rallying point in the upcoming federal election.

6 posted on 04/28/2004 7:57:09 PM PDT by Entropy Squared
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To: Entropy Squared
Americans should send in weapons to rational thinking Canadians so they can break away from the morons that im guessing live in the Eastern part of the country. There is plenty of land to go around.
7 posted on 04/28/2004 8:10:23 PM PDT by Husker24
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To: Entropy Squared
this was my rant about Canadians a couple of days ago and it still applies today....

This was concerning home schoolers not being allowed religious materials for home schooling.

the posted comment I replied to was..This is outrageous! How could this happen in a country (Canada) with political and religious freedoms similar to our own?

They have NOTHING that is similar to our freedoms. The Canadians "Earned" their freedom with distances.... the distance they are from the US and the distance they are from the UK and France.

They are basically a group of ungrateful parasites that wouldn't know a tyrant/dictator/terrorist thug if he banged them all night.

In other words they are a 3rd world country with pretensions of grandeur offered a country that sucks up to liberals and is good for nothing more than hockey, snow, beer, nice looking blonde women and an occasionally funny comedienne. You'll notice that to "MAKE IT BIG" they have to come use our "evil capitalistic", "crude", "Over patriotic" dollar bills.

Hey Canada,

Lay down, take it like the whiny beeaattches you are and don't fight for your rights. Elect more libs and your daughters will soon have the right to wear veils, and you can beat the snot out of your wife if you feel like it. The only problem is that you'll have to pray 5 times a day and get rid of "Canadian Bacon".

Add this to any Canadian that may read my previous rant in case any of them think I'm envious of what our northern neighbor has......

I'm not jealous in anyway to what your country (Canada) has to offer.... I'm from Texas and I'll stack our beer (Shiner Bock), our blondes (too many to name), our comediennes (go to any nickel beer night at the Dixie Chicken)..... and just kneel and thank God that boys in Texas would rather play football, hunt deer and fornicate with the aforementioned blondes than play hockey. ... or you'd really hate our guts and boo our national anthem.

I'm generally a civil person but if I'm at the arena and Tampa plays a Canadian team again and I hear a "boo" during our national anthem... call security and a gastroenterologist to pull my size 10 out of your rear end.

'nuff said. and Amen.

8 posted on 04/28/2004 8:13:53 PM PDT by Dick Vomer (liberals suck....but it depends on what your definition of the word "suck" is .)
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To: Entropy Squared
One would hope that cardinals, bishops, archbishops and about anyone else in authority would open their mouths in support of the right to say what one will on the issue of homosexuality, or by extension, many another controversy. Canadians are looking dumb, dumber or dumbest. When the islamists take over while Canada sleeps, free speech will be dealt another blow in Canada, perhaps its final blow.
9 posted on 04/28/2004 8:14:34 PM PDT by mathurine
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To: mathurine
The Canadian Catholic Bishops' Conference has registered objections, but they have been as effective as their protestations on same sex marriage and abortion, i.e., ineffective:

http://www.cccb.ca/PublicStatements.htm?NL=1&CD=421&ID=1510
10 posted on 04/28/2004 8:21:00 PM PDT by Unam Sanctam
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To: mathurine
Rank and file Canadians do not want this legislation, at least those with the wits to understand what it means. It was rammed down our throats by the anti-Christian Liberal Party of Canada, which is the Party of Officially Sanctioned Bigotry.

Those of us who know why we are free will fight on, for us the war will never end as long as there are people determined to take away our liberty.

I've been saying for quite a while that contemporary liberalism is one step away from National Socialism and the Liberal Party of Canada is proving me right once again.

11 posted on 04/28/2004 8:22:14 PM PDT by Entropy Squared
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To: GMMAC
I've spent some time in Canada, and I think the problem may be that they're just a little bit... slow. Well, actually, stupid is a better word.

Why? Simple. The smart ones all came here.

Seriously, this is another problem that's being caused by our extremely liberal immigration policies. The brains of all the world are emigrating to the United States, leaving the dumb-dumbs behind. That's one reason things are going the way the are, internationally.

(steely)

12 posted on 04/28/2004 8:22:36 PM PDT by Steely Tom
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To: GMMAC
If the Canadians let this stand they will soon live in a complete fascist dictatorship. One should be able to criticize whatever one pleases, including God, MOM and Apple Pie. Or whatever the canadian equivalents are. Hockey, MOM & Molsons?
13 posted on 04/28/2004 8:22:46 PM PDT by jocon307 (The dems don't get it, the American people do.)
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To: GMMAC
Something has gone terribly wrong in Canada. I am amazed a nation with an Anglo Saxon common law tradition would do this. I wish I were aware of a sharp Canadian Freeper who could help me with some of this. It does remind us just how precious the First Amendment is in the US, and we should be grateful SCOTUS has interpreted it in a very robust way, and finds the speech trumps everything else in the Constitution where they is a conflict.
14 posted on 04/28/2004 8:23:55 PM PDT by Torie
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To: GMMAC; Dixi Veritas
As other democratic nations watch in amazement, ...

I'm not so sure Canada qualifies as a democracy anymore.   :(   I know they are a nice and kind people, but their media and government are getting out of control.

15 posted on 04/28/2004 8:25:47 PM PDT by Bilbo Baggins
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To: Torie
Something has gone terribly wrong in Canada. I am amazed a nation with an Anglo Saxon common law tradition would do this. I wish I were aware of a sharp Canadian Freeper who could help me with some of this. It does remind us just how precious the First Amendment is in the US, and we should be grateful SCOTUS has interpreted it in a very robust way, and finds the speech trumps everything else in the Constitution where they is a conflict.

You are correct, something has gone terribly wrong in Canada, in the early 1980's a new constitution was imposed upon the citizenry, a citizenry that had no say whatsoever as to the content of the constitution or as to whether or not they approved of it. The constitution is insanely flawed and effectively unamendable.

To make matters worse, they flogged off on us something called the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which was supposed to be Canada's answer to America's Bill of Rights but is anything but. The Bill of Rights is designed to protect individuals' freedom and liberty, Canada's version is designed to establish group rights. It even goes so far as to name groups of Special Canadians who are more equal than others.

I have to admit, the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms is working perfectly for what is was designed to do, create and enhance the politics of division, which is great for Liberals.

The Charter also paved the way for the Supreme Court to begin to write law, a power they are now wielding with relish and glee.

16 posted on 04/28/2004 8:35:21 PM PDT by Entropy Squared
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To: GMMAC
INTREP - WE CANNOT AFFORD TO IGNORE THIS - THIS IS THE GRAVEST THREAT TO OUR WAY OF LIFE, AND OUR FREEDOMS
17 posted on 04/28/2004 8:45:13 PM PDT by LiteKeeper
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To: Dick Vomer
Your post is getting a little tired there, don't you think Dick?
18 posted on 04/28/2004 8:45:58 PM PDT by NorthOf45
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To: Entropy Squared
Do you think this might jump start a secession movement in Alberta, if this excrement stands?
19 posted on 04/28/2004 8:52:11 PM PDT by Torie
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To: Entropy Squared
With all of these recent issues, moderate liberals have got to take notice and question the merits of their parties actions. One can hope that the left is packaging their own intraparty demise.
20 posted on 04/28/2004 8:52:21 PM PDT by NorthOf45
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