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Press Releases |
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Media contact:
Philip Horgan, President or
Joanne McGarry, Executive Director
416-466-8244 or ccrl@ccrl.ca
(Photos available)
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| Better knowledge of lack of abortion law needed, says League | | | 2010-08-04 | | TORONTO, August 4, 2010 – The Catholic Civil Rights League today commented on a new survey showing that as many as two-thirds of Canadians do not know that Canada has no abortion law.The Angus Reid poll, which asked 1,022 Canadian adults a variety of questions about their views on abortion, including their understanding of the country’s law, found that just 22 per cent of them correctly identified the legal void that permits the procedure throughout pregnancy, with no government restrictions. Forty one per cent believe that the government regulates the procedure, only allowing it through the third month of pregnancy. “It’s quite possible so many believe we have an abortion law, and that there are more restrictions after the first trimester, since that is the case in almost all the western world,” said League Executive Director Joanne McGarry. “It may well be that a majority would support such a law, or that it is more difficult to find medical ... | | Census should retain religion question, says League | | | 2010-07-07 | | OTTAWA, July 7, 2010 – The Catholic Civil Rights League today commented on changes being made by Statistics Canada to the next federal census, including its decision to exclude religious affiliation information from the mandatory portion of the 2011 census. Instead, the information will be gathered in the voluntary National Household Survey (NHS), which will replace the long form of the Canadian census that to date was sent to 20% of Canadian households. The new NHS will be sent to a little over a third of Canadian households, but unlike the census, the NHS will be voluntary. “Information about religious affiliation and religious practice are helpful to many Canadians in their understanding of society and, more specifically for some faith groups, in planning for the needs of their community,” said Joanne McGarry, League executive director. “Such information is also extremely useful for historians and sociologists, both now and in the future, as well as to ... | | CCRL congratulates Cardinal Ouellet | | | 2010-06-30 | | TORONTO, ON June 30, 2010 – The Catholic Civil Rights League congratulates Cardinal Marc Ouellet on his appointment as Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and President of the Commission for Latin America.“The League has always appreciated Cardinal Ouellet’s support for expressing the teachings of the Church in the public forum,” said Philip Horgan, president of CCRL. “Despite criticism for upholding the Catholic vision of respect for life from conception to natural death, the cardinal has continued to be an inspiring leader for Catholics within Canada, and a staunch supporter for Catholic education within his home province. We send our prayers and warmest best wishes on this happy occasion.”His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI appointed Cardinal Ouellet to his new posting yesterday. Cardinal Ouellet is at present Archbishop of Quebec and Primate of Canada, and will be Apostolic Administrator of the archdiocese until he takes possession of his ne... | | League pleased with Quebec court decision on religious education | | | 2010-06-21 | | MONTREAL, Que., June 21, 2010 – The Catholic Civil Rights League is pleased that the Quebec Superior Court has upheld the right of Loyola High School to be exempt from a provincial government requirement that it teach the new Ethics and Religious Culture (ERC) course as mandated by Québec's Education Dept. The League hopes, however, that parents and students in all schools will be offered the same degree of choice in religious education. “While we are pleased that this ruling is a victory for the rights of private schools to adapt the material to suit their religious focus, and therefore recognizes the rights of parents who have chosen private schools for religious reasons, we would hope to see the same spirit of choice and respect for parental rights upheld for all students,” said League President Phil Horgan. The judgment criticized what it called a dictatorial attitude on the part of the government in its dealings with the school, comparing the provinc... | | Suzanne Lavallee receives CCRL honour | | | 2010-06-02 | | TORONTO, ON June 2, 2010 - The Catholic Civil Rights League is happy to announce that Suzanne Lavallee of Drummondville, Quebec, is this year’s winner of the League’s Archbishop Adam Exner Award for Catholic Excellence in Public Life. The award will be presented at the League’s Silver Anniversary dinner Thursday, June 10. The evening will include a talk by Rev. Raymond De Souza, National Post columnist and priest of the Kingston archdiocese, and honours for the League’s founders. “Suzanne’s leadership in insisting upon parental rights in education is helping to bring into focus the challenges that are posed to families when the state imposes a single, mandatory course of study in religious and moral education,” said League President Phil Horgan. “We hope her family’s effort in challenging the