By Gudrun Schultz
OTTAWA, Ontario, January 17, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Canadians expressed more concern over the redefinition of marriage than over any other issue, in communications sent to Prime Minister Paul Martin in 2005.
An analysis of letters, emails and phone calls sent to Martin over the course of the year shows a significant effort on the part of the Canadian public to express opposition to changing the traditional definition of marriage. The Canadian Press obtained the information through an access to information request.
“An overwhelming majority of callers was opposed to a redefinition of traditional marriage,” says an analysis of 880 phone calls about same-sex received in January last year. “Some called for a referendum on the matter.”
More than ten percent of all communications sent to the Prime Minister were on the topic of same-sex marriage. Even without the inclusion of form letters and duplicated emails, opposition to the redefinition of marriage was expressed in a majority of personally written communications.
Most of the letters and phone calls were sent during the winter and spring months of last year, as Bill C-38, the bill to redefine marriage was under way in the House. 5,755 individually written items were sent during February alone.
“This topic continues to dominate all others,” says a monthly analysis. “The majority of letters seem to be part of an organized letter-writing campaign by various churches.”
Conservative party leader Stephen Harper has said his government would revisit the legislation on same-sex ‘marriage’ if elected, and he would allow a free vote in his caucus. He is the only party leader to offer this.