(no subject)
Americans enter Canada's gay debate
By BETH GORHAM
(CP) - Bob MacCready's already written to Canadian Liberal MPs who support allowing gays to marry, telling them he thinks it's against God's own law and everything that's decent.
Now he's thinking of sending a second letter to underscore his fervent opposition to Canada's pending same-sex marriage legislation, expected to pass this spring.
A conservative Christian who lives near Philadelphia, MacCready is one of untold Americans who've been flooding the offices of Canadian politicians with letters and calls in the past few weeks.
Many have relatives north of the border but have never before become involved in a Canadian political issue.
It's a trend that belies the strong convictions and polarized debate stirred in the United States, where President George W. Bush supports a constitutional amendment to outlaw same-sex marriages.
MacCready's married daughter lives in London, Ont., with his four grandchildren and he once considered moving to Canada to be close to them.
"We're very concerned about the way things are going there," he said in a recent telephone interview from his home in Media, Pa. "How is it going to be for my grandchildren growing up?"
MacCready, a businessman, says he's sensitive to the fact that Canadians might not appreciate people like him voicing their views on a national issue, but he just can't stay silent.
"What I'm saying needs to be heard," he says. "I also feel a bit sad that (the two countries) aren't working more in harmony. It's like we've grown apart."
Dorothy McCallum, a retired bookkeeper, has been faxing and re-faxing letters to Ontario MPs from her home in Royal Oak, Mich.
"We're not against gay people themselves," says McCallum. "We feel (gay marriage) is wrong by the Bible. We're Christian believers and we just feel very strongly that this is not a good bill."
McCallum and MacCready say their lobbying is personal and they're not affiliated with any of the powerful conservative religious groups in the U.S.
Credited with helping re-elect Bush last fall, groups like the Moral Majority Coalition and Christian Coalition have been pushing their social agenda harder than ever.
Now some are supporting efforts in Canada to defeat the same-sex bill, introduced earlier this month.
Focus on the Family's B.C. chapter is backed by a massive organization based in Colorado led by James Dobson, who recently broadcast his opposition to gay marriage on 130 Canadian radio stations.
And the organization recently advertised to fill an executive director's position in Ottawa at an annual salary of more than $100,000 Cdn.
The Knights of Columbus, based in New Haven, Conn., says it's prepared to offer major help and has already spent about $80,000 on a postcard campaign.
Still, some American groups deny that huge sums are flowing north.
"That's a scare tactic that's been trumped up to raise the ire of Canadians," insists Robert Knight, head of the Culture and Family Institute at Concerned Women for America.
"There's not enough money to go around here. But I've seen e-mails urging people to contact politicians on both sides of the border."
Staff workers in some MPs offices have complained about the unique deluge of mail and phone calls that began in earnest in late January, about a week before the legislation was introduced.
Most don't respond to correspondence that's not from constituents.
Tony Cortese, an ethics professor at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, says pressure from the U.S. on the issue is "really out of bounds."
"I can see why they're doing it. They're worried about the spillover effect from Canada (if the bill passes). But we wouldn't think of interfering with any other Canadian law."
It appears there's little Canada can do about organized U.S. lobby efforts, says Justice Minister Irwin Cotler, who's concerned the Canadian debate could be skewed by those who don't understand "we've got court decisions in the country that are different from the United States."
Ellen Wyman says she's just exercising an important prerogative.
An American citizen married to a Canadian, Wyman has lived in London, Ont., for 33 years and has been writing letters for weeks to gay marriage supporters in Parliament.
"Sometimes the government needs to be told what to do," Wyman said from Cleveland, where she has been dealing with a family illness.
"The United States is the great nation it is because of its moral code. Canada isn't even considered a Christian nation anymore and they seem OK with that. It's more of a melting pot. That doesn't make any sense to me."
Wyman, whose family owns construction and masonry businesses, says they'll pull everything out and move back to Ohio - with their three grown children and their families - if the legislation goes through.
She says they have a lot of business friends who feel the same way.
"You'd be surprised how many people consider it kinky and think it's the beginning of a rotting in this society," said Wyman.
"The economy is going to fall apart. Once the morals start to go, then health care is going to go."
Wyman is particularly incensed that Prime Minister Paul Martin has pushed up the timetable on the bill and is insisting that cabinet ministers support it.
"It's corrupt. I don't know where Martin's getting this authority."
-Kimothy