Bloc Quebecois MP Francine Lalonde (right) on the day her euthanasia and assisted suicide bill was defeated in the House of Commons
2010: A Catholic news year in review
By Deborah Gyapong
Canadian Catholic News
(CCN)--January 2010 begins a prorogued Parliament, the second in roughly a year. Prime Minister Stephen Harper says it is necessary to focus attention on a fragile economy. The prorogation or suspension extends the January winter break until a new Throne Speech and budget in early March.
Opposition parties pound the Conservatives on the treatment of Afghan detainees, even though the House is not in session, arguing the government prorogued Parliament to evade accountability.
The Jan. 12 earthquake in Haiti prompts an unprecedented response from both the Canadian government and the Catholic Church, through the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CCODP) and its Caritas Partners. Canada initially contributes $60 million for emergency aid. Church groups and NGOs arrange an airlift for Haitian orphans. CCODP eventually collects about $20 million from Canadian Catholics to help Haiti.
The Prime Minister and CIDA Minister Bev Oda announce plans to make maternal and child health care in poorer countries a top priority during Canada’s hosting of the G-8 and G-20 in June. Opposition Leader Michael Ignatieff insists abortion be included, causing the Archbishop of Toronto and the Bishop of Calgary to call his remarks “astonishing” and “pathetic” respectively.
The Throne Speech in early March mentions “solidarity” in a seeming nod to Catholic social doctrine, but the federal budget is criticized for not going far enough to help the poor. The budget expands the deficit through stimulus spending, in a budget most observers describe as middle-of-the-road.
In late March, Liberal MP Bob Rae’s motion designed to force the government to include abortion in its maternal health initiative goes down to unexpected defeat. The Tories vote en masse against it and several pro-life Liberals stand with them.
CCODP joins coalition of groups urging politicians to support Liberal MP John McKay’s responsible mining bill C-300. The bill, which would help ensure Canadian mining companies operating overseas respect the environment and human rights, coincides with a five-year CCODP campaign on responsible mining.
The debate over euthanasia heats up as Bloc Quebecois MP Francine Lalonde’s euthanasia and assisted suicide Bill C-384 wends its way through the House of Commons. Many groups, including Canada’s Catholic bishops intervene against legalizing euthanasia. On April 21, the bill is resoundingly defeated by a 228-59 vote. But Quebec soon launches hearings into euthanasia and assisted suicide.
Five Members of Parliament from three parties announce the formation of the Parliamentary Committee on Palliative and Compassionate Care (PCPCC), which holds hearings and receives briefs from expert witnesses for the remainder of 2010. Catholic groups present briefs to this committee in the fall of 2010.
During his first official visit to Canada, United Nations Secretary General, Ban Ki-Moon calls the plight of the world’s poor a “global development emergency.” He tells the United Nations’ Association of Canada May 12, “The upcoming Summits here in Canada must provide a new resolve to meet global commitments to the poor of the world.”
On May 13, the National March for Life draws 12,000 marchers, the largest in its history. Cardinal Marc Ouellet commends the government for keeping abortion out of its maternal health initiative for the developing world, but demands more courage on the part of politicians in advancing legal protection of the unborn in Canada. The March receives unprecedented media coverage, with some outlets inflating numbers for the first time in the event’s history. Media interest seems prompted by recent launch of Marci McDonald’s book The Armageddon Factor that contends the Harper government is unduly influenced by the religious right.
On May 21, during the Montee Jeunesse/Youth Summit, Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast and Gatineau Archbishop Roger Ebacher participate in a Eucharistic Procession from the Gatineau cathedral to Parliament Hill.
The spring is dominated by anti-Catholic media frenzies, first against Pope Benedict XVI with stories that try to link him directly to the clerical sexual abuse crisis, and secondly against Cardinal Ouellet, in a firestorm that begins in Quebec over remarks he makes to a pro-life gathering about abortion being a moral crime even in cases of rape.
Federal politicians accuse Opus Dei of being “fundamentalist,” right-wing and “creepy,” and having an undue influence on the Tory government after Opus Dei Canadian Vicar Msgr. Fred Dolan speaks at a May 26 luncheon at the Parliamentary restaurant.
