>From: Robert Riley >Date: Wed, 31 Aug 1994 04:39:51 -0400 ****************************************************************************** U R G E N T ****************************************************************************** Your action is required to help end homophobia within the federal government of Canada. Read on!! In the recent issue of his publication OTTAWA UPDATE, Svend Robinson (Member of Parliament for Burnaby-Kingsway, and Canada's only openly gay member of federal parliament) printed the following: HOMOPHOBIA ALIVE WITH THE LIBERALS ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Last month I appeared on CBC's "ON THE LINE" program with Nova Scotia Liberal MP Roseanne Skoke to discuss the issue of gay and lesbian equality rights in Canada. In the course of the program, Ms. Skoke said that: * "(Homosexual couples) are not families in natural law... and they will not be family." * "...to condone homosexuality, which is an inhuman act, would make us a pagan nation." * "(T)here are those innocent victims that are dying from AIDS, and then there are those homosexualists that are promoting and advancing the homosexual movement and that are spreading AIDS. And so this love, this compassion (between homosexuals), based on an inhuman act, defiles humanity, destroys family,...and is annihilating mankind." Ms. Skoke also said that: * She would never award custody of a child to a gay or lesbian parent; * Gays and lesbians don't deserve any protection against discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation; * Homosexuality is in the same class as paedophilia and bestiality. Roseanne Skoke ought to be called to account for what she has said. If a member of the Liberal Caucus had made similar statements about racial or religious minorities, they would have been ostracized. But she slings her blatant hatred at gays and lesbians and remains in the Liberal Caucus. ********************* WHAT YOU CAN DO: ********************* NOTE: You can contact Ms Skoke and other government of Canada officials via the Internet. The University of Ottawa operates an e-mail to fax gateway: This allows you to send e-mail to a persons fax machine. So, you can directly fax Ms Skoke and others, and express your opinions on this matter. Write to Prime Minister Jean Chretien and tell him that if Roseanne Skoke does not retract her statements immediately, she should be expelled from the Liberal Caucus. If she wants to use her position as an MP to epxress her bigotry, she should do so as an independent member of Parliament, not as a member of the ruling Liberal Party. Send copies of your letters to Skoke and to Mr. Robinson. Addresses: The Right Hom. Jean Chretien Prime Minister Room 309-S Centre Block House of Commons OTTAWA, ON K1A 0A6 Telephone: (613) 992-4211 Facsimile: (613) 941-6900 E-mail to fax gateway -- address e-mail to: remote-printer.Jean_Chretien@16139416900.iddd.tpc.int Roseanne Skoke, MP Room 630 Confederation Building House of Commons OTTAWA, ON K1A 0A6 Telephone: (613) 995-5822 Facsimile: (613) 996-9655 (Ottawa) (902) 752-6561 (Nova Scotia) E-mail to fax gateway -- address e-mail to: remote-printer.Roseanne_Skoke@16139969655.iddd.tpc.int Svend Robinson, MP 483 West Block House of Commons OTTAWA, ON K1A 0A6 Telephone: (613) 996-5597 Facsimile: (613) 992-5501 E-mail to fax gateway -- address e-mail to: remote-printer.Svend_Robinson@16139925501.iddd.tpc.int ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Robert Riley Telephone: (416) 588-4676 85 Dunn Avenue, Suite #2 Facsimile: (416) 588-3978 Toronto, ON M6K 2R8 Internet: rriley@gold.interlog.com ----------------------------------------------------------------------------