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Commentary

Our Taxes—Their Agenda

Tue, May 23, 2017   |   Author: Vicki Gunn   |   Volume 24    Issue 21 | Share: Gab | Facebook | Twitter   

Did you know that your tax dollars brought protection for sexual orientation (still an undefined term) into human rights legislation? Remember how we fought that? Your tax dollars funded a portion of the battle that struck down our abortion laws. Your tax dollars funded the removal of our historic Common Law and replaced it with Constitutional Law.

Your tax dollars were used to bring about much of what we at CHP Canada have fought against over the years.

Thankfully, in 2006, the Conservatives under Stephen Harper closed down the Court Challenges Program, an extremely biased process by which our country was changed and forced to accept “progressive” ideologies.

Perhaps you’re wondering why eleven years later, I’m writing about some of the effects of the Court Challenges Program. Surely it’s water under the bridge by now.

Sadly, it is not! In February, it was quietly announced that Prime Minister Trudeau had restarted the Court Challenges Program.

According to the federal government the expected results include the following:

  • Individuals or groups have access to funding to initiate or participate in test cases pertaining to rights and freedoms covered by the Program;
  • Perspectives of individuals or groups who receive funding are presented before the courts in test cases; and
  • Rights and freedoms covered by the Program are clarified and strengthened.

Remember how that worked? A group, let’s say “The Pedophile Society of Canada” (a fictitious organization), felt that our laws discriminated against them. They apply for funding from the taxpayer supported Court Challenges Program to take their case to court. Once approved, they are granted an amount of taxpayer money to spend on their legal case. Anyone arguing that there are valid reasons for our laws against the sexual exploitation of children must do so at their own expense.

I’m not saying that laws should not be challenged, but paying for the expenses of one side to challenge them, but not the other side to defend them is problematic. But ultimately, it is the job of Parliament to make laws, not the courts. We pay our MPs to debate laws and consider the ramifications of any proposed changes prior to passing them and then, as a second protection, we have the Senate to ensure that short-sighted laws are not passed. The courts are then expected to make decisions based on the laws that have been enacted; if the outcomes are unjust, our Parliament is expected to rectify their wrong and make a new law or correct the problems in the existing law.

Parliament should reflect the views of Canadians, and the laws that they propose should display this. Ideas should be discussed in Parliament—that is the point of Parliament! Having these cases and discussions in the courts without the accountability of Parliament actually undermines our democracy!

When we look at the variety of court challenges during the years of the CCP, it was like playing a game of “Whack a Mole” for those wishing to fight the many court cases that tore down our culture.

Taxpayers were not allowed to know who were recipients of our hard-earned tax dollars. But we do know some of the groups: Women’s Legal and Educational Action Fund, a feminist organization. The abortion clinic, Every Women’s Health Centre, received funds to challenge the fact that they were not classified as a charity. Those seeking to restrict a parent’s right to use corporal punishment (spanking) went through all three levels of court challenges. The Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE) received funds. Interestingly, anyone applying for funds to combat these cases was declined.

That was last time; how about this time? Invitations were sent out to current members of the CCP, “past stakeholders and a broad range of national equality” organizations, and individuals with a potential interest in the program. I just have to ask myself, did any social conservatives receive an invitation? How about anyone who believes that there should be laws to protect our heritage rather than vivisect our culture?

According to the Summary Report on the CCP Consultations (March to April 2016) “Litigators noted Charter based cases can cost up to half a million dollars for a first trial in the lower courts, and more for every stage of appeal afterward.” What chance does a group or individual raising their own funds stand against this?

Some of the Results of the Study (PDF) give us an idea as to what we’re facing.

  • 1.4 Mandatory alternative dispute resolution as a program activity was generally considered… inefficient…
  • 2.2.c. Alternative dispute resolution…was generally not supported by stakeholders.
  • 2.2.g General rights promotion: Many groups felt general promotion of language rights and equality rights should be left to…the Canadian Human Rights Commission.

Ah yes! Remember the Canadian Human Rights Commission? In 2013, Parliament removed Section 13 after Canadians faced incredible violations of their right to free speech at the hands of the CHRC. MP Brian Storseth called Canada’s human rights tribunal “a quasi-judicial, secretive body that takes away your natural rights as a Canadian.”

Those “natural rights” should include not being bilked out of our hard-earned money to support a program that destroys our democracy and culture! Our Prime Minister may believe that we do not have our own culture but he’d be hard pressed to convince the rest of us.

CHP Canada supports our heritage of parliamentary democracy. We support the freedom and equality that were built on the foundation of our heritage. CHP Canada does not support special rights for exclusive groups because the rights and freedoms of all are ultimately undermined by creating special privileges for some.

Join CHP Canada today. It’s time to put your political support where your beliefs are.

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