Motion 408
Please see email below from Maurice Vellacott.
Fyi....Mark Warawa is appealing the non-votability decision on M-408 to the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs (PROC) this Wednesday at 3:30 pm (See meeting notice here:
Members of the PROC committee can be found here: http://www.parl.gc.ca/CommitteeBusiness/CommitteeMembership.aspx?Cmte=PROC&Language=E&Mode=1&Parl=41&Ses=1
...bjm
Dear Friends,
As you may be aware, during this past week, a Parliamentary subcommittee that was reviewing a private members motion (Motion 408) on discrimination against women (pregnancy termination if it's a girl) deemed the matter as ''unvotable'' by a small sub-committee of Members of Parliament. Refer to the attached article for further info:
Notwithstanding the urgency and seriousness of the issue of gender-based pregnancy termination, this decision of the Parliamentary sub-committee is a shocking and disturbing affront to Canada's democratic system. I encourage all of you to write to the Prime Minister and those involved in the sub-committee (cc to the MP of your riding and Mark Warawa, MP who was spearheading the motion) asking them not to obstruct this motion from being voted on. For your info, I have forwarded below, a sample copy of an email sent to them yesterday.
Because you need to get this in by tomorrow evening or Tuesday afternoon by the very latest, email is the most effective means of communicating with the PM and MPs, unless you also want to phone the involved MPs Parliament Hill offices.
It would be very important to communicate on this particular subject due to it's gravity and the apparent impression of the PM and his entourage that this is not that important as they have not heard from many Canadians on this subject. The message needs to be short and sweet, and does not need to include compelling arguments on the issue..it should just simply convey that you don't agree with this high-handed method of shutting down a Member's motion that most of the Canadian public would agree with.
Blessings on you,
Maurice Vellacott, MP
To: dave.mackenzie@parl.gc.ca; scott.armstrong@parl.gc.ca; stephane.dion@parl.gc.ca; Philip.Toone@parl.gc.ca; pm@pm.gc.ca; Harper.S@parl.gc.ca
Cc: mark.warawa@parl.gc.ca
Subject: Suspension of Motion 408
To:
Steven Harper, Prime Minister of Canada
Scott Armstrong, MP Cumberland—Colchester—Musquodoboit Valley Stéphane Dion, MP St-Laurent --Cartierville Phillip Toone, MP Gaspésie--Iles-de-la-Madelaine Dave MacKenzie, MP Oxford
cc: Mark Warawa, MP Langley
Dear Mr. Harper, Mr. Armstrong, Mr. Dion, Mr. Toone, Mr. MacKenzie,
We wish to express our utter disagreement and deepest concerns on the suspension of Motion 408 which was deemed non-votable this past week by the Subcommittee on Private Members’ Business of the Standing Committee on Procedure and House Affairs.
Truly, the issue of sex-selective pregnancy termination should be of the highest importance to our Government which propounds the value of equal rights for all men and women...how can the termination of the female gender for the sake of personal preference ever be justified??? Moreover, how could such a simple motion to condemn discrimination of females through sex-selective pregnancy termination ever be deemed non-votable?
The manner in which this matter has been shelved is high handed and a very disturbing affront to democracy in Canada. We urge the Canadian Government to reconsider this decision and allow the vote on this grave matter to occur.
Sincerely,