And should we consider them a ‘minority group' as a result? By Donald Hill The Interim The push for legislation that would bar discrimination, and secure spousal benefits, adoption rights, and even marriage privileges for same-sex couples, springs from the assumption that homosexuals are born that way, and are therefore a legitimate minority group. If it can be shown that this hypothesis is unsound it should be exposed ... (Continue reading)
Like almost everybody else in Ontario - and most of Canada - I had often heard the name "Dr. Andrew Simone" and his great work in feeding the poor in missionary countries. But our paths did not cross until 1999. How it happened was this. I was supplying at St. Joseph's Parish in Port Elgin and I noticed dozens of boxes piled up at the entrance to the church. ... (Continue reading)
By Linda Wegner The Interim A July 1999 ruling by a Saskatchewan Human Rights Board of Inquiry may have temporarily, at least, excluded the recitation of the Lord's Prayer from Saskatoon classrooms, but it has not ended the controversy surrounding the issue. Saskatoon Public School Division Policy #1030, as proposed by the Saskatoon public school board trustees on Feb. 22 recommends that traditional opening exercises, including the Lord's Prayer, be replaced with "a song, a ... (Continue reading)
Commentary by Bill Whatcott The Interim In 1993 when the NDP decided to add "sexual orientation" to the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, Hugh Owens became incensed. Upon doing some research and reading various documents from the commission, Hugh concluded that "the Human Rights Commission is nothing more than a tax-funded homosexual propaganda machine," and filed a human rights complaint alleging that the HRC has discriminated against Christians by making the Bible illegal. The HRC wrote ... (Continue reading)
Alleges Catholic facility removed food and water to hasten deathBy David Curtin The Interim The family of a 94-year-old woman from Windsor, Ont. is suing a local Catholic nursing home for, among other things, trying to starve the woman to death. In a 14-page Statement of Claim obtained by The Interim, Florence LaDouceur's daughters are suing Villa Maria Home for the Aged for $1.9 million. The lawsuit, filed in ... (Continue reading)
By Andrea Procher The Interim Chivalry is dead!" Such is the oft-heard cry of the 1990s non-feminist female. Believe it or not, guys, there are more than a few women who are still honoured when you open a door or pull out a chair for them. But before we go blaming the men for a lack of chivalry, we must consider how much the feminist movement has contributed to ... (Continue reading)
Taxpayers footing the $45,000 bill through Court Challenges Program Commentary by Charles W. Moore The InterimA small, but strident and extremely self-righteous minority of leftist social engineers in this country are bound and determined to criminalize parental corporal punishment - also known as spanking. At issue is Section 43 of the Criminal Code, which provides a defence to parents and teachers charged with assaulting a child, only if they are able to ... (Continue reading)
When a businessman talks about living in a country where he is told who he can and cannot sell his products to, such a scenario usually conjures up images of Stalinist Russia or a banana republic. Unfortunately, however, it is not at all alien to Canada. In June, Christian business owner Scott Brockie faced an Ontario Human Rights Tribunal inquisition that originated more than three years ago from a complaint made by ... (Continue reading)
I have seen the part of the Hippocratic Oath which relates to abortion, but what else does it say? F.C., Newmarket, ON. The oath is quite long. It opens by swearing by Apollo and Aesculapius, and first deals with who is to be taught the Art of Healing. It continues: “…I will impart a knowledge of the Art to my own sons…and to disciples bound by a stipulation and oath according to the law of medicine, but to none ... (Continue reading)
Interim Staff TORONTO – The Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL) is demanding a public apology from Canadian broadcaster Michael Enright for remarks he made about the Catholic Church in an interview with a Toronto newspaper. Enright, the co-host of Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) radio program, As It Happens, called the Roman Catholic Church “the greatest criminal organization outside the Mafia.” “Mr Enright’s comment is a blatant falsehood that cannot go unchallenged,” said Michael Markwick, British Columbia chapter president of the CCRL, speaking ... (Continue reading)
To explain where Grace is now we need to know where Grace has been. In her words she, “Came out of the Arctic, pregnant with her fifth child in 1966.” Think what you will, but those who know her can easily conjure up an image of Grace, large of belly, propelled by a blast of cold air and snow, flying across the tundra on a dog sled heading for Ottawa. Richard “Dick” Hargrave gad been transferred to Ottawa and the family ... (Continue reading)
Interim special Toronto – Some church and pro-life groups have criticized the TVOntario (TVO) network for airing the program “Father Ted” which often presents Catholic priests in unflattering ways. The program, imported from Britain, also depicts the Irish as vicious hypocrites. In a letter to Ontario culture minister Marilyn Mushinski, one critic wondered why the province would provide funding to a network offering this kind of controversial programming. He added that TVO is indirectly promoting racism and bigotry. Provincial officials however, said the ... (Continue reading)
One of the many dubious legacies left to us by the various Liberal governments of Pierre Elliot Trudeau is the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. We Canadians have heard if mentioned so many times yet few of us have even the foggiest notion of its contents. Until recently, I included myself in this group. Like many, I had a vague idea that the Charter guaranteeing a fairly major concept – the right to life. Then I received my Charter lesson. As ... (Continue reading)
WASHINGTON – Disabled people asked for help March 7 in protecting what one called their “imperfect lives” from assisted suicide. They addressed a session of a two-day international conference on assisted suicide, jointly sponsored by the National Conference of Catholic Bishops, Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law, and the Center for Jewish and Christian Values. “The message of the current pro-assisted suicide social climate is that it is more convenient and more economical to offer assisted suicide ... (Continue reading)
Interim special Pro-family forces are monitoring the actions of Liberal Senator Sharon Carstairs of Manitoba who recently moved second reading of a bill making it a crime for parents to use corporal punishment against their children. Carstairs' Bill S-14 would repeal Section 43 of the Criminal Code which allows the use of force in disciplining a child. Section 43 also exempts parents, teachers and guardians from being charged with assault if they use "reasonable" force in dealing with children. "Research has ... (Continue reading)