After the G-8 in June, Catholic aid groups, including CCODP, say the $7.3-billion pledge — $5 billion from G8 countries and another $2.3 billion from foundations and non-G8 countries — is not enough to prevent unnecessary deaths of mothers and children five and under.
The G-20 meetings in Toronto get overshadowed by street demonstrations and police inaction as protestors smash store windows and light police cars on fire, followed by a massive police overreaction that sees many law-abiding citizens treated roughly and detained for hours. The G-20 focuses on reducing debt and the economy.
On June 30, the Holy Father appoints Cardinal Ouellet Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops, one of the top positions in the Vatican. Ouellet leaves for his new appointment at the end of August.
In August, Canada’s Catholic bishops join the chorus urging the federal government to reconsider its plan to abolish the mandatory long-form census.
Also in August, an Angus Reid Public Opinion poll reveals widespread ignorance of Canada’s legal void concerning abortion. Only 21 per cent of Canadians know abortion is not restricted at any stage of pregnancy.
In September, Conservative MP Joy Smith introduces a national action plan to combat human trafficking that would involve federal and provincial jurisdictions and “connect the dots” to help women and children leave the sex trade.
McGill University ethicist Margaret Somerville warns that international pro-euthanasia forces see Quebec as a vulnerable beachhead for advancing the cause. Since June, the province has been holding hearings into euthanasia. Polls show support for euthanasia and assisted suicide is higher in Quebec than elsewhere in Canada. But a new grassroots movement Living with Dignity forms in Quebec marshals many people to speak against euthanasia at the hearings.
In early October, five Carleton students are arrested, handcuffed and carted away in a police wagon for trying to mount a graphic display of photographs comparing abortion to genocide. Their arrest highlights the ongoing discrimination across the country against pro-life clubs on university campuses.
On October 17, Saint Brother Andre is canonized in Rome. In Montreal on Oct 30, more than 40,000 clergy and faithful gather at the Olympic stadium to celebrate their home-grown saint.
Oct. 28-30, the International Pro-Life Conference brings pro-life leaders from the United Kingdom, the United States, Brazil, Poland, Canada and elsewhere to Ottawa.
Also in October, Canada’s bishops write an open letter to the prime minister asking him to devise a national anti-poverty strategy.
On Oct. 27, the responsible mining bill C-300 goes down to defeat by 140-134. CCODP calls the outcome “disturbing.”
Immigration Minister Jason Kenney asks churches to help receive Iraqi refugees after extending a program to help them for another two years. Canada could welcome another 8,000 Iraqi refugees in 2012 and 2013, joining approximately 12,000 Iraqis who will have come to Canada between 2009 and 2011.
In November, Carleton University’s pro-life club has its club status revoked and is told it must become pro-choice if it wants to get funding and recognition on campus. In order to be recertified, Lifeline must change a clause in its constitution which violates CUSA anti-discrimination policy supporting “a woman’s right to choose.”
In November, pro-family groups raise alarms about NDP MP Bill Siksay’s transgender Bill C-389 they say could allow men who self-identify as women inside to use women’s washrooms and locker rooms and
expose businesses, schools and religious groups to a host of new human rights complaints that trample on religious freedom and freedom of expression.
Canada’s bishops write the Immigration Minister that his anti-human smuggling bill is too tough on refugees and may violate the charter. Kenney fires back, saying the letter was written by ideological bureaucrats and signed by pastors who do not have the expertise or responsibility to make prudential judgments. This is the strongest criticism from a cabinet minister since Liberal Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew blasted the bishops in 2005 for violating the separation of church and state in their public defense of traditional marriage during the same-sex ‘marriage’ debate.
In early December, Pro-family groups argue polygamy harms women and children and society at large before the British Columbia Supreme Court in a reference from the B.C. government to determine whether Criminal Code provisions against multiple marriage contravene the charter.
On Dec. 15, Roxanne’s Law, a bill to prevent women from being coerced into having abortion through threats of violence, withdrawal of financial support or a place to live, is defeated by 178-97. But Conservative MP Rod Bruinooge says he hopes to bring a version of the bill back some day, noting support was higher for the bill than he anticipated.
