REAL WOMEN ACROSS CANADA

North Bay Chapter

To help REAL Women of Canada with its numerous court interventions this year, the North Bay Chapter of REAL Women held a successful bake sale on September 6th and was pleased to send a cheque for $425 to the National Office as a contribution to our Legal Defence Fund.

In order to promote REAL Women in our local area, we mailed out membership renewal forms which included self-addressed, stamped envelopes to overdue members in our area to encourage them to maintain their memberships. We also organized a display table during coffee hour after Life Chain on October 5. We are now planning to do a bulk mailing in our area of REAL Women information packages. In addition, we are also holding another raffle by selling tickets in our local mall. We were very successful with our raffle of a beautiful quilt last spring and hope to duplicate our efforts with this new raffle. Besides, we have found that selling raffle tickets in the mall gives us an excellent opportunity to publicize REAL Women as well as raise money for our cause.

REAL Women of Durham

Political

We are happy to report that there are a good number of municipal candidates seeking office in November's municipal elections who promote traditional family values. We are hopeful that by the time this Reality reaches you, we will have elected representatives on the city councils, the school boards, and even the public utilities commissions, who will do their best to promote solid community values. REAL Women will also be doing its best to support these candidates, especially Sue Shetler, President of REAL Women of Durham, who is running for school trustee in Oshawa.

Educational

The Durham Board of Education has one of the least objectionable sex education programs in the province of Ontario because it includes education on chastity. It was with considerable dismay, therefore, that REAL Woman, Carol Switzer, learned that our developmentally challenged students, who do not take the regular sex education program, were being exposed to material which is, to say the least, deeply disturbing to any thinking person.

It is significant that the parents had given consent for their children to be taught about sexuality in the classroom because it was argued that children need this knowledge in order to protect themselves from abuse (a questionable premise, in any case). The parents, however, were not shown the visual material used in the program. In fact, when asked to provide the material for review by persons outside the school system, the Board refused. It took a request under the Freedom of Information Act to obtain this classroom material, and even then, one illustration was missing!

It is little wonder the authorities were reluctant to let parents see the visuals. They consisted of twelve black-and-white laminated posters with very graphic illustrations of male and female anatomy, on how to masturbate, how to have intercourse, and how to put on a condom, etc. The picture which was missing from the package was no doubt the most controversial -- that of two naked men having sexual relations.

On the back of each poster were directions for the teacher to impart information, such as: "This woman is masturbating in a private place ... What are the slang words for orgasm (to come, get off), for masturbate (jack off, jerk off?)." "Let students open condom packages and handle them."

Since we have just learned about such disturbing programs, no firm decision has yet been made about what steps we will take to have them removed from our schools. Rest assured, however, we will be taking action. We'll keep you posted.

Saskatchewan Chapter Report

Provincial Conference

Family - A Priority was the theme of our annual provincial conference held at the end of April in Saskatoon. It was a special day as we celebrated the Tenth Anniversary of the Saskatchewan Chapter. To mark the occasion, an evening banquet with guest speaker was added to the agenda. The conference speakers were all excellent -- informative, inspiring and humorous.

The enthusiasm and knowledge of Vicky Dillen, Executive Director of Saskatchewan Citizens Research Institute, was invigorating. While researching the new mandatory school curriculum on AIDS, the provincial Department of Education told her that "the course is health education, not sex ed" as its purpose is to teach students that AIDS is a communicable disease like measles or chicken pox. Vicky responded, "How do you could talk about AIDS without talking about sex?" She encouraged parents to find out what is 'really' being taught in our schools and to demand the removal of value-free health, family life, or sex education programs, including the new AIDS curriculum.

Former chapter president, Karen Wedel, spoke on children and the importance of good books. Her talk was timely, given the proliferation of children's horror stories, such as the 'Goosebumps' series written by R.L. Stine. Karen encouraged individual as well as family 'read aloud' time. Her knowledge and love of books was readily apparent as she shared passages from some of her family's favourite books.

The conference theme, Family - A Priority was the topic of our banquet speaker. Shafer Parker, Jr, a journalist for the Western Report/BC Report magazine is one of those gifted speakers who can deliver a serious message in a humorous manner. He said, "everyone is for family." Those words - 'family values, family time, family-friendly employers,' etc., are easy to say, but people don't really know what they mean. He told the audience that the family is under siege and that things will get worse before they get better. However, in the long run, he predicted, a revival in society, in which the family -- mother, father, children -- will survive. In the meantime, Shafer encouraged "Godly parents to raise Godly children."

