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RED DEER, AB, November 22, 2002 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Cases of harassment and economic penalties imposed upon Canadian Christians who speak out against the social, medical and spiritual dangers of homosexuality are on the rise. LifeSite has learned of two more cases of such harassment by human rights tribunals.

MP Vic Toews, the Justice critic for the Canadian Alliance has called on the Manitoba Government to “immediately move to clarify the law to ensure that religious organizations are not singled out because of their moral position on homosexuality.”  The Provencher MP points out that Camp Arnes, a camp on Lake Winnipeg run by the Mennonite Brethren Church of Manitoba, is facing a challenge under the Manitoba Human Rights Act for denying access to the camp to the Winnipeg Gay and Lesbian Choir.  The Act says that groups or individuals cannot be discriminated against on the basis of sexual orientation.  In a related case in Alberta, Rev. Stephen Boissoin is facing a human rights complaint brought by homosexual activist and University of Calgary professor Dr. Darren Lund.  Rev. Boissoin, an outstanding citizen who for nine years ran an outreach to troubled youth that had 100-150 teens who would frequent it weekly, raised the ire of homosexual activists with a letter to the editor of a local paper which served as a wakeup call to parents regarding homosexual activism in schools.  Lund accused Rev. Boissoin of hatemongering in comments to the press and when a local teen was beaten by hooligans supposedly because of his homosexual inclinations, Rev. Boissoin’s letter was blamed.

Boissoin’s damaged reputation caused the loss of funding to his youth outreach which was forced to close due to lack of funds. Now Boissoin is faced with retaining a lawyer to defend himself against the human rights complaint.  At least 6 mayors across the country have been reprimanded and some fined – one as much as $10,000 – for refusing to proclaim ‘gay pride day’. Ontario printer Scott Brockie was fined for refusing to print homosexual activist material, and a man (Hugh Owens) has been fined for a newspaper ad quoting the Bible on homosexuality. These and many other incidents have become part of a growing harassment of Christians in Canada over this issue. A dangerous denial of traditional democratic rights of religious belief and free speech has become pervasive.