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Monday April 7, 2008
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Focus on the Family Adapts Programming Due to Canadian Sexual Orientation "Hate Crime" Laws
By Michael Baggot
LANGLEY, BC, April 7, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - A statement from a director at Focus on the Family confirms that the major Christian organization has been editing its radio programs in order to accord with Canadian "hate crime" laws.
"In particular, our content producers are careful not to make generalized statements nor comments that may be perceived as ascribing malicious intent to a 'group' of people and are always careful to treat even those who might disagree with us with respect," Gary Booker, director of global content creation for Focus, told WorldNetDaily.com.
"Occasionally, albeit very rarely, some content is identified that, while acceptable for airing in the U.S. would not be acceptable under Canadian law and is therefore edited or omitted in Canada."
A representative from Focus told LifeSiteNews.com that the organization is not prepared at this time to expand upon the statement sent to WorldNetDaily.com.
In April 2004, Canada enacted Bill C-250, a bill that added "sexual orientation" to "identifiable groups" protected from communication that would incite hatred towards them. In the months leading up to its passage, many conservative thinkers and activists prophesied that adding "sexual orientation" to the hate crime laws would give homosexual activists the leverage needed to persecute those opposed to their lifestyle for nothing more than expressing disagreement.
According to the Criminal Code of Canada, a person is not to be convicted of a hate crime if "he expressed or attempted to establish by argument an opinion on a religious subject."
Despite the nod to religious conviction, however, the Canadian Human Rights Commission has already investigated and punished numerous individuals for promoting opposition to homosexual practices based on traditional Christian teaching.
In November of 2007, the CHRC threatened the Christian Heritage Party of Canada (CHPC) with legal penalties for material on their website. Printer Scott Brockie has also been found guilty by the Commission and fined for refusing to print pro-homosexual materials, as was Christian pastor Steve Boissoin, who wrote a letter to the editor outlining Christian teachings on homosexuality. Bishop Fred Henry was hauled before the Commission for speaking out against homosexuality, and recently a complaint was made against the Catholic magazine, Catholic Insight for similar reasons.
See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Christian Political Party Before Human Rights Commission for Speaking Against Homosexuality
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/nov/07112706.html
Human Rights Complaint Dropped Against Canadian Conservative Website
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/aug/07080313.html
Canada's Human Rights Commission Used to Target Conservative Website With "Hate Speech"
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2007/jul/07071907.html
Attack on Religious Freedom Begins in Earnest in Canada - Battleground Homosexuality
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2006/oct/06100601.html
Same-Sex "Marriage," "Hate Crimes," and the New Totalitarianism
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/feb/050228a.html
Homosexual Hate Crime Signed into Law; Chilling Effect on Free Speech, Religion and Importing Materials
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/apr/04042901.html
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