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President's Message

On behalf of the national board, I would like to thank the Alberta Federation of Women United for Families (our Alberta affiliate), for hosting our national conference. This is always a major undertaking. Our annual conference was held in the beautiful city of Edmonton at the Chateau Edmonton Hotel. Delegates attended from across the country. Talks were enlightening and addressed the theme "Freedom and Limitations."

National conferences are an opportunity for members to meet their national executive and vice versa and a chance to renew old friendships and to make new ones.

The presentation of the REAL Women award has become the highlight of each conference. This year's very worthy recipient was Mr. Eric Lowther, the former MP for Calgary Centre.

Mr. Lowther was the Official Opposition Critic for Children and Family Policy for the Canadian Alliance. He was noted for his strong faith, his integrity, and his stalwart defence of the traditional values of marriage and the family in parliament.

REAL Women was also delighted that two other pro-family organizations, the Canadian Family Action Coalition (CFAC) and the Home School Legal Defense Fund Association (HSLDFA) were able to attend our conference in order to present their own awards to honour Mr. Lowther for his outstanding contribution to the pro-family movement in Canada.

As noted in the last issue of Reality, REAL Women along with other pro-family and faith groups will defend the traditional meaning of marriage in the courts in three provinces, Quebec, Ontario and British Columbia. At our executive meetings, the Board agreed to intervene in two more cases the spanking case (See Reality, November/December 1999, p. 14) and the Scott Brockie case. In that case Mr. Brockie, a Christian printer refused to print material belonging to a homosexual organization. He was found guilty of discrimination against that organization by the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal which told him that he was to keep his religious beliefs at home and not bring them into the marketplace. This decision, of course, has very grave long-term ramifications. As a result, the Board of REAL Women decided that it had no option but to intervene in this case as well.

We are also in the midst of producing two new pamphlets. One portrays the benefits of marriage and the family, the other expounds parental rights. It is to be hoped that, both of these pamphlets will be ready by spring.

This year we are committed to a very heavy financial load, and you, our dear Members, can begin to help by making sure your membership or subscription is updated. Please take a moment to check your address label on Reality to see when you last paid. Just recently a friend was shocked to learn she had not updated her membership for five years. Could that be you?

One of the best gifts you can give a friend is a subscription to Reality. If you know someone you think should know about REAL Women send us their name, we will send them a free copy of Reality and a brochure outlining our history and objectives. Every little thing you do makes a difference!

God bless you all. BACK TO TABLE OF CONTENTS