CANADIAN POLITICAL SPEECH AND SSM AD: LifeSite News

Focus on the Family Canada, a group devoted to the Christian view of the family, revealed to LifeSiteNews.com Friday that it pulled a simple ad promoting the family just prior to the election period in late May so as not to transgress a federal election law banning such advertising. ...

The restrictions limit national spending on advertising to under $170,000--far below what would be needed to launch effective national television, radio and print campaigns. As the dissenting justices put it, "The limits imposed on citizens amount to a virtual ban on their participation in political debate during the election period." ...

The limits are draconian since they not only restrict advertising expenses to promote particular parties or candidates but also, and most importantly, restrict advertising on "taking a position on an issue with which they (candidates or parties) are particularly associated." (See section 350subsection 2d of the Election Act http://laws.justice.gc.ca/en/E-2.01/15004.html ) That is, if one party takes a definite position against same-sex marriage versus the other parties, third party organizations are severely limited, during election time, from simply promoting natural marriage or anything else that might seem to support that party or candidates opposing same-sex marriage. ...

Derek Rogusky, Vice President of Family Policy at Focus on the Family Canada, told LifeSiteNews.com in an interview Friday that an ad supporting the traditional family was pulled prior to the election so as not to infringe the law. The ad ran: "We believe in Mom and Dad. We believe in marriage", as the main caption with a subscript saying, "Traditional marriage--if you believe in it, protect it. The family is a schoolroom for life, and lasting lessons come from a man and a woman--a father and a mother. We believe in mom and dad. Their marital commitment to each other and their parental commitment to their children is the foundation of our society."

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posted by Eve at 7:20 PM VOTE

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