Homosexual Hate Crime Bill May Receive Final Vote On June 6

OTTAWA, June 2, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – LifeSite has learned that homosexual activist Svend Robinson’s private members bill C-250 which seeks to add the term “sexual orientation” to hate crimes law, will begin report stage consideration and possible passage into law on Friday.  Religious leaders, most notably the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, have denounced the bill as a threat to freedom of religion and expression.  C-250, which made it out of the Justice Committee without amendment thanks to a filibuster from the bill’s sponsor, would normally have taken weeks to come up for report stage and third reading debate. However, fellow NDP MP Peter Stoffer (Sackville-Musquodoboit Valley-Eastern Shore) apparently decided to give Robinson his spot on the order of precedence for private members business.  Thus bill C-250 is set to come before the House on Friday.  Moreover, report and third reading stages for the bill are limited to 2 sitting days.  Meanwhile, the national pro-family group REAL Women has issued an urgent alert on the matter. REAL Women asks Canadians to “telephone, fax, or email Members of Parliament requesting that they be in the House of Commons to speak against Bill C-250 on Friday, June 6th at 1:30 p.m. and to vote against it during the second and final hour of debate”.  The organization warns, “This discriminatory Bill C-250 threatens religious freedom in Canada and it MUST be defeated”.  The Canada Family Action Coalition is also urging immediate action. It warns that “Freedom of expression, freedom of speech, freedom of religion and even freedom of conscience are in grave danger.”  https://www.familyaction.org/Articles/action-issues/bill-C415/action-alert-5-29-03.htm   Focus on the Family Canada states “many Christians worry this could criminalize religiously motivated criticisms of homosexuality” and is “urging all Canadians to contact their MP as soon as possible”.  https://www.fotf.ca/familyfacts/tfn/2003/060203.html   See the Parliamentary Private Members Business Order Paper:  https://www.parl.gc.ca/37/2/parlbus/chambus/house/orderpaper/109_2003-06-02/ordpm109-E.htm