National March for Life--less than 2 weeks to go!
The National March for Life - Ottawa, is upon us.
Thursday, May 11, 2023, is less than two weeks away.
Yes, the march is set for that day. Yet there is much more going on, six days of activities; consult the official web site for details - www.marchforlife.ca .
QLC Micro-Conference (in French)
Something New at the National March for Life - In addition to those activities, the Quebec Life Coalition is hosting a novel event - a micro-conference. Four speakers will give allocutions: QLC President Mr. Georges Buscemi, Mr. Jeff Gunnerson, president of Campaign Life Coalition, Ms.Tanya Patry, mother of Lily-Rose, and Ms. Lise Dufour. The latter two ladies will give personal testimonies.
When: Thursday, May 11, 2023, from 16h00 à 18h00
Where: Basement of Saint-Theresa church (95 Somerset St W, Ottawa, ON K2P 0H3).
Re Tanya Patry -- the mother of Lily-Rose, will share her testimony of how she came close to abort her child and what changed her mind. For a preview of her talk, go to the twentieth minute mark of the following video - Théovox.
Re Ms. Lise Dufour, she has recently published a book chronicling her abortion experience and the faith journey permitting her to mourn her loss. Her book, entitled J'ai avorté...par peur. Avec Lui, espérer encore. will be available for purchase.
The fifteen to twenty minute talks will be followed by a question period.
The gathering is free of charge, yet donations are always welcome.
After the event, a chartered bus will return day travelers to Montreal at 6:00 pm.
CHARTERED BUSES from Montreal
Two buses are chartered to bring Montrealers to the National March.
Departures (7:00 am)
- Downtown-Bonaventure (Tim Hortons, 895 de La Gauchetière Street West)
- Pointe-Claire (Reno Depot, 400 Brunswick Blvd., Pointe-Claire H9R 5X4)
Returns
- Bus no. 1: 4:00 p.m., Saint Theresa Church, 95 Somerset Street West
- Bus no. 2: 6:00 p.m., Saint Theresa Church, 95 Somerset Street West
To reserve a seat, call (438) 930-8643.
Cost: 60$ per person, 120$ per couple or family (couple + children under 18), 40$ students and seniors.
See you Thursday, May 11, 2023!
Brian Jenkins
Quebec Life Coalition
(438) 930-8643
Quebec's National Assembly votes unanimously to support drag queens
Martine Biron, Minister of International Relations and Francophonie and Minister responsible for the Status of Women.
Blog by Augustin Hamilton (Quebec Life Coalition) - Photo: La Presse
To what do we owe this unanimous motion recently voted in the Salon Bleu in defense of the so-called "drag queens"? This message full of emotion (but little reason...), launched at the initiative of Québec solidaire, proclaims: "the National Assembly stresses that drag queens should not, under any circumstances, face violent insults, intolerance and hatred for their participation in the reading of children's stories".
What appalling threats were the poor drag queens subjected to? According to La Presse, which reported the facts (or at least part of them...), a demonstration took place in front of the building where a reading by a "drag queen" known as Barbada was to be held for children, leading the City of Saint-Catherine in Montérégie to move the event. A sign held up by one of the protesters read: "drag queens do not belong in our schools" and "they belong in 18+ places".
It takes a little (or even a lot...) of imagination, with a good pinch of emotion (in the right direction, if you can), to see hatred for "Barbada" — if that's the worst "intolerance", "violent insult" or "hatred" the man has faced.
On the other hand, it is certainly intolerable that a man disguised as a caricature of a woman comes to read dubious stories to children with the aim of deconstructing the "social norm" in them. It is already strange, to say the least, that an individual wants to perform in an immoderate assortment, it is certainly not healthy that he transmits this fad to the younger generations.
Nevertheless, concurrently with the parliamentary unanimity, Éric Duhaime, leader of the Conservative Party of Quebec (but not deputy), has launched a petition that goes somewhat against the performances of "drag queens" among children.
In passing, the article in La Presse points out that "Quebec differs from Tennessee's policies in its relationship with drag queens" because that state now bans their display in places where minors may be present. Ugly, isn't it?
1 reactionOur pro-life message to a post-Easter world
Humanly speaking, ending abortion in our country, or at least making it illegal, is the political equivalent of reversing the law of gravity. For a man or woman who does not have faith, there is nothing more insane than to get involved in this fight which, from a merely human point of view, is a waste of time. Let us look at the state of affairs, the battlefield in front of us, pro-life fighters, with the eyes of the world.
First, there are the 338 federal MPs in Canada. It is up to them to legislate against the murder of unborn children. To pass a law that would criminalize abortion, a bill would have to be introduced. There is no tolerance for pro-lifers in the following parties: the Liberal Party, the Bloc Québécois and the NDP. That leaves only fringe parties to accommodate pro-lifers, or the Conservative Party, which, although it has fairly regular access to power, barely tolerates the presence of pro-life MPs. If we can now count on about 40 pro-life MPs in that party (mostly from rural ridings in Western Canada), we would need at least 129 more to achieve a majority of votes in the House of Commons. Where will these votes come from today? The situation is similar in the Senate.
Let us now turn our attention to the electorate, for it is ultimately the electorate that has the duty to elect members of parliament. Here the situation is not much better. If barely 10% of the MPs are pro-life, this is only a more or less accurate reflection of the proportion of those who respect the life of the unborn child within the electorate. The 90 percent who are not pro-life, or fully pro-life, are certainly not all zealots for human sacrifice, but they may have an even more serious flaw, a complete indifference and selfishness. They mostly vote for their bellies.
Let us turn to those who are responsible for the formation of the public, for its instruction, education and entertainment. The mass media (the CBC, other news channels, major newspapers, etc.) are won over to the pro-abortion ideology of “choice” without regard for the life of the unborn child. In a newsroom, we would be hard-pressed to find even one pro-lifer out of 100, and the odds would be that the pro-lifer in that room would only have the job of emptying the trash cans and changing the water jug. The situation is the same in theatres or movie