Vic Toews
Vic Toews, MP for Provencher[1] and Conservative Party Justice Critic in Stephen Harper’s shadow cabinet, would play the lead role in selecting Supreme Court justices and other leaders of the judicial branch in a Conservative mandate. Mr. Toews has close connections with two of the most conservative Christian groups in the United States: Focus on the Family[2] and Concerned Women for America.[3]
Mr. Toews has worked closely with Focus on the Family Canada to launch national issue campaigns,[4] has quoted their studies in the House of Commons,[5] and recently, while addressing the League for Life in a talk entitled “Abuses of the Charter by the Supreme Court,”[6] he urged pro-life activists to partner with the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada, a partner organization to Focus on the Family Canada that operates out of the same office building in Ottawa.[7]
Mr. Toews was also guest commentator on Concerned Women of America’s (CWA) radio program “Concerned Women Today” on June 11, 2003 for a broadcast entitled “Canada Says ‘Yes’ to Gay Marriage.”[8] During the program, then-CWA President Sandy Rios interviewed Mr. Toews about the Ontario Court of Appeals decision to legalize same sex marriage, with Mr. Toews saying that the Notwithstanding Clause should be used if the Supreme Court of Canada did not invalidate the Ontario ruling: “It’s called the Notwithstanding Clause….[I]f the Supreme Court continues on that radical agenda we need to push for the federal government to use this constitutional mechanism to ensure that courts understand that they not to [sic] interfere with social policy matters and stay within their realm of judicial interpretations.”[9]
On the CWA broadcast, Mr. Toews also said he was “disappointed with the secular press” for not realizing the danger to free speech posed by Bill C-250 on hate crimes,[10] which extended hate crime law to cover hateful acts based on sexual orientation.[11] CWA President Rios encouraged Canadian listeners to write their MPs to register their opposition to the bill, and provided the telephone number of the Christian Coalition of Canada for further advice on advocacy efforts.[12]
To hear Mr. Toews' entire interview with CWA, go to http://gideon.cwfa.org/radioarch.asp?broadcastID=1945
[1] “Candidate: Vic Toews,” GlobeandMail.com, available at http://www.theglobeandmail.com/elections/fed2005/candidates/generated/46008_CON.html
(last visited January 13, 2006).
[2] Focus on the Family’s website address is http://www.family.org/ (last visited January 13, 2006).
[3] Concerned Women of America’s website address is http://www.cwfa.org/main.asp (last visited January 13, 2006).
[4] “News Release: 85% of Canadians Disagree with Artistic Merit Defence in Child Pornography Case,” familyfacts.ca, May 30, 2002, available http://www.fotf.ca/familyfacts/news/053002.html (last visited January 13, 2006); “Child Pornography,” Edited Hansard, Number 166, 37th Parliament, 1st Session, April 11, 2002, available at http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/chambus/house/debates/166_2002-04-11/han166_1440-E.htm (last visited January 13, 2006).
[5] “Justice,” Edited Hansard, Number 198, 37th Parliament, 1st Session, June 4, 2002, available at http://www.parl.gc.ca/37/1/parlbus/chambus/house/debates/198_2002-06-04/han198_1400-E.htm (last visited January 13, 2006).
[6] “Life 2004 – Alive and Loving It: Video Order Form,” League for Life, available at http://www.leagueforlife.mb.ca/Latest_News.html (last visited January 13, 2006).
[7] Pauline Tam, “Onward Christian Soldiers,” Ottawa Citizen, January 15, 2006, p. A11.
[8] “Multimedia Center: ‘Canada Says “Yes” to Gay Marriage’,” Concerned Women for America, June 11, 2003, available at http://gideon.cwfa.org/radioarch.asp?broadcastID=1945 (last visited January 13, 2006).
[9] “Concerned Women Today Broadcast ‘Canada Says “Yes” to Gay Marriage’, June 11, 2003,” audio broadcast available at http://gideon.cwfa.org/radioarch.asp?broadcastID=1945 (last visited January 13, 2006).
[10] “Concerned Women Today Broadcast ‘Canada Says “Yes” to Gay Marriage’, June 11, 2003”, audio broadcast available at http://gideon.cwfa.org/radioarch.asp?broadcastID=1945 (last visited January 13, 2006).
[11] Bill C-250, “As passed by the House of Commons,” available at http://www.parl.gc.ca/LEGISINFO/index.asp?Lang=E&Chamber=N&StartList=A&EndList=Z&Session=11&Type=0&Scope=I&query=3178&List=toc-1 (last visited on January 13, 2006).
[12] “Concerned Women Today Broadcast ‘Canada Says “Yes” to Gay Marriage’, June 11, 2003,” audio broadcast available at http://gideon.cwfa.org/radioarch.asp?broadcastID=1945 (last visited January 13, 2006).