Friday, January 4, 2019

Holding Justin Trudeau to account on the fallacy of a Charter Right to abortion

Below I post (with permission) Theresa Winchester's recent correspondence with Justin Trudeau. She received a reply from his office, then she replies again.

It's hard to believe that the Prime Minister of Canada doesn't know that there is no charter right to abortion. It's also good to know that people will challenge Justin Trudeau on this lack of knowledge.

I think it is very important that others write Justin Trudeau about this subject. The chances of you getting a sincere and honest reply are nil. But it is still important to do make our views known. Trudeau is our Prime Minister. He is accountable to us. Even though he acts like he isn't.
http://publications.gc.ca/collections/Collection/CH37-4-3-2002E.pdf
Mr. Trudeau, I am re-sending this information because you perhaps didn't receive the hard copy letter and printed copy of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms previously sent.  The staff member who has been erroneously advising you may have scooped it up without sending it onward to you?  
Sincerely, I have your own best interests at heart.  Each and every time I hear you talk about Charter rights to abortion, you are really really putting yourself in an embarrassing position that won't bode well for your place in Canadian history.  The sooner you cease making incorrect statements [like those recorded in the attached facebook video below], the less frequent you will look foolish and ill-informed.  Your children will one day be truly aghast that their father continuously spoke very sincerely about a right that does not exist in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.  This will be particularly so in their case since it was their grandfather, Pierre Elliot Trudeau, who won a place in history by the creation of this seminal document. https://www.facebook.com/RightNowHQ/videos/537095176740840/ 
Just in case it is I who is ill-informed or has lost her ability to read fairly simple and straightforward English words, please let me know by return email if you can find frequently touted right to abortion in the Charter, attached in PDF form, either explicitly stated or by implication.  I have searched it manually more than once; I have also used those three little dots in the top right of the document to do an electronic search.  I still can't find it; indeed, I can't find a right to any medical treatments using either method.
You would be doing me and many many of my friends, family and acquaintances a huge favour if you could point out to me exactly where you are reading that entitlement.  Because, you see, we are calling you a simpleton and worse for putting words into the Charter that are not there. 
Yours sincerely, 
Theresa Winchester
Prime Minister's response
From: Prime Minister/Premier Ministre gc
.ca>
Date: January 2, 2019 at 12:31:02 EST
To: Theresa Winchester <theresajoew@gmail.com>
Cc: "Jody Wilson-Raybould, P.C.,M.P." <mcu@justice.gc.ca>
Subject: Office of the Prime Minister / Cabinet du Premier ministre 
Dear Ms. Winchester: 
On behalf of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, I would like to acknowledge receipt of your correspondence regarding abortion. 
Please be assured that your comments have been carefully reviewed. As you may know, the abortion provisions of the Criminal Code fall within the purview of the Honourable Jody Wilson-Raybould, Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada. I have therefore taken the liberty of forwarding a copy of your email to Minister Wilson-Raybould, for her information and consideration. 
Thank you for taking the time to write.
Theresa's subsequent response:
Further to your email, please advise further rationale for sending my correspondence to the Minister of Justice.  I am aware that abortion, if it were an illegal activity, would fall under the Criminal Code of Canada but there was no mention of abortion as a legal or illegal activity in Canada in my email.  My stated concern is that the Prime Minister of Canada, by word and deed, seems to be unaware that the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms does not include a right to an abortion.  This is the concern that warrants a response from the PMO. 
Honestly, your email sounds very much like a "don't you worry your pretty little head about this" response.  There are times when it would appear that elected officials and their staff believe that Canadians are just not very bright and won't understand when they are being patronized or treated as though they are stupid.  This is one of those time.  
Sincerely,
Theresa Winchester

1 comment:

  1. Thanks to Theresa for this challenge to Justin Trudeau and his staff who are clearly either lying or ill informed about the 'right to abortion in Canada'. We need to pray for Theresa as she does this heroic work.

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