AROUND THE WORLD.Canadians Debate God Reference In Constitution A member of Canada's Parliament sparked a national uproar in June by suggesting that God be deleted from the Canadian Constitution. The constitution's preamble says, "Canada is founded upon principles that recognize the supremacy of God." On June 8 Svend Robinson Svend Robinson (born March 4, 1952) is a Canadian politician, Canada's first openly homosexual elected official and a prominent activist for gay rights. He was a Member of Parliament in the Canadian House of Commons from 1979 until 2004, when he resigned after confessing to presented a petition of 1,000 signatures to Parliament that asked for removal of the theological reference. To a chorus of boos, Robinson rose in the House of Commons House of Commons: see Parliament. to read the petition, which recommends that the preamble assert that Canada was "founded upon principles of intellectual freedom and the rule of law." Immediate criticism exploded around the nation. Two days after the controversial floor speech, the much-maligned Robinson expressed regret in a letter to New Democratic Party leader Alexa McDonough Alexa Ann McDonough, née Shaw, MP, M.S.W. (born August 11, 1944) is a Canadian politician who led the New Democratic Party of Nova Scotia from 1980 to 1994, and was subsequently elected leader of the federal New Democratic Party (NDP) in 1995. . "I deeply regret the pain and difficulty that my decision ... has caused," Robinson said. Monitor `Dangerous Sects,' European Council European Council, a consultative branch of the governing body of the European Union (EU). It is composed of the heads of government of the EU nations and their foreign ministers, in conjunction with the president and two additional members from the European Advises The Council of Europe's parliamentary body has recommended creation of a European clearing house to keep tabs on "dangerous sects," a move some see as a pretext in some nations for expanding ongoing campaigns against minority faiths. Meeting in Strasbourg, France, the council's 286-member Parliamentary Assembly A parliamentary assembly is part of many international organizations. Examples include:
See also: Show June 22 to call for a "European Observatory" that would gather information on "groups of a religious, esoteric or spiritual nature." According to the Religion News Service, the information would be made available to the council's 41 member nations as they seek to "ensure that the activities of these groups ... are in keeping with the principles of our democratic societies." The recommendation now goes to the council's Committee of Ministers for further action. The committee is comprised of the foreign ministers of the council's member nations. The council was founded after World War II to promote democracy and human rights in Europe The current human rights situation in Europe on the whole is believed by many to be good, although there are several human rights alleged problems ranging from the treatment of asylum seekers and the Roma to reports of police brutality. . A report submitted with the recommendation said the proposal grew out of the rise across Europe in recent years of "sects and new religions." It noted "the number of people joining sects is rising constantly." |
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