Date: Fri, 16 Jun 95 23:11:20 -0400
From: Timothy Ross Wilson <tim@magi.com>

ambidge@ecf.toronto.edu (Chris Ambidge) wrote:
>Last night, Bill C41, which amends the sentencing provisions of
>the Criminal Code of Canada, passed third reading in the House of 
>Commons.  It includes section 781.2 , which allows stiffer sentences
>for those convicted of crimes agains the person when the crime is
>motivated by hatred  on grounds of the victims (perceived) sexual
>orientation [among other grounds, like race, sex, physical or mental
>disability, etc].
>
>This is, I believe, the first mention of "sexual orientation" in
>Canadian federal statute law.
>
>The vote had the Reform party and four dissident Liberals voting
>against; all other parties voting for -- the tally was 51 to 160-odd.
>The four Liberals were Roseanne Skoke, Dan McTeague, Tom  Wappell, and
>Peter Somebody whose name I didn't catch.  There is much discussion 
>in the media (and the halls of Parliament) about this perceived split
>in Liberal ranks.  The Prime Minister threatened caucus members who
>voted against the government earlier in the week (on the gun control
>bill) that if they were overly disloyal to the party, he would not
>sign their nomination papers in future elections.  One person abstained,
>and others were not present for the vote.
>
>The Prime Minister said that the long-promised (12 years now?)
>amendments to the Canadian Human Rights Act would be introduced after
>C-41;and last night Allan Rock, the Minister of Justice, repeated that
>though no date was given.
>
>I was watching the 3rd-reading debate on the Parliamentary channel 
>last night, and some of the antics of the Reformers were really nasty.
>Myron Thompson "I don't hate homosexuals,  I just think what they do
>is immoral" was doing the ol' straw man routine -- "why don't we
>include other groups?  How about fat people?".  It should be noted
>that Myron is of generous (though not cinemascopic) proportions himself.
>Others were mocking the government for all the attention being paid to
>781.2 when the bill is 75 pages long -- and then zooming in on those
>two-little-words themselves.  The Government speakers were being very
>clear that this does not open the door to the breakdown of the family
>or deal with spousal rights (sigh).  Oh well, a foot in the door.
>
>The bill now moves to the Senate.
>
>Chris
>
>	[in separate news stories this morning, Myron Thompson
>	is advocating legislation modelled on something he got
>	from Washington Senators -- prisoners being required to
>	work 48 hrs and study 16 before being allowed television
>	privileges.  yeeesh, what a schoolmarm]
>
>-- 
>Chris Ambidge / ambidge@ecf.toronto.edu / ambidge@ecf.utoronto.ca  
>   chemical engineering / university of toronto
>   200 college st / toronto ON / M5S 1A4 // 416 978 3106


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