The main focus of the Saskatchewan Chapter over the years has been to represent our pro-life, pro-family concerns and interests to our Saskatchewan MLAs and MPs. The conference day itself was no exception to this as we took advantage of the attendance of two MPs and two federal election candidates. Garry Breitkreuz, Reform MP for Yorkton-Melville, attended the entire day with his wife. Allan Kerpan, Reform MP for Saskatoon Blackstrap, Maurice Vellacott and Jim Pankiw, who are now Saskatoon area Reform MPs also attended part of the day.

Political Involvement

Many of our members were individually involved in the recent federal election. We are now getting to know the MPs and will keep them informed of our concerns. At the same time, we are working to influence policies of the newly formed provincial party, the Saskatchewan Party which consists of provincial Liberals, Reformers and Conservatives who have joined ranks in a single party to oppose the NDP government.

At its public information meetings, the Saskatchewan Party MLAs called for people to submit ideas for policy development. We responded with a 10 page submission addressing a variety of concerns. The preamble of our submission stated:

The future of our province and our country depends on the strength of our families. Each and every government decision ultimately affects the well-being of the family. Be it unemployment, highways, health, education or gambling casinos, all government decisions impact on the family unit. The family, which is the foundation of society, should be central to the formation of public policy.

We called for an end to special interest group funding. We called for a provincial ban on striptease/nude dancing in bars and on women appearing topless in public. We called for strong provincial legislation to address the problem of child prostitution. We asked for government subsidies for day care to be paid directly to parents rather than institutions. We recommended that the placement of children for adoption or foster care be limited to the natural heterosexual family. We asked that the provincial Human Rights Commission, which is biased and undemocratic, be disbanded. We spoke against provincial legislation or endorsement of pay equity.

Will our efforts have any success? Time will tell, but we will continue to push for a pro-family, pro-life platform. If we don't speak out for the family, who will?

REAL WOMEN'S AFFILIATE

ALBERTA FEDERATION OF WOMEN UNITED FOR FAMILIES (AFWUF)

REPORT ON RECENT ACTIVITIES

Provincial Conference

REAL Women's Alberta affiliate, AFWUF, held its 1997 Conference on Oct. 3-4 in Edmonton. The theme this year was 'In Defence of Parental Authority.'

Bob Layton, the controversial and humorous News Director of 630 CHED, an Edmonton talk radio station, opened the Conference with a call for parents to reclaim the raising of their children from the "experts" in a talk entitled "Parents are the Experts." With anecdotes from his personal experiences as a father of five children and the head of the Layton Family Dance Band he encouraged his audience to trust their own intuition and to challenge the so-called 'experts,' particularly in their children's education. His talk set the tone for the more serious speakers that were to follow.

Ann Blough, a former Calgary Alderman and Public School Board Trustee informed participants of how they could "Reclaim education through Parental Consent." Parents are often unaware of their rights and Mrs. Blough encouraged those who send their children to Public Schools to use legislation such as the 'ministerial exemption' to protect their children from increasingly intrusive and explicit sex education such as the 'homosexual safety' programs recently approved by the Calgary Public School Board.

Anna Peiricky of the Cross Canada Challenge Team, a group of young people who tour Canada spreading the message of chastity to Canadian youth through presentations at High Schools, shared her positive experiences and uplifted the Conference with the fact that thousands are hearing the message and are eager for the knowledge the Team wants to share.

A panel of three educators from different institutions presented their alternatives to Conference participants. Many Canadians are not aware of the fact that Alberta gives partial financial support for independent or private schools, full support for charter schools and even helps defray expenses for homeschoolers. In addition to this the Edmonton Public School Board has incorporated several alternatives, including the Christian Logos School under its administration. Also, the Provincial Government has appointed a Task Force on Private School Funding which is at present touring the Province to solicit Albertans' opinions on increased funding to private schools. This workshop was very timely and sparked a lively debate.