mandatory nature of the new program will lead to positive change, restoring to parents the right to direct the religious and moral education o... | | Columnist’s remarks hateful, says League | | | 2010-05-19 | | MONTREAL, QC, May 19, 2010 – The Catholic Civil Rights League today called on La Presse newspaper to distance itself from some remarks by one of its columnists, Patrick Lagace, who Tuesday expressed the wish that Cardinal Marc Ouellet, archbishop of Quebec and Catholic Primate of Canada, would “die a slow and painful death.”Cardinal Ouellet addressed a pro-life rally on the weekend. Among other remarks, he lauded the exclusion of abortion from Canada’s proposed G8 initiative on maternal health and lamented the absence of any abortion law in Canada. Later, in response to questions from a reporter, he affirmed Church teaching that life begins at conception and stated that this means abortion would be wrong even in cases of rape.Quebec's airwaves and cyberspace were aflame with commentary, from Quebec politicians as well as journalists and women’s group leaders. Parti Quebecois leader Pauline Marois said she was "completely outraged" by the Cardinal's remarks... | | League pleased that extended retail openings bid stalls | | | 2010-05-13 | | TORONTO, May 13, 2010 – The Catholic Civil Rights League is pleased that Toronto City Council voted yesterday to defer a proposal to give retailers the option to open 365 days a year, in keeping with a motion by the city’s economic development committee. The proposal would have allowed stores to open on all statutory holidays, including Christmas Day, New Year’s, Good Friday. As we noted in a statement to our membership and to the mayor and council, it’s impossible to predict how many would avail themselves of this choice. However, the move to end the very few common holidays still permitted to retail employees should be opposed. We have already seen how Sunday shopping moved from a limited option to an almost universal practice, disrupting religious and family time, creating traffic problems and in practice giving little choice to employees and businesses. "While this motion has been deferred, it will likely come back after the next election," said Joanne McGar... | | Oppose extended retail openings, says League | | | 2010-05-10 | | TORONTO, Ont., May 10, 2010 - Toronto City Council will likely vote Wednesday on a proposal to allow retailers to remain open 365 days a year, including Christmas Day, New Year’s, Good Friday, and other statutory holidays. While it’s impossible to predict how many would avail themselves of this choice, the move to end the very few common holidays still permitted to retail employees should be opposed. We have already seen how Sunday shopping moved from a limited option to an almost universal practice, disrupting religious and family time, creating traffic problems and in practice giving little choice to employees and businesses. If you live in the Toronto area, please express your concerns to your local councilor and to the mayor. Letter from His Grace Archbishop Collins about the holiday shopping proposalBah, humbug: Toronto looks at eliminating Christmas, New Years for retailers, LifeSite News, May 10, 2010CCRL contact: Joanne McGarry, executive director, 416-466-8244 or j... | | Quebec schools’ case may be heard in SCC | | | 2010-04-30 | | MONTREAL, April 29, 2010 - A Quebec couple who unsuccessfully sought an exemption from the province’s ethics and religious culture course has applied for leave to appeal the case to the Supreme Court of Canada. The League is among the educational and religious organizations that are supporting the application, in recognition of the rights of parents to direct their children’s religious education. Suzanne Lavallée and Daniel Jutras of Drummondville, Québec, contend that the mandatory non-denominational course taught to all Québec students in Grades one to 11 since September 2008 is unconstitutional. The couple's lawyer has said they believe the course interferes with their parental right to free choice. Sylvain Lamontagne, head of the Coalition for Freedom in Education (CLÉ), told The (Montréal) Gazette April 28 the parents feel the curriculum ‘trivializes’ their own religion and moral values, and treat them as no more imp... | | G-8 pledge welcome but changes little, says League | | | 2010-04-28 | | OTTAWA, April 27, 2010 – The Catholic Civil Rights League is pleased that Canada will not fund abortion services as part of a G8 initiative to improve the health of women and children in poor countries. As G8 officials arrived in Halifax for talks on the maternal health initiative Monday, International Cooperation Minister Bev Oda said other Group of Eight nations can finance projects that include abortion if they choose to do so, but Canada won’t. She added that Canada’s strategy may involve various interventions, including family planning, but that details have not yet been determined. “While we’re pleased that Canada has drawn a line under the funding of abortions in its contribution to the G-8 initiative, the inclusion of family planning leaves a question mark over it from a strictly Catholic standpoint,” said Joanne McGarry, League executive director. “The reality is there is a huge amount that needs to be done to improve t... |
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