OTTAWA, Ontario, February 7, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) – As the Canadian ‘transgender’ bill faces a final vote in the House of Commons Wednesday, the Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF) has condemned the legislation for seeking to impose “new social norms” of “gender ideology” on society.
“Defending certain people from discrimination is one thing and it is a good thing,” said Michelle Boulva, director of the organization, which was founded by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Knights of Columbus. “But using very exceptional cases to promote and impose new social norms is quite another and it is unacceptable.”
Bill C-389, which seeks to add “gender identity” and “gender expression” to the Canada Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code’s hate crimes section, has been dubbed a ‘bathroom bill’ by pro-family leaders who warn that it would allow men who say they are women to use women’s washrooms.
They say it promotes the notion that gender is fluid and a question of social construct, and will have wide social ramifications for government, businesses, and single-sex groups, who will be forced to accommodate those who feel they were “assigned” the wrong gender at birth.
“We cannot let the fans of the gender ideology impose new norms on society,” said Boulva. “Sexual identity, our femininity or masculinity, is not a social construct. It is willed by God and it is an integral part of our persons – persons called to enter into communion and to give ourselves to others.”
She pointed out that Canada already recognizes protections based on “sexual orientation,” making the proposed phrases superfluous.
“Canadian society cannot keep redefining natural institutions like marriage and family, and now human nature itself, without expecting some kind of backlash sooner or later,” she added. “We cannot create new norms that contradict the fundamental norms of human nature. These norms have built civilization.”
The bill, sponsored by NDP MP Bill Siksay, won support from a majority of MPs at report stage in December, in a vote of 143-131. If passed on Wednesday it will move to the Senate.
COLF urged concerned Canadian citizens to contact their MPs and ask them to vote against Bill C-389 on Wednesday.
Find contact information for every Member of Parliament here.