Very interesting reading from the co-founder and Editor of LifeSiteNews.com.
The Not-So-Great Canadian Divide
by John-Henry WestenThe smug self-righteous attitude Canadian liberals present to the United States, looking with disdain – and in some cases veritable hatred – at President George W. Bush and his supporters has raised the ire of Bill O’Reilly and many other US citizens. However, there remains a large minority, if not a small but silent majority, of Canadians who are not so far left of California that they’d drown in the PC Ocean.
Last Tuesday night I was a guest on Fox News’ O’Reilly Factor to discuss the fact that Canada has become a ‘haven for sexual predators of children’. Two weeks ago I was discussing with international anti-trafficking organizations why Canada has one of the worst reputations in the world in terms of leaving openings for the exploitive sex trade industry.
Despite the haughtiness, the nasty underbelly of the loss of morality in Canada has begun to show.
My last eight years of working as the editor of LifeSiteNews.com, the Canadian conservative online daily news service, has been a veritable daily catalogue of the ongoing moral collapse in Canada.
O’Reilly wanted to discus the fact that NAMBLA, the North American Boy Love Association, has two offshoots in Canada known as the Free Spirit organization and the Montreal Ganymede Collectif, both of which are housed in Montreal, Quebec.
NAMBLA and its Canadian counterparts, argue that men who desire to have sexual intercourse with young boys are nothing more than a group discriminated against because of their sexual orientation. That logic finds support in Canada where the term ‘sexual orientation’ and rights flowing from the concept have dismantled the traditional definition of marriage, have led to Christian mayors being fined for failing to proclaim Gay Pride Day, to a newspaper being fined for publishing a paid ad containing citations of biblical verses against homosexuality, a Christian printer fined and laden with huge legal costs for refusing to print material for a gay group and have led to a teacher being suspended for writing letters to the editor against homosexuality outside of school time.
Canada a Haven For Sexual Predators
Canada is singled out as a ‘haven for sexual predators of children” in international reports. The Committee to End Child Prostitution, Pornography and Trafficking (ECPAT) slams Canada for having one of the youngest ages of consent for sex at 14 and for the country’s lax child pornography laws.
Detective Peter Jupp a high-tech crimes police detective in our nation’s capital has said, “That’s the sick thing about consent laws in this country, it’s considered illegal child pornography if the person in the picture is under 18, but it’s legal for a 14-year-old-girl to go out and have sex with a 50-year-old man.” In Canada you have to be 18 to buy cigarettes.
In Canada homosexual pedophiles get away with only a slap on the wrist as do child pornographers.
In a famous 1997 case, Maple Leaf Gardens employee Gordon Stuckless received a jail term of two years less a day for 24 counts of sexual abuse on boys aged 11 to 15. The first victim who testified against Stuckless, after years of psyching himself up for the ordeal, jumped off a bridge to his death just after the negligible sentence was announced.
In Canada you can get a longer jail sentence for torturing a dog than for raping a child.
Canadian Culture and Freedom Being “Niced” to Death
Apart from the catalogue of moral disaster which could fill thousands of pages, the reasons for the rapid decline are to some extent due to silencing of the people and also lack of moral leadership. Another factor is that Canadians are so “nice” and often not willing to rock the boat about problems. Politicians, activists and wayward church leaders get almost everything they demand bacause most who know the truth are silent and afraid of offending.
Our Canadian culture and freedom are being “niced” to death by those who should be acting to stop the decline.
No Major Conservative Media
A large segment of Canadian society, perhaps just under half the population, is totally silenced by the oppressive socialist government and the lack of any major conservative media.
All our major broadcasters try to outdo each other shooting further and further from the left, especially when it comes to moral issues. The worst offender is our tax-payer supported national broadcaster CBC which, rather than representing Canadians broadly, presents some of the most biased coverage on its national television and radio networks.
We have no Fox News in Canada, although our media commissars tell us we will have access to it next year. Dr. Laura Schlessinger was kicked off the airwaves here for offending gay activists.
Government Silences Opposition
In terms of politics, the power wielded by the Prime Minister’s Office forces politicians to vote the party line even on something as conscience-laden as same sex marriage. Unfortunately these politicians sadly go along and place party, careers and perks, ahead of conscience and the good of the nation. Despite promises of a free vote, half the Liberal caucus must support the bill to legalize same-sex marriage or face expulsion from cabinet or secretarial positions. Opposition bills on traditional marriage are not even afforded votes in the House of Commons but are deemed non-votable by Liberal-led committees.
The government officially silences opposition even outside the parties. During the last election when Calgary Bishop Fred Henry dared to speak out and tell those in his churches that the Prime Minister who claims to be a faithful Catholic is, because of his support for abortion and same-sex marriage, not a faithful Catholic, the Canadian equivalent of the IRS showed up to threaten him with the loss of his charitable tax status. Evangelical Fellowship of Canada and the Catholic Bishops conference were similarly warned.
Lack of Moral Leadersip
One last reason why we are in such a mess here is the lack of moral leadership of the caliber found in the United States. We do not have here a Billy Graham, a Jerry Fallwell, a Chuck Colson or any equivalent of the late Cardinal O’Connor or some of the very outspoken U.S. Catholic bishops that were heard during the recent election.
The moral chasm between Canada and the US has widened under President Bush. The moral influence of a national leader on the citizenry has been recognized for centuries. Evangelists of old knew well that a country would soon follow its King to faith in Christ, therefore great effort was made to bring leaders to faith. The growing divergence in moral values between our neighboring countries seems to bolster the position. Everyone recognizes in President Bush a heartfelt Christianity which he practices without shame and which helps mold his policy decisions for the betterment of the US. In Canada, Prime Minister Paul Martin is a lapsed Catholic who, by his own admission, readily casts aside his faith when policy decisions which conflict with that faith are concerned.
However, with the enforcement of same-sex marriage on Canada by our unelected judges I have begun to see hope. Finally we are hearing some of the shepherds begin to speak out. Their voices must become much louder, and many more need to make themselves heard, and often. We need to defeat the Canadian loathing to be anything but politically correct. We need to have a conservative party in Canada that will stomach more than fiscal-conservatives and give voice to the millions of Canadians who still care for traditional values and know that they are key to a safe, and prosperous society.
John-Henry Westen, (BA, MA) lives near Ottawa Ontario with his wife and six children. He is the co-founder and Editor of LifeSiteNews.com, an online daily news service covering issues of life, faith, family and freedom.
PTBC was founded by Mr. Johannesen in 2000.
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