OTTAWA, January 10, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Faith and family groups are busy in the New Year revving their engines for a massive lobby of Parliamentarians for the upcoming vote on a bill to re-define marriage to rid it of the opposite sex requirement and through the process force further acceptance of homosexuality.
LifeSiteNews.com spoke with several Canadian groups involved in the current battle for the preservation of the family and found that their common lobbying priority is to defeat the upcoming legislation. In addition to full-time lobbying via its Ottawa office, Campaign Life Coalition has emphasized to its supporters across the country that the most effective strategy they can follow is to individually lobby their members of Parliament in the ridings. Most members are still in the ridings as parliament does not resume until the end of this month.
CLC says the basic message to MPs is “I want you to know that it is my wish that you vote against the government’s upcoming bill to redefine marriage and any efforts to extend marriage rights to same-sex couples. Your response or lack of response to the bill will be a major factor in determining my vote in the next election.”
For those not able to visit, write or speak with their MPs directly CLC has also recommended taking part in its postcard campaign to the individual MPs.
REAL Women Canada’s Gwen Landolt told LifeSiteNews.com that “the priority now is lobbying MPs.”
The organization is considering flying women to Ottawa from around the country to lobby politicians one week at a time.
Brian Rushfeldt, Vice President of the Canada Family Action Coalition, told LifeSiteNews.com that the group’s “Number one focus is to win the vote in parliament when it comes.” He said, “We must do that. We need to show MPs they either support marriage or they are gone.”
Rushfeldt said that the CFAC is concentrating on “direct work in the ridings” and also is going to be calling for a national prayer weekend on January 29-30, just before MPs return to the House. Religious groups are also asking members to contact their MPs to make known their opposition to the bill.
The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and other provincial bishops’ conferences and many individual bishops, are strongly encouraging their faith members to make their views known to their elected representatives. Groups such as Focus on the Family Canada and Christian Legal Fellowship are constrained in their political efforts because of their charitable status but are providing citizens with arguments to make the case for defending marriage against the upcoming federal action.
They are also encouraging their memberships to become involved in the political process.