CW Staff
—Ottawa —

Members of Parliament arrive in Ottawa with visions of effective lawmaking dancing in their heads. But they soon realize that the queue outside the offices of the power brokers is long and opportunities to advance their favourite cause are rare. This is especially true for non-government MPs.

Many MPs still cling to the thin thread of hope provided by private member bills, several of which get a hearing each session. Only very rarely does one ever get passed. According to information compiled by the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, a bevy of private members’ bills now on the docket deal with issues of moral concern, including child pornography, marriage and conscience protection.

Conscience: Canadian Alliance MP Maurice Vellacott (Wanuskewin) introduced Bill C-246, an act to amend the Criminal Code to prohibit coercion in medical procedures that offend a person’s religion or belief that human life is inviolable. The purpose of the bill is to ensure that health care providers working in medical facilities cannot be forced to participate against their will in procedures such as abortions or acts of euthanasia. The bill would not ban abortion or euthanasia, but would make it illegal to force another person to participate in either procedure.

Child pornography: Canadian Alliance MP Rick Casson (Lethbridge) re-introduced Bill C-247, an act to amend the Criminal Code (forfeiture of property relating to child pornography crimes). The bill was introduced for the second time during the last session of Parliament, deemed votable and had the support of all opposition parties.

New Democrat MP Peter Stoffer (Musquodoboit Valley/Eastern Shore) introduced two private member’s bills that deal with child pornography and Internet regulation. Bill C-210, would prevent the use of the Internet to distribute material that advocates, promotes or incites racial hatred, violence against women or child pornography. Stoffer’s second bill, C-212, aims to prevent the use of the Internet to unlawfully promote, display, describe or facilitate participation in unlawful sexual activity involving children.

Marriage: Senator Anne Cools has introduced a private member’s bill in the Senate that would clarify the

definition of marriage as being the union of one man and one woman. Bill S-9 would change the name of the Marriage (Prohibited Degrees) Act to An Act Respecting Marriage and would clarify the meaning of marriage as a voluntary union of one man and one woman as husband and wife to the exclusion of all others.

New Democrat MP Svend Robinson has introduced a private member’s bill allowing same-sex marriage. He has introduced similar legislation previously but this time he has other MPs supporting the bill.