To register for the Toronto Pro-Life Forum, click here.
TORONTO, Ontario, June 15, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pro-life advocates, who have fought for years for fair coverage from Canada’s decidedly anti-life mainstream media, were shocked last month to witness a major evening TV broadcaster use his show to call for a culture of life.
“We need to speak openly about what an abortion is. It’s the killing of an unborn child,” the TV host declared on May 12th, the day of Canada’s National March for Life. “[The unborn child] is a human life flourishing inside a woman.”
Unapologetically pro-life and pro-family, veteran journalist Brian Lilley burst onto the Canadian television scene in April with his straight-talk program Byline, on the newly launched Sun News Network.
Now Lilley is coming to Toronto to talk about how he has been able to bring his principled pro-life views into the public forum.
Lilley will offer the keynote address at the Toronto Pro-Life Forum on June 24-25th. The weekend event features a dinner with Lilley at 6 p.m. on Friday, followed by a day-long conference on Saturday with themed panels on current life and family issues.
Speakers include Linda Gibbons, pro-life prisoner of conscience; Nicole Campbell, coordinator of 40 Days For Life in Toronto; John-Henry Westen, Editor-in-Chief of LifeSiteNews.com; Steve Jalsevac, Managing Director, LifeSiteNews.com; Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition; Alissa Golob, Director of CLC Youth; Tom Wappel, former Member of Parliament; and Jim Hughes, National President of Campaign Life Coalition.
The conference is sponsored by Campaign Life Coalition, and co-sponsored by LifeSiteNews and Niagara Region Right to Life.
“We keep being told that these issues, life issues, are settled. Especially when it comes to abortion,” Lilley told LifeSiteNews. “Of course then the abortion issue is raised as a scare tactic at every election.”
“Polling clearly shows that Canadians have some definite views on abortion and euthanasia. It’s time for frank and open discussion of this in the media,” he added.
Lilley made a strong case for such a debate when he published a news report in the Sun newspaper chain on the day of the National March for Life, showing that 59% of Canadians want legal restrictions on abortion and more than a quarter want protections for the unborn from conception.
Later that night, during his show on Sun News Network, he and Abacus pollster David Caletto used that poll to debunk the myth that it would be political suicide for Canadian politicians to enshrine in law some legal protections for the unborn.
“Not only do these abortions end a human life, they hurt the women involved. We need to help these women,” said Lilley, who posted several links to his official blog for pro-life groups that specialize in supporting women, such as Birthright, Silent No More, and other crisis pregnancy centres.
Set to take place at the Hotel Novotel Toronto Centre, the conference will feature panels addressing the homosexual equity policy being imposed on Catholics by the Ontario government, the controversy over Development & Peace, and the significance of the Canada’s new Conservative majority government for the pro-life movement.
Registration for both the Friday dinner and the Saturday conference cost $145. Tickets for just the dinner cost $75, and for just the conference cost $95. Tickets can be purchased online here, or call Melissa at 1-800-730-5358.
For more information, visit the Toronto Pro-Life Forum website here.