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LIBERALS TO IMPOSE INTERNATIONAL CRIMINAL COURT IN BILL C-19

- Federal Government Will Surrender National Sovereignty -

OTTAWA, Dec 13, (LSN.ca) - On Friday the Liberal government introduced what may well be seen as its most dangerous piece of legislation to date, Bill C-19, which will "implement in Canada the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC)." Foreign Affairs Minister Lloyd Axworthy and Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Anne McLellan are calling the bill the Crimes Against Humanity Act. "I am proud that Canada is the first country to introduce such comprehensive implementation legislation," said Minister Axworthy about legislation that takes significant steps to surrendering national sovereignty to an international judicial body.

The UN conference in Rome which produced the ICC statute was filled with controversy. Also, international experts from a wide spectrum of concern in Canada and the United States condemned the proposal as a threat to national sovereignty and the distinct cultural and religious values protected in individual countries.

Some zealots at the ICC conference attempted to add issues such as abortion, as new war crimes, to the agenda of the court, leading some experts to warn that they will continue to push for changes to the ICC's mandate once it has been safely ratified by leading nations. In particular, pro-lifers familiar with the international scene, are concerned about the influence of feminists and the homosexual lobby at the international level and their potential to implement their agenda at the highest level of judicial appeal that currently exists.

One certainty borne out in the Liberal Ministers' comments about the bill is the surrender of national sovereignty that comes with the statute. With this legislation Canada will be forced to "surrender persons sought by the ICC for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and other offences under the Statute. In addition, a person who is the subject of a request for surrender by the ICC would not be able to claim immunity from arrest or surrender."

Moreover, the absolute supremacy of the ICC over Canadian law is revealed in the explanatory material on the bill released by the government Ministers: "It would not be a defence that an offence was committed in obedience to the law in force at the time and in the place of its commission."

The Ministers are urging other countries to make it a priority to ratify the ICC Statute and they have pledged $110,000 of taxpayer money in support of two international lobbying efforts in that regard.

See a government press release on the subject:
http://canada.justice.gc.ca/news/communiques/1999/doc_24326.html

See the bill at:
http://www.parl.gc.ca/36/2/parlbus/chambus/house/bills/government/C-19/C-19_1/C-...

For the background on this story see:
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/1999/aug/99080601.html

For more information on the ICC see:
http://www.lifesite.net/interim/june98/11unwatch(criminalcourt).html http://www.lifesite.net/interim/august98/4ICC.html

URGENT ACTION ITEM

Immediately contact your MPs and ask them to oppose bill C-19. http://www.parl.gc.ca/36/sm-e.htm

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