TORONTO, ON April 11, 2018 – The Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL) expresses its disappointment with the Alberta NDP government’s introduction of Bill 9, Protecting Choice for Women Accessing Health Care Act, which is a clear overreach and Charter infringement vis a vis freedoms of speech, expression, assembly, and religion.
The CCRL’s opposition to Bill 9 is based on the following:
- The government has failed to identify or address any need for the intrusion and limitation into the constitutional right to freedom of expression and assembly. In fact, a recent pro-abortion funded peer-reviewed study released in 2016 found no such instances of vandalism or intimidation at Alberta abortion clinics: http://www.cfp.ca/content/62/4/e209
- The bill’s penal sanctions are an intrusion into the federal power over criminal law, and they present a lowering of the thresholds typically required to constitute the offence of “harassment” under the Criminal Code
- The provincial NDP government is engaging in political suppression of dissenting viewpoints, with the invention of the need for broad areas of “no go” zones, the total effect of which is an overreach to impose its dubious objectives
This Bill proposes to make protest illegal within a radius of 50 metres of abortion clinics. Doctors and abortion service providers could also request a buffer zone up to 160 metres for their homes or 20 metres for their offices. Protesters could face up to $5,000 in fines and six months in jail for a first offence. There are harsher penalties for subsequent offences, including fines up to $10,000 and one year in prison.
For a copy of the CCRL’s written submission in respect of Ontario’s Safe Access to Abortion Services Act click here: CCRL Submission on Bill 163 October 19 2017.
About the CCRL
Catholic Civil Rights League (CCRL) (www.ccrl.ca) assists in creating conditions within which Catholic teachings can be better understood, cooperates with other organizations in defending civil rights in Canada, and opposes defamation and discrimination against Catholics on the basis of their beliefs. The CCRL was founded in 1985 as an independent lay organization with a large nationwide membership base. The CCRL is a Canadian non-profit organization entirely supported by the generosity of its members.
For further information:
Christian Domenic Elia, PhD
CCRL Executive Director
416-466-8244
@CCRLtweets