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Legislation Spring 2010 Dear Sisters in the League, What a lot of activity we've seen on the political landscape through the fall and winter! Probably the most pressing bill before Parliament has been Bill C-384 an Act to amend the Criminal Code of Canada and make physician-assisted suicide legal across the country. After it was soundly defeated in first reading in November, MP Francine Lalonde delayed debate and second reading of her private member's bill until February, apparently in an effort to build support. And then Parliament was prorogued. As I write, the timing for Bill C-384 is unknown. To quote from the government of Canada website in regards to proroguing Parliament: All government bills that have not received Royal Assent prior to prorogation cease to exist; ... In order for government bills to be proceeded with in a new session, they must be reintroduced as new bills or they may be reinstated, if the House agrees to this. This statement refers to government bills. Private members bills are automatically reinstated where they were before the recess. It is important to recognize the behind-the-scenes work that is being done by those who would see euthanasia become the law of the land in Canada. Last summer the Quebec College of Physicians concluded that Quebec society had "grown" enough to tolerate euthanasia. In December, the Royal Society of Canada established a six-member international panel of "experts" (four of whom are publically pro-euthanasia) to "focus squarely on the questions of whether or not physician-assisted suicide and/or voluntary euthanasia ought to be decriminalized in Canada" (Dr. Udo Schuklenk, committee chair). When the media reports these findings, many Canadians will begin to believe that euthanasia is a good thing. It is imperative that we in the League keep ourselves educated and aware of the issues and share that information with others as an antidote to this misinformation. Of course, Bill C-384 is not the only legislation we should concern ourselves with. Bill C-268 is another private member's bill to increase the penalty for those guilty of trafficking persons under the age of 18. Bill C-58 is a government bill to protect our children from Internet pornography. Anne Madden, the Legislation Chair for the Provincial council has asked that we keep ourselves and our members aware of these three bills in particular, especially after the Throne Speech on March 3 which will open the Third Session of the 40th Parliament. Judy Lewis, Legislation Chair for the National council also requests our attention of Bill C-384 and has asked members to be aware of any government action regarding League resolutions. Resolution 2009.03 addresses hate speech and its adequate prosecution under the Criminal Code of Canada. Resolution 2009.02 calls for the protection of victims of human trafficking. Resolution 2009.02 is very deserving of our attention because human trafficking is frequently in the news these days. Your diocesan council has tried to make information available, in collaboration with the School Sisters of Notre Dame, through Project Outreach. Legalized prostitution at the Olympics was a topic many of you addressed in your councils by writing letters to the mayor of Vancouver. And more recently, we heard horror stories of the missing children of Haiti after the earthquake being taken from their homes for the sex trade. To try and protect the children, many reputable charities called for a moratorium on international adoptions during the aftermath of that disaster. There is so much work for godly women -- women of peace and hope -- to do. Together, we may accomplish a great deal of good for God and His creation by keeping ourselves and others aware of evil when it is present and holding our government responsible for stopping it. May Our Lady of Good Counsel guide us and strengthen our commitment to this important work. Sincerely, Fall 2009 Dear Sisters in the League, It is a privilege to be your new Legislation Chair for the Hamilton Diocesan Council. Allow me a moment to introduce myself -- and please, when we meet at Regionals, Convention or any other event, introduce yourself to me! I’ve been a teacher for over twenty years -- first with the school board, then as a homeschooling parent, now with adults. I’m married to Mike and have five children and three grandchildren. Although, as you can see above, we live in Brantford, our parish home for over twelve years has been the Cathedral of Christ the King in Hamilton. Mike and I have been busy in many areas of parish life, including the Knights of Columbus for him and the League for me. Ruth is our youngest. She turned 16 in March and could hardly wait to join the League in April. I have mixed feelings about this new job. I'm very excited -- being keenly interested in politics and always curious about what out each level of government is doing; I'm also very nervous: my hobby has suddenly become the means of getting information out to over 10,000 women and convincing you that you can make a difference in the lives of Canadians. There are many bills awaiting the resumption of Parliament when it begins sitting again on September 14, and many of them need the influence of Catholic women, but one in particular urgently requires your attention. On May 13, 2009, Bill C-384 was introduced by Bloc Quebecois MP Francine Lalonde to amend the Criminal Code of Canada and allow euthanasia and assisted suicide. Below is a partial analysis of the bill from the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition website. You can access more information there.
My counterpart at National, Judy Lewis, issued a memo to all members on May 28, urging all of us to educate ourselves about this proposed legislation and contact our respective members of Parliament. You can find the bill itself at this website: (http://www2.parl.gc.ca/content/hoc/Bills/402/Private/C-384/C-384_1/C-384_1.PDF) On July 16, the Globe and Mail reported that the task force on ethics of the Quebec College of Physicians has concluded that Quebec society has "grown to the point where it can now tolerate euthanasia." My dear sisters in the League, you can see how necessary it is for you to contact the Prime Minister and your MP as soon as possible and urge them to defeat this bill. Together we are 10 000+ votes! Please consider bringing this to your council's attention. Bring paper, envelopes and pens to your first general meeting in September and encourage your membership to speak up once again in defense of life. For the Spring 2009 Regional meetings, my predecessor, Beth Anne Elliott, prepared an outstanding spiral booklet, Legislation Reference Guide that contains all the information your council needs to conduct a letter-writing session at your first general meeting this fall. Particularly useful is the Catholic Women's League of Canada Personal Letter Writing Guide on the inside. Beth Anne included a list of cabinet ministers; at the end of this report you will find a current list of MPs for our diocese. To the best of my ability this is accurate. In addition to Bill C-384, National has asked us also to monitor, and perhaps contact our government concerning: Bills C-205 an Act respecting the labelling of food products, C-228 an Act respecting the preservation of Canada's water resources, C-246 an Act to amend the Criminal Code regarding child sexual predators, C-268 an Act to amend the Criminal Code regarding minimum sentence for offences involving trafficking of persons under the age of eighteen years, and C-304 an Act to insure secure, adequate, accessible, and affordable housing for Canadians. As always, remember that only our national president speaks for the Catholic Women's League of Canada; you and your members are writing as private citizens. Remember, too, that every letter carries great influence. It is commonly believed in Ottawa that one letter received represents at least 50 like-minded people who did not send a letter. And don’t let anyone convince you that by writing from your Catholic perspective you are blurring the lines between "Church and State." That belief simply means the state (government) is not to influence the church; the church has long been a necessary, civilizing influence on the state and must continue to be so. Respectfully submitted, Members of Parliament Ancaster-Dundas-Flamborough-Westdale -- David Sweet top of page | Directives | Home Send us your comments, ideas and suggestions. |
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