VANCOUVER, Aug. 28, 2006 More than 800 people who rallied here on Saturday in heard that there was reason to be concerned about the future of public education in British Columbia. The rally was held to protest an agreement by the government with homosexual activists Murray Corren and Peter Corren.
Sean Murphy, a Director of the Catholic Civil Rights League in Western Canada, criticized the agreement for giving the Correns and other unidentified activists significant control over public education policy and public school curriculum in their ability to review some courses for content they believe is discriminatory to homosexuals. He pointed out that, under the terms of the agreement, the influence exercised by these private interests was to be kept secret, thus violating principles of transparency and accountability.
Murphy also noted that the contract and its provisions for secrecy violated the trust of parents who had delegated some of their authority to the state to see to the education of their children. These parents, he wrote, may well conclude that the interests of their children would be better served by independent schools, and that the goal of authentic pluralism can now be achieved only outside the state school system.
The statement was read by CCRL director Ed De Vita. The rally, organized by the Canadian Alliance for Social Justice and Family Values Association, was held between 1030 am and 1:00 pm at McBride Park in Vancouver. Among the other speakers were representatives from CASJFVA, B.C. Parents and Teachers for Life, REAL Women, and the Canadian Family Action Coalition.
About CCRL
Catholic Civil Rights League (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. CCRL was founded in 1985 as an independent lay organization. The Catholic Civil Rights League is a Canadian non-profit organization entirely supported by the generosity of its members.
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