The Canadian Parvasi - Issue 44

The International News Weekly REGIONAL
May 04, 2018 | Toronto 02
Defunding abortion could be debated at
Alberta United Conservative meeting
The Canadian Parvasi
EDMONTON : Whether
to defund abortion could
be debated this weekend
at the founding policy convention
of Alberta's Opposition
United Conservatives.
Party leader Jason
Kenney says the issue may
not make it to the floor
given a crowded agenda
for the weekend meeting,
but debating controversial
issues such as abortion
is a byproduct of an open
party, he said.
"When you open up the
process to something this
big, which attracts 1,300
resolutions and you consult
120,000 people, you're
going to get views on a
range of issues and some
of them will be a little
contentious," Kenney said
Wednesday. "But my experience
is that when you
involve large numbers of
people, they tend to support
resolutions which
reflect the mainstream. I
think that's what we'll end
up with.
"But I don't want to prejudge
all of this. We'll let
our members speak."
Policies passed at the
convention will be subject
to further debate and
consultation before being
officially adopted, Kenney
added.
The proposal calls on to
the party to "review what
procedures are defined as
'medically necessary' and
remove non-compliant
procedures from provincial
insurance coverage."
It's a proposal viewed
by anti-abortion group the
Wilberforce project, in a
message to members, as an
entry point to defunding
abortion.
Health Minister Sarah
Hoffman criticized Kenney
and his caucus for being
open to discussing abortion
at their convention,
but walking out of the
legislature chamber two
weeks ago during debate
on the government's proposal
to ban protesters outside
abortion clinics.
"It's pretty rich that
they refuse to debate women's
health ... in this chamber
but they seem to have
no issue doing that behind
closed doors in their convention,"
Hoffman said
Wednesday.
"There's definitely a
lot of people (associated
with the party) saying they
want to see abortion services
defunded — so many,
in fact, that it's on their list
to be debated at this convention."
Kenney is a vocal opponent
of abortion but has
said he won't legislate on
the issue.
The legislature is currently
debating proposed
legislation intended to
prevent staff and patients
from being harassed at
abortion clinics.
The two main clinics,
one in Edmonton and one
in Calgary, already have
injunctions to keep protesters
away from front
doors. But operators say
that's routinely violated
by demonstrators. The
government's bill proposes
a 50-metre no-go zone
around the clinic.
Kenney has said he will
abstain from voting on the
bill and expects much of
his caucus to do the same
because the proposed legislation
is designed to divide
people.
Two weeks ago, United
Conservative members left
the house during debate
after one of their members
said she had been heckled
by government members
when she said she would
abstain from voting.
Alberta reverses decision rejecting adoption application from evangelical couple
The Canadian Press
EDMONTON — The Alberta
government has reversed
its refusal of an evangelical
Christian couple's request
to adopt a child because of
their religious views on sexuality
and gender identity.
A spokeswoman with
the Children's Services
Ministry says the province
takes precautions with its
adoptions but does not reject
families based on their
religion. The unnamed Edmonton
couple filed for a judicial
review last year after
their application to adopt
was rejected.
The Justice Centre for
Constitutional Freedoms
helped the man and woman
with their court case, arguing
that the decision violated
their rights.
Centre lawyer John
Carpay says the couple is
thrilled that the province
has changed its mind and
still plan to adopt.
He says they have
promised to love and accept
any child who joins
their family.
Federal Conservative MP Brown
dies at parliamentary office
Continued from page 01
The Conservative caucus
was in the middle of
its weekly meeting inside
the Centre Block when the
gathering was suddenly
cut short around 11 a.m.
Not long afterward, Tory
MPs were called back into
the meeting and given the
news. Many looked visibly
shaken and close to tears
as they emerged from the
room.
"I just miss him," said
veteran Tory MP Tony
Clement, his eyes brimming,
as he described a
man he has counted as a
close friend for more than
35 years. Being an MP
"takes years off your life
and we do it willingly," he
said.
Clement later posted a
photo of the two of them,
sitting in deck chairs on
the patio of the Canadian
embassy. The picture was
taken just last month when
the pair travelled to Washington,
D.C.
"We were arm wrestling
over whether to call
the chairs Thousand Island
chairs or Muskoka chairs,"
Clement said. "He won. So
many memories."
Clement asked people to
keep a thought for Brown's
wife, Claudine, and their two
sons, Chance and Tristan.
Conservative MP Shannon
Stubbs recalled how
Brown was the party whip
when she first arrived on the
Hill, and served as a mentor
to her and other new MPs to
help them learn the ropes.
Details about precisely what
happened were still unclear,
she said.
Brown first ran for the
House of Commons in 2000
under the banner of the Canadian
Reform Conservative
Alliance party and was defeated.
Following his breakthrough
win in 2004, he was
re-elected in 2006, 208, 2011
and 2015.
Before entering federal
politics, he was a town
councillor in Gananoque,
Ont., president of the 1000
Islands-Gananoque Chamber
of Commerce and Chair
of the St. Lawrence Parks
Commission, a provincial
government agency which
owns parks and attractions
from Kingston to the Quebec
border.
He also had an interest in
a family-run food and accommodation
business.
Brown studied at Carleton
University and earned
a bachelor's degree in political
science. In the House of
Commons he served on a
number of committees and
did a stint as chair of the
Conservative Ontario caucus.
He was chief opposition
whip from November 2015 to
July 2017.
Politicians from all political
stripes took to social
media to express their sorrow
at Brown's passing. He
is described as a fun, accessible
and well-liked member
of Parliament with a great
sense of humour.
Former Conservative
cabinet minister John Baird
said he was heartbroken to
hear the news.
"We had been in the
political trenches together
since I was 15 years old," said
Baird. "Great guy, great parliamentarian,
great friend."
Gerry Butts, principal
secretary to Prime Minister
Justin Trudeau, went to the
Tory caucus room to express
condolences on behalf of the
Liberal caucus.
"It's just a really sad day
today," added NDP Leader
Jagmeet Singh.
"My thoughts and
prayers are with the family,
with Gord's family and loved
ones. And with the Conservative
caucus and in fact, all
members on the Hill. Pretty
rattled by this sudden loss.
It's a sad day today."
Brown is the third Conservative
MP to die suddenly
in recent years. Former finance
minister Jim Flaherty
died in April 2014. Alberta
MP Jim Hillyer died suddenly
in 2016.
Man who died in women's
washroom wall in mall
climbed into vent
The Canadian Press
CALGARY : A man whose body was found inside a
wall in a women's washroom in a downtown Calgary
shopping centre had crawled in on his own.
Police say his death has been ruled accidental.
His body was found on Monday morning by a
maintenance worker who was called to fix a toilet
that wouldn't flush at The Core Shopping Centre.
Investigators say the man entered the women's
washroom Friday evening and it's believed he
climbed on top of a pony wall behind the toilets and
removed a vent cover on top of the wall.
Evidence at the scene suggests he then climbed inside
the wall where he became stuck and died.
Police say the man's motivation for crawling inside
the wall isn't known.