Mayor under fire for pro-life day proclamation
OTTAWA – Mayor’s proclamations are a regular feature at the start of city council meetings, and for the most part, events such as Laughter Day, Global Love Day and Data Privacy Day pass largely unnoticed.
But one proclamation that has become an annual tradition since 2002 is getting some serious – and critical – attention from the community, especially on the social networking site, Twitter.
Mayor Jim Watson has declared May 12, 2011 to be Respect for Life Day in the City of Ottawa, coinciding with a large anti-abortion march on Parliament Hill that usually draws approximately 10,000 people to the capital. According to LifeSiteNews.com, a pro-life website, the proclamation reads: “The rights of the people of Canada including the unborn, the elderly and those with handicaps are gradually being eroded.”
The mayor came under fire on May 9, when word of the proclamation spread like wildfire online. But Watson stood by the proclamation, saying that the city has a responsibility to abide by the Ontario Human Rights Code. Watson noted that he served on city council under former mayor Jacquelin Holzman, who famously refused to declare gay and lesbian “pride” week, which landed the city in court.
“I’m not prepared to bring the city through another human rights trial,” Watson said.
“I happen to be pro-choice,” he added. “I don’t happen to agree with those people who take away a woman’s right to choose, but at the same time it isn’t the mayor’s personal beliefs and hunches that should rule the day. If a pro-choice group wants to have a day named after them, that fits the policy, they should have a day named after them.”
According to its policy, the city issues proclamations for any group or individual who requests one, as long as it doesn’t violate human rights. That means the proclamation can’t be discriminatory, illegal or espouse hatred, violence or racism. The policy also states that proclamations shouldn’t be politically or religiously motivated.
When asked if he thought a pro-life proclamation fell under the definition of “political” or “religious” events, Watson said the “political” aspect of proclamations refers to “big P” politics at the federal and provincial level. “Every decision we make, or every proclamation you can claim is political in one way or another,” he said. “But the intent of the policy is to ensure that we are not getting into partisan politics by denouncing a prime minister or denouncing a premier or attacking a political party, because that’s not our role.”
According to the policy, proclamations are intended to “encourage public awareness or provide recognition for events, achievements, and activities that are significant to Ottawa” and to “acknowledge individuals who have achieved national or international distinction, or whose contribution to the community demands significant recognition.”
In 2010, the city issued 121 proclamations. So far this year, the mayor has already signed off on 45 proclamations, including another Respect for Life Day on April 30. “I think to bring every single proclamation to council would not only expend a great amount of time, but would also be very divisive,” the mayor said.
http://www.yourottawaregion.com/new...ayor-under-fire-for-pro-life-day-proclamation
OTTAWA – Mayor’s proclamations are a regular feature at the start of city council meetings, and for the most part, events such as Laughter Day, Global Love Day and Data Privacy Day pass largely unnoticed.
But one proclamation that has become an annual tradition since 2002 is getting some serious – and critical – attention from the community, especially on the social networking site, Twitter.
Mayor Jim Watson has declared May 12, 2011 to be Respect for Life Day in the City of Ottawa, coinciding with a large anti-abortion march on Parliament Hill that usually draws approximately 10,000 people to the capital. According to LifeSiteNews.com, a pro-life website, the proclamation reads: “The rights of the people of Canada including the unborn, the elderly and those with handicaps are gradually being eroded.”
The mayor came under fire on May 9, when word of the proclamation spread like wildfire online. But Watson stood by the proclamation, saying that the city has a responsibility to abide by the Ontario Human Rights Code. Watson noted that he served on city council under former mayor Jacquelin Holzman, who famously refused to declare gay and lesbian “pride” week, which landed the city in court.
“I’m not prepared to bring the city through another human rights trial,” Watson said.
“I happen to be pro-choice,” he added. “I don’t happen to agree with those people who take away a woman’s right to choose, but at the same time it isn’t the mayor’s personal beliefs and hunches that should rule the day. If a pro-choice group wants to have a day named after them, that fits the policy, they should have a day named after them.”
According to its policy, the city issues proclamations for any group or individual who requests one, as long as it doesn’t violate human rights. That means the proclamation can’t be discriminatory, illegal or espouse hatred, violence or racism. The policy also states that proclamations shouldn’t be politically or religiously motivated.
When asked if he thought a pro-life proclamation fell under the definition of “political” or “religious” events, Watson said the “political” aspect of proclamations refers to “big P” politics at the federal and provincial level. “Every decision we make, or every proclamation you can claim is political in one way or another,” he said. “But the intent of the policy is to ensure that we are not getting into partisan politics by denouncing a prime minister or denouncing a premier or attacking a political party, because that’s not our role.”
According to the policy, proclamations are intended to “encourage public awareness or provide recognition for events, achievements, and activities that are significant to Ottawa” and to “acknowledge individuals who have achieved national or international distinction, or whose contribution to the community demands significant recognition.”
In 2010, the city issued 121 proclamations. So far this year, the mayor has already signed off on 45 proclamations, including another Respect for Life Day on April 30. “I think to bring every single proclamation to council would not only expend a great amount of time, but would also be very divisive,” the mayor said.
http://www.yourottawaregion.com/new...ayor-under-fire-for-pro-life-day-proclamation
