Politics
Tuesday October 14, 2008
Order of Canada Member Launches Legal Challenge to Morgentaler Award
TODAY'S HEADLINES
E-MAIL
PRINT
By Thaddeus M. Baklinski
WINDSOR, Ontario, October 14, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Retired Windsor police detective and Order of Canada member Frank Chauvin has launched a legal challenge against the Advisory Council for the Order of Canada that granted the award to abortionist Henry Morgentaler.
The Windsor Star reports that Mr. Chauvin bases his challenge on irregularities in the decision process regarding Morgentaler's appointment, and that Chief Justice of Canada Beverley McLachlin, who chairs the council, should have removed herself from the process because Morgentaler is a litigant in a court case against the government of New Brunswick.
Mr. Chauvin's lawyer, Gerard Charette, said the advisory council made "a whole range of errors," and has made a court application that seeks to have the award cancelled.
"This is a unique council, but it is a government entity. And most government boards and tribunals are subject to being reviewed by courts when they make decisions that are incorrect," Mr. Charette said.
"This is not the way they're supposed to choose," Mr. Chauvin said. "It's quite evident that it's entered into a political arena. ... I don't think in the history of this medal there's ever been so much controversy over someone receiving the Order of Canada."
The Canadian Family Action Coalition (CFAC) filed a formal letter of complaint to the Canadian Judicial Council in August on behalf of 42 separate organizations, representing a membership of over 1 million, charging that "the conduct of Advisory Council Chair, chief justice McLachlin, through the process of awarding Dr. Henry Morgentaler the Order of Canada demonstrates bias, political agenda and a wanton disregard for the Constitution of the Order of Canada and time honored regulations."
The CFAC asked for an investigation into judicial misconduct on the part of McLachlin when, after the July 1 announcement of the nomination of Morgentaler to the Order, rumors began to surface in the media that McLachlin had spearheaded the effort to grant the award to the abortionist.
The Canadian Judicial Council dismissed the complaint at the end of September in a letter addressed to CFAC, saying, "On the face of your letter, there is no merit, nor any facts to support, your allegation."
Mr. Chauvin told the Windsor Star that though he does not expect the advisory council to reverse its decision because of his legal challenge he will continue to press his suit forward.
"It's something we have to do. The whole thing is such a mess."
Mr. Chauvin also said that whether the court application succeeds or fails he will return his medal in protest, joining ten other recipients of the Order of Canada who have returned their medals to the Governor-General in protest of Morgentaler's appointment.
"It's going in, one way or another. I have not changed my mind one iota. I made a commitment, and it's going to be returned. When it's going to be returned is another thing, but it's definitely going. I am not keeping the medal," Mr. Chauvin said.
Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Forty-two Organizations Appeal to Have Canadian Supreme Court Chief Justice Removed from Office over Morgentaler Affair
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08081401.html
Canada Supreme Court Justice Denies Involvement in Order of Canada to Abortionist
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/aug/08081804.html
Judicial Council Dismisses Complaint against Chief Justice over Morgentaler Award
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2008/oct/08100203.html
Back to TopLatest Headlines
- Cardinal Rigali: You Can't Claim to be "Reducing Abortions" but Publicly Funding them in D.C.
- General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase out Lab Rats
- Ohio Supreme Court Allows Planned Parenthood to Conceal Abortion Records in Sexual Abuse Case
- LifeSiteNews Canada Day and Independence Day Message. Taking a few days off. LSN returns Monday July 6
- Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop's Resignation Accepted Under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation
- Pro-Life Groups Announce New Colorado Personhood Initiative
- Judge Puts Kibosh on DC Gay "Marriage" Referendum
- Al Franken Win Hands Supermajority to Senate Democrats
- Group Funded by Canadian Bishops' D&P Joins with Others to Denounce the "Natural Family" and "Family Rights"
- Financially Troubled Planned Parenthood of El Paso Closes Doors
- Abortion Linked to Subsequent Pre-Term Births, New Research Again Confirms
- New Orleans Homosexual Couple Ask Fed. Court to Overturn Marriage Amendment
- Slim Hope Of New Ontario Progressive Conservative Party Leader Promoting Pro-Life, Pro-Family Issues
- Pope Accepts Resignation of Bishop Caught Involved in Homosexual Encounters
- Young Children Removed from UK Schools for "Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour"
- Northern Ireland Politician Cleared of Wrongdoing after Reiterating Christian Teaching on Homosexual Acts
- UK Conservative Leader Speaks at Gay Pride Fundraiser
- More Letters to the Editor on Canadian Catholic Development and Peace Scandal (July 1)
- Letters to the Editor - Readers Respond to Development and Peace Scandal
- Watch This Dramatic New Video on Catholic Bishops Conference Funding of Pro-Abortion Groups
Most Read this Week
- Homosexual Duke U. Director Charged with Offering Adopted 5-Year-Old for Sex
- Famed Fr. Corapi Calls Canadian Bishops' Dissent from Humanae Vitae "Catastrophic"
- Pope: It is a Childish Faith to Oppose the Church Teaching on Life and Family
- LifeSiteNews Detailed Response to Canadian Bishops' Whitewash Report on Development and Peace
- Heroically Pro-Life Brazilian Archbishop's Resignation Accepted Under Cloud of Vatican Newspaper Misrepresentation
- Young Children Removed from UK Schools for "Inappropriate Sexual Behaviour"
- Is Pro-Choice the New Pro-Life?
- General Electric to Use Embryonic Stem Cells for Testing, Phase Out Lab Rats
- Swedish Parents Won't Tell if Child is Boy or Girl as Gender Experiment
- Cardinal Rigali: You Can't Claim to be "Reducing Abortions" but Publicly Funding them in D.C.
MORE NEWS: 
LifeSiteNews.com Home Page Last 10 Days Archives Special Reports
Copyright © LifeSiteNews.com. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-No Derivatives License. You may republish this article or portions of it without request provided the content is not altered and it is clearly attributed to "LifeSiteNews.com". Any website publishing of complete or large portions of original LifeSiteNews articles MUST additionally include a live link to www.LifeSiteNews.com. The link is not required for excerpts. Republishing of articles on LifeSiteNews.com from other sources as noted is subject to the conditions of those sources.