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Royal Bank Discriminates Against Pro-Life/Family
Organizations
In a bid to hold the Gay Games in 2006, Montreal's homosexual community
is competing with three other North American cities, Chicago, Atlanta
and Los Angeles. The spokesperson for the Gay Games is Mark Tewksbury,
Olympic Champion swimmer, who publicly acknowledged his homosexuality
several years ago, and who now serves as the "poster boy"
for the activists' latest cause.
While the gay population is delighted by this potential
opportunity to flaunt their lifestyle, not everyone is thrilled
by the prospect of thousands of homosexuals descending on Montreal
to participate or be spectators at the Games.
Mr. Daniel Cormier, a pastor in a Protestant church
in Montreal, together with REAL Women, Campaign Life Coalition for
Quebec and the Christian Heritage Party, formed a committee called
the "No Committee 2006" to oppose the promotion of homosexuality
by way of the Gay Games in Montreal. The No Committee registered
its name with the Quebec government and began receiving donations.
On June 13, Mr. Cormier, on behalf of the Committee,
applied to the Royal Bank to open an account. Incredibly, he was
turned down. The Royal Bank is blatantly discriminating against
pro-life/family organizations on the grounds that the bank will
not associate in any way with an organization which opposes the
promotion of homosexuality.
Raymond Chouinard, the Royal Bank Chief Public Relations
Officer, stated:
We're reviewing the case, but I doubt that we'll
be able to change our position on this, because of the nature of
the goals that the organization has.
.… We refuse to support or oppose discriminatory
activities of any kind. Since we want to stay outside, we think
we should not be supporting an organization indirectly through
the opening of an account.
Mr. Chouinard went on to say:
We're a private corporation and we do not have
to open an account every time a person or organization asks for
one.
A press conference was held in Montreal on June
22, 2001 by the No Committee to publicize the Royal Bank's shocking
discrimination against the pro-family/life Committee. In its statement
at the press conference, REAL Women stated:
REAL Women of Canada, a member of the "No
Committee 2006," strongly objects to this discrimination by
the Royal Bank on the grounds that it is contrary to our basic freedom,
as set out in Section 2 of the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, namely,
freedom of conscience and freedom of belief and opinion.
Mr. Cormier was quoted in the Montreal Gazette
(June 22, 2001):
… the Royal Bank had no right to refuse
to open the account and… every group has a right to express
its opinion...
We have nothing against homosexuals. We just
don't want the government to put money into promoting something
that we feel is detrimental to our population. It's because we
love the people and we love homosexuals that we don't want the
promotion of homosexuality. The practice is destroying their lives.
Royal Bank's Promotion of Abortion
This is not the first time that the Royal Bank has
taken sides in controversial social issues.
In 1986, Dr. Robert Scott, an associate working
in Morgentaler's Toronto clinic, sought and obtained a loan in the
amount of $220,000 from the Royal Bank in order to open his own,
then illegal, abortion clinic in downtown Toronto.
An uproar was raised, which resulted in a condemnatory
resolution being brought forward at the Royal Bank's Annual Shareholders
Meeting held in Montreal in January 1987. The President, in a compromise
to withdraw the resolution, made a formal apology for the loan,
and agreed not to make loans for illegal activities in the future.
Games a Financial Disaster
The 2002 Gay Games are scheduled to be held in Sydney,
Australia and are, reportedly, already $4 million in debt.
This is not surprising. When the Gay Games were
held in Amsterdam in September 1998, they were a complete social
and economic disaster. The City of Amsterdam was forced to pay $2.5
million just to allow the Games to continue, and the organizing
committee for the not very Gay Games declared bankruptcy at the
close of the event. Montreal will be fortunate if it can escape
the Gay Games in 2006.
Please write to:
Mr. Gordon M. Nixon President
and Chief Operating Officer
Royal Bank of Canada
200 Bay Street South Tower
Toronto ON M5J 2J5
Tel 416-974-4464
Fax 416-974-7403
and demand that the Royal Bank cease to be involved
in social and political issues such as homosexuality by discriminating
against those who are pro-family.
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