Tonight John Pacheco will face the other candidates in a debate that has, he says, “enormous implications not only for the riding and the province, but potentially the whole country.” Any political action that can alter the current rush to promote the homosexual agenda in Canada is also of vital importance to the United States.
David and Goliath
[Editor's Note: To read John Pacheco's trenchant Catholic defense of marriage and the family click here.]
Joining the debate with John Pacheco of the Family Coalition Party and the other candidates will be Dalton McGuinty, the Liberal Party Leader. As explained in Part One, the defeat of McGuinty is the current imperative in reshaping the disastrous course of national politics in Canada. If, as John Pacheco hopes, this debate can become a “galvanizing point to rally people against the gay agenda,” it will force Canada politicians to listen to pro-family and pro-marriage Canadians and not take it for granted that they are going to roll over and play dead in the face of radical restructuring of their society.
The time of the debate is today, Wednesday, September 24, 7PM-9PM and it will be held at Ridgemont High School, 2597 Alta Vista Drive, Ottawa. John Pacheco stepped into this election upon seeing that no one else came forward to defend the family and he is no way deluded about the strength of the forces arrayed against him, nor about his own limitations. He has taken as the scriptural theme text of his campaign 1 Sam. 17:40: Then he took his staff in his hand, chose five smooth stones from the stream, put them in the pouch of his shepherd's bag and, with his sling in his hand, approached the Philistine.”
The giant that John faces is the merciless attack upon the family by social engineers at the national government level in Canada. As in the United States, the problem is an out-of-control federal judiciary that is mere steps ahead of the US courts in advancing same-sex “marriage”. The Family Coalition Party of Ontario (FCP) would not hesitate to invoke the Notwithstanding Clause to exempt Ontario from being forced to recognize “gay marriage” and would use every legal means available to oppose legislation aimed at creating “civil unions.”
Mincing No Words
John Pacheco minces no words in describing the societal damage that ensues when a government abandons its most sacred mandate — the protection of the family and the creation of conditions under which families thrive. Advancing the homosexual agenda is a risky proposition Canada can ill-afford for a number of reasons that Pacheco cogently details. For one thing, “[p]ropagation of gay sex is a grave public health risk to persons with homosexual inclinations. … Therefore, as a matter of public health, the government has a civic responsibility to ensure that homosexual practices are not encouraged — if only to protect persons with a homosexual inclination from engaging in their own self destruction! Saying “no” to gay sexual relationships can also be understood as an act of love, if only for this reason. Then, of course, there are the financial costs of treating people who contract these horrible diseases and the number of programs required to give proper health care to the sick.”
Another perspective on this danger to the family is seen in Pacheco's concern for those in society who are most vulnerable to exploitation. Weakening the family increases the number of young boys bereft of fathers and good male role models. Violence among young men increases as does the number who become the sexual prey of older men. But young women are also at risk. It is impossible to advance the endlessly malleable view of “marriage” that homosexual advocates demand, without also opening the door to polyamorists [group marriage advocates]. John Pacheco cites the work of anthropologist Peter Wood to the effect that “plural marriage would, almost of a certainty, emerge in its classic form of rich older males dominating younger vulnerable females.”
John's Catholic conception of the human person shines though all he says and writes: “Human dignity is not determined by the sexual acts performed. This is why, whether he is celibate, heterosexually active, or homosexually active, man retains his dignity in the face of the abuse of his sexuality. His dignity remains because he remains created in the image of God. Indeed, it is precisely in the abuse of the sexual act that homosexual acts undermine human dignity, although not removing it completely. Man's intrinsic dignity is irrevocable regardless of the sin he engages in — sexual or otherwise. This means that the homosexual person has an intrinsic dignity which no one can take away precisely because he is created in the image of God.”
With his understanding of human dignity and the integrity of marriage, John's defense of the family is more than “anti” this and “anti” that. He has a vision for the positive way all levels of government in Canada can support besieged families and “reverse the disastrous effects of anti-family laws which have attacked traditional family life, and left children yearning for some stability.” John's initiatives would include: financial incentives for one parent to stay home; baby bonus checks; tougher divorce laws including mandatory counseling; voluntary marriage preparation courses; financial bonuses for anniversaries after three, five and 10 years; and a province-wide “Marriage Day” holiday.
In harmony with Catholic thought on this vital subject, and unlike all of the other parties, the FCP believes that the ultimate right and responsibility of education rests with parents. The party favors a plan similar to various proposals in the United Sates for school vouchers, which they call a “Child Education Cheque.” This would allow parents to recover their tax dollars and send their children to the school of their choice (which includes homeschooling).
The FCP would also push for changes in the income tax system that currently punishes the traditional family. The FCP supports an increase in the personal and spousal income tax exemption for Ontario income tax purposes to $14,000/year or more. Removing any tax penalties for one-income families and parents who look after or homeschool their own children strengthens families and encourages those behaviors that most contribute to a stable and prosperous society.
Standing for Freedom
Those who are in the forefront of the campaign to redefine marriage and the family know that the Catholic Church as an institution and all outspoken and courageous Christian people like John Pacheco are their main obstacles to carrying out their schemes. They have become ever bolder in targeting the free speech rights of any who tell the truth in the public arena.
Pacheco is clear-eyed in assessing this danger: “With the defeat of a motion which sought to uphold traditional marriage and with the passage of Bill C-250 which has added 'sexual orientation' to the Criminal Code, the persecution of religious groups and other democrats who oppose the gay agenda will rapidly accelerate in a short time.
“Up until recent years, Canadian citizens were free to profess their creed without fear of intimidation or legal threats. The time is coming — in fact it is already here — when this freedom can no longer be taken for granted. There is a sentiment in the air which, while pretending to offer tolerance for all, is in fact against authentic tolerance. It seeks not to protect freedom of expression, but rather to alienate it, muffle it, and, if at all possible, silence it altogether. This is about one thing and one thing only: silencing dissent to the gay agenda and eradicating it from the public arena. It is precisely this kind of veiled fascism that is threatening religious expression and freedom of speech in this country. And there are already many recorded instances of authentic religious persecution in Canada.
“I neither sought nor have really ever aspired to political office. Indeed, it is only because of politicians who prostitute the name 'Catholic' and refuse to stand in defense of life and freedom, that I felt compelled to offer a political option to people of conscience and good will. Nevertheless, with the recent encroachments against civil liberties, my otherwise marginal candidacy takes on rather epic proportions — at least for me.
“In the coming weeks, my campaign will launch radio and newspaper ads which oppose same-sex 'marriage'. I will also have some opportunities to engage in debates with the other candidates where I will be very critical of gay 'marriage'.
“As a Catholic writer and apologist, and now reluctant politician, I can read the writing on the wall. The more prominence and publicity my campaign builds, the greater the target I will become. It is possible that I will dodge the 'hate crime' label in the campaign. But I will not likely be able to dodge it forever, especially given my expanding presence on various prominent Catholic websites and print publications. My day will come. And I will likely lose everything that I have worked for, professionally and financially.
“I want to make it clear to all of you that, no matter what the cost to me personally, I will never renounce my faith or my faith's teaching on homosexuality. I will stand in defense of freedom of religious expression. And I will stand for freedom of speech in this country which I passionately love. I will not run. I will stand on guard for Canada.”
Citizens of the United States can rejoice that our neighbor to the north has found such a champion. As our own judiciary succumbs ever more to pressure from “international standards” that erode religious freedom and assault the integrity of marriage and the family, the impact upon our country of what occurs in the political struggles and courts of Canada will continue to grow. Pacheco asks for the prayers of all as he carries on this fight.
For more information on the Family Coalition Party, please visit their official website at www.familyparty.on.ca or John Pacheco’s official FCP candidate website at www.pacheco.ca
© Copyright 2003 Catholic Exchange
Pete Vere, JCL, earned his ecclesiastical licentiate in canon law from Saint Paul University in Ottawa, Canada. In his spare time, he volunteers as a Deputy Regional Director for the International Order of Alhambra — a Catholic family organization dedicated to serving the needs of the mentally and developmentally challenged.
Mary Kochan, the lead content editor of Catholic Exchange, was raised as a third-generation Jehovah’s Witness. Before converting to Roman Catholicism, she worked in Evangelical Protestant ministry, speaking and teaching in many settings. She is a member of St. Theresa parish in Douglasville, GA. Her tapes are available from Saint Joseph Communications.