To round off an interesting and informative Conference, Sally Huemmert who was the Executive Director of the Alberta Premier's Council on the Family and is a consultant on Family Policy Initiatives, shared her perspectives on the international scene. Deborah Grey, Reform MP for Edmonton North spoke at the Banquet on "The House or the house," outlining the limited ability and authority of government (the House) to impact the family (the house). AFWUF President, Hermina Dykxhoorn, traced the recent court decisions under the Charter and actions by Governments through their Social Services which have eroded parental authority since the 1982 implementation of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Ezra Levant, the dynamic young Reformer who is currently working in Ottawa as Reform leader Preston Manning's Executive Assistant closed the Conference with a rousing challenge to AFWUF to continue its work to uphold the integrity of the family as the only way to replace the present cultural decay.

Planned Parenthood in Alberta Pushing Homosexuality

In response to a leaked Planned Parenthood Alberta memo that PPA was going to initiate new programs in Fall 1997 to target young rural Alberta homosexuals, AFWUF co-sponsored a week long tour of the five major Alberta cities by Jim Sedlak of the New York based Stop Planned Parenthood to educate the public and the media on the insidious and destructive plans Planned Parenthood has for our children and our communities.

Child Support

AFWUF joined with the Local Council of Women to present a brief to the Provincial Government Committee looking at updating legislation on child custody, maintenance and access. Rather than become embroiled in the divisive disputes which are so often a part of these discussions, we emphasized the necessity for governments at all levels to be proactive in support of maintaining the natural family, rather than having to deal with the fallout of continuing family dissolution.

Foster Parents and Homosexuality

The Alberta Government has lately been faced with the call to allow homosexuals to be foster and adoptive parents. A woman, calling herself Ms. T, was a foster parent during her 17 year marriage. She had one foster child in her home when her marriage broke up several years ago. She subsequently began a live-in lesbian relationship and the foster child was not removed from her home. However, the Alberta Social Services Minister, Stockwell Day, started a fire-storm of controversy at the time he announced that Alberta Social Services would not be placing foster children in homosexual homes. His successor, Dr. Lyle Oberg, has announced that he intends to continue this practice, but the pressure for change from the homosexual community and its supporters in the liberal media has been immense. Premier Ralph Klein has made ambiguous statements to the Press. Such statements, along with the fact that the practice of not allowing homosexual foster parents is not a written policy of this government, have led to questions about how committed the Alberta Government is regarding this issue. AFWUF has been providing information on the negative effect such a change would have on Alberta's children and families.

Intervention in Supreme Court of Canada Vriend Case

The AFWUF intervention in the Vreind case (Mr. Vreind is suing the Alberta Government for refusing to exclude 'sexual orientation' in Alberta's Human Rights legislation), which will be heard by the Supreme Court of Canada in early November, has been an ongoing project for several years. The recent infusion of funds from concerned Albertans has allowed us to continue this expensive work but more funds will be needed to complete the intervention.

Kelowna Chapter Report

The Kelowna Chapter is back in action after a much-needed rest following the hosting of the 1997 BC Provincial meeting last May. Through the summer, however, we called all the churches in Kelowna, and spearheaded a letter-writing campaign with regard to Bill 31, the Family Relation Amendment Act and the NDP's attempt to redefine the "Family" to include "marriage-like relationships". We regret to report that despite our efforts, this piece of legislation was passed.

Many of the Kelowna Chapter members are busy this fall with the local WRAP campaign (White Ribbon Against Pornography). Tables were set up at two of the area's largest shopping centres, a ribbon campaign was organized through the local churches, and leaflets were also distributed to give the congregations suggestions as to how to make a difference in the fight against pornography.

Our most recent membership meeting was held on October 20th, with Maryanna Kaiser, local Vice President and National Board member, sharing a presentation she made to Kelowna City Council in the fall of 1996 with regards to the WRAP campaign. (See Reality, Nov/Dec 1996, p. 14, "Successfully Beating Back Pornography")

Sherry Lacey, Executive Director of Kelowna Right to Life, also presented on the evening's theme of pornography. A pictorial display, on overheads, showed how we are becoming sensitized to soft core porn, through its subtle use in advertising. Both speakers were well informed, and spoke with passion on the damaging effects of pornography.

The Chapter also took this time together as an opportunity to raise some much-needed funds, for the new REAL Women Legal Defence Fund. We asked our members to bring homemade items and items from their gardens and we are pleased to report that we raised approximately $100 in that one evening.

We continue to write letters to the Editor (our President, Rosemary Lindsay, had a letter published objecting to the BC Human Rights Code). We will keep doing what we can in the fight for the family.

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