Date: Sat, 15 Oct 1994 07:09:11 EDT From: Robert Riley Subject: CALL TO ACTION: Reform Closes Ranks on Gay Rights Issue ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ C A L L T O A C T I O N ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ NOTE: Here is how you can reach Reform Party members, and other government of Canada officials with your comments. (I strongly encourage everyone to speak out against the Reform Party's homophobic positions). **All members of parliament, including the Prime Minister, can be contacted at the following postal mail address: c/o House of Commons, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1A 0A6. **Please note that the "Internet" addresses indicated will actually cause your e-mail message to be routed (free of charge) to the MP's fax machine. So, if you want a reply, be certain to include your postal mailing address and/or fax number, as members cannot respond via e-mail. Prime Minister Jean Chretien (Liberal Party) Telephone: (613) 992-4211 Facsimile: (613) 941-6900 Internet: remote-printer.Jean_Chretien@16139416900.iddd.tpc.int Roseanne Skoke, MP - Nova Scotia Central (Liberal Party) Telephone: (613) 995-5822 Facsimile: (613) 996-9655 Internet: remote-printer.Roseanne_Skoke@16139969655.iddd.tpc.int Svend Robinson, MP - Burnaby/Kingsway,BC (New Democratic Party) Telephone: (613) 996-5597 Facsimile: (613) 992-5501 Internet: remote-printer.Svend_Robinson@16139925501.iddd.tpc.int Preston Manning, MP - Calgary, Alberta (Leader - Reform Party) Telephone: (613) 992-3602 Facsimile: (613) 947-0310 Internet: remote-printer.Preston_Manning@16139470310.iddd.tpc.int Myron Thompson, MP - White Rose, Alberta (Reform Party) Telephone: (613) 996-5152 Facsimile: (613) 947-4601 Internet: remote-printer.Myron_Thompson@16139474601.iddd.tpc.int Sharon Hayes, MP - British Columbia (Reform Party) Telephone: (613) 947-4482 Facsimile: (613) 947-4485 Internet: remote-printer.Sharon_Hayes@16139474485.iddd.tpc.int Gary Breitkreuz, MP (Reform Party) Telephone: (613) 992-4394 Facsimile: (613) 992-8676 Internet: remote-printer.Gary_Breitkreuz@16139928676.iddd.tpc.int ------------------------------------------------------------- REFORM CLOSES RANKS ON GAY RIGHTS ISSUE: Lone voice asks: Who here speaks for homosexuals? From: The Toronto Star One Yonge Street Toronto, ON By: Rosemary Speirs Ottawa Bureau Chief October 14, 1994 -------------------------------------------------------------- OTTAWA -- Reform MPs say they have a grassroots mandate to fight the government's proposal to amend the Human Rights Act to protect Canadian homosexuals against discrimination. "I do not hate homosexuals; I hate homosexuality," Reform MP Myron Thompson, from the Alberta constituency of White Rose, told a workshop attended by about 500 reform delegates. Some of them booed when a delegate mentioned the name of New Democrat MP Svend Robinson, who is openly gay. Thompson warned that gay rights' advocates would "use the media" to portray the Reform stance as "a hate issue" against gays, and said he is "appalled" when that happens, because he hates the act, not the people. Thompson and other Reformers at a party workshop on family issues muttered in disgust when the cameras surrounded a young Reform delegate -- Paul Homes of Victoria -- who stood up to challenge the head table's view. "Who spoke for the homosexual community on this task force?" Holmes demanded of the four Reform MPs and three executive council members who drew up a policy statement saying "sexual orientation is not a legitimate category for protected status" under the Human Rights Act. Holmes, a 21-year-old delegate, was almost alone in his attempt to turn his party's opinion. He told the workshop that he is not gay, but comes from a generation in which "many people don't care if you are or are not homosexual." He said Reformers should "direct our attention to more important issues, like family violence." As he finished, Holmes was surrounded by reporters. "It is the same old story, the 1 per cent of the population gets all the attention," Thompson said of the media pack. "The media are mostly gay," muttered another Reform delegate watching the scene. A Reform task force, of which British Columbia MP Sharon Hayes is chairperson, declared the issue of gay rights -- and defining marriage as being only between a man and a woman -- as top priorities for the party meeting. Hayes said that a survey of nearly 3,825 Reform backers found 90 per cent opposition to Attorney-General Allan Rock's announced intention of amending the act to include sexual orientation as a prohibited grounds for discrimination. The position is still unofficial. The Reform party has not yet declared a position on gay rights, and the full national assembly will not vote on the issue until its next meeting in a year's time. But Hayes said "an event like today gives us (Reform MPs) a mandate." She and Thompson told reporters that gays already have the same rights as other Canadians: the right to join political parties like Reform, for instance, or to run for Parliament. But they said they don't want gays to have "special status." MP Garry Breitkreuz said giving gays human rights protection would "open the avenue" to them going into schools to promote their lifestyle. And Hayes compared the right of churches, schools or other organizations to expel gays to the right of a diet centre to fire an employee who gained excess weight. "A church should have the right not to have a homosexual, if they believe homosexuality is immoral," she told reporters. During their workshop discussions, the delegates expressed strong concerns about what they see as the breakdown of traditional morality and of the family unit. And, with Reform MPs batting down any delegates who expressed reservations, they gave strong support to policy statements calling for cuts to federal spending. The family issues workshop endorsed a policy statement opposing any more federal spending on child care. 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