President's Message

By Jeannine Lebel

With the start of a new year, I thought it might be interesting to look back at 1998. We so often feel that we haven't done enough, so it's good to take time to reflect on what we have actually accomplished, rather than the mountain in front of us.

Last year was one of our busiest on record. Five briefs were written and presented to government committees, ranging in concern from Child Custody and Access to the Judges Act. At present, REAL Women is preparing yet another brief, requesting that the House of Commons Heritage Committee review Canada's report dealing with our compliance with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, before it is sent off to the United Nations for review.

Last year, our affiliate organization, the Alberta Federation of Women United for Families, intervened in the Vriend homosexual case, in which the Supreme Court of Canada ordered the province of Alberta to include sexual orientation in its human rights legislation. We have also been part of a pro-family Coalition to intervene in the Supreme Court of Canada in the M v H case, in which a lesbian couple is demanding legal recognition as spouses. Ironically, even before their case was argued before the Supreme Court of Canada, this same-sex couple ceased to co-habit together as a couple. The decision in this case is still pending. We also become involved in yet another court intervention in December in regard to the family's autonomy over spanking its children. See elsewhere in this issue for more details on the case.

On November 17, 1998, the President of the Parry Sound Chapter of REAL Women, Kathie McGann, and I drove to Toronto to attend a luncheon in honour of Ted Byfield, owner and publisher of the pro-life/family magazine, BC Report and Alberta Report. The National Citizen's Coalition presented Mr. Byfield with the Colin M. Brown Medal. Mr. Byfield has spent his lifelong career courageously defending in print Judeo-Christian values. I felt privileged to be there.

After a short visit to our Toronto office, I can now put a face to staff there that I have spoken to many times on the telephone. I was pleased to meet staff who have patiently relayed messages and retrieved information for me -- all by fax or phone.

While I was in Ottawa attending the press conference on December 8th, accompanied by the Vice President of the Northern Ontario Chapter, Betty Stock, I had the opportunity to visit our new national office. The location has more space and allows a brighter milieu to work in, but most importantly, it is located close to Parliament Hill. If only we could afford a full-time lobbyist! The staff does an excellent job working in our nation's capital, even though it's under duress, usually short of necessary funds and with only volunteer help!

Needless to say, the future looks busy: briefs to be written and presented, court interventions, Reality to be prepared, Alert bulletins, and letters to be written, etc. Faithful members across the country continue the fight to make their communities better places in which to live, raise their families, to work and worship. May God bless you all.

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