TORONTO, July 18, 2002 (LSN.ca) – The Canada Family Action Coalition (CFAC), the Catholic Civil Rights League, Campaign Life Coalition, and other groups are encouraging all concerned Canadians to contact their MPs demanding that the recent Ontario court ruling allowing homosexual marriage be appealed. The appeal must be filed within two weeks of the July 12 ruling. CFAC president Brian Rushfeldt told LifeSite that the ruling flies in the face of legislation passed by Parliament, previous rulings by the Supreme Court of Canada, a very recent ruling by a B.C. court, a previous Ontario court decision and centuries of western history and culture.
In the Egan case the majority decision of the Supreme Court stated: “Marriage has from time immemorial been firmly grounded in our legal tradition, one that is itself a reflection of long-standing philosophical and religious traditions. But its ultimate raison d’etre transcends all of these and is firmly anchored in the biological and social realities that heterosexual couples have the unique ability to procreate, that most children are the product of these relationships, and they are generally cared for and nurtured by those who live in that relationship. In this sense marriage is by nature heterosexual..because of its importance, legal marriage may properly be viewed as fundamental to the stability and well-being of the family and, as such, parliament may quite properly give special support to the institution of marriage.”
The ruling also defies the will of Parliament as most recently expressed in two ‘all party motions’ that define marriage as “between a man and a woman, to the exclusion of all other kinds of relationships”.
Rushfeldt questioned the legitimacy of this lower court decision, “does a lower court have the power to overrule a higher court decision and parliament’s decision?” He warned that while an appeal would seem natural the Chretien government is not yet committed to appealing. “Therefore, Canadians must speak out quickly and demand that the Liberal government defend the institution of Marriage, respect Parliamentary authority and the rule of law in our nation,” he said. ACTION ITEMS: 1. Contact Liberal Justice Minister Martin Cauchon and ask him to appeal the decision immediately Phone (613) 992-4621 Fax (613) 990-7255 [email protected] 2. Contact your MP and urge that he/she ask Minister Cauchon to appeal the Ontario Court decision and ask them to confirm if they have done so. To find contact info for your MP click: https://www.parl.gc.ca/information/about/people/house/PostalCode.asp?Source+SM