A prominent Vancouver-based Chinese Canadian social organization was attacked by the Canadian Liberal Party for its strong defense for traditional family values.
On the official website of the Liberal Party, the party published a press release dated Jan. 13, which condemned the close association between the Canadian Alliance for Social Justice and Family Values Association (CASJFVA) and Conservative Leader Stephen Harper.
The party even described CASJFVA as a "far-right-wing" association in the press release.
According to CASJFVA’s website, it is a group of Chinese Canadian citizens that works to "preserve social justice, to protect traditional family values, to safeguard parental rights with respect to education and upbringing of their children, to advocate and to foster constitutional rights and responsibilities of individuals both as citizens and parents, to advocate establishment of traditional schools and to safeguard citizens' right to have clean, just and upright governments."
The group has launched a huge campaign to fight against the C-38 bill last year. The bill was approved in July 2005, passing a green light to amend the definition of traditional marriage and recognize marriage between same-sex couples. The group strictly defends the traditional marriage between one man and one woman.
K. John Cheung, head of the CASJFVA told the Vancouver Sun last July that he places homosexuality in the same class of "unnatural sexual inclinations" as necrophilia, bestiality, sado-masochism and polygamy, according to the LifeSite News.
LifeSite News added that the Liberal party was revealed to be considering lifting the ban on polygamy following the liberal agenda on same-sex marriage. Therefore, this could also be a reason for the attack on CASJFVA by the liberals.
On the press release of the Liberal Party, it has specifically accused Conservative Leader Stephen Harper, Conservative MPs Art Hanger and John Duncan, and Richmond Conservative candidate Darrel Reid, for supporting the organization. They were reported to have attended a fundraising dinner for CASJFVA in Richmond, B.C. on March 31, 2005.
The Liberals said the March’s fundraiser has generated approximately $15,000, which was used to organize activities opposing the federal government’s and Prime Minister’s position on issues such as same sex marriage and abortion.
Same-sex marriage and abortion are the two highlighted controversial issues that have been widely debated. In the upcoming Jan. 23 federal election, Canadian voters, especially the Chinese Christians, are urged by churches to consider carefully on the candidates’ platform on these issues before casting the vote.
Same-sex marriage and abortion are the twin pillars of the Liberal party’s "Canadian values," according to LifeSite News. The liberalization of these laws has shaken the moral values of Canada and may even affect the social structure in the future. Yet, the Conservative Party holds totally opposite viewpoints on those issues. Therefore, the choice of voters could determine the future of Canada, as many Christian leaders and social concern groups have suggested.
While many Chinese Canadian groups, such as CASJFVA, are fighting against the move of liberals, the Liberal Party is now trying to attack it.
John Hof, head of Campaign Life Coalition British Columbia, who attends the CASJFVA annual fundraising dinner, commented to LifeSite News, "How many times is Paul Martin going to insult the Chinese Canadian community?"
"First he won’t apologize for the head tax, then they won’t give them financial redress and now he’s denying them their freedom of association under the Charter, no wonder he wants to get rid of the notwithstanding clause," Hof said.
In the midst of election campaign, some Chinese Canadians refuse to cast any vote unless the country's political leaders apologize for a discriminatory head tax charged on Chinese immigrants from the 1880s to the 1920s.
The tax was originally set at C$50 a person, but later raised in the early 1900s to C$500- equivalent to about two years wages for a Chinese Canadian worker back then- in a bid to block Chinese immigration to Canada, according to Reuters.
Currently, the Chinese community is now pursuing compensation through legal actions.
Yet, not all Chinese Canadians say they will vote according to their candidate's view on the head tax issue, according to Reuters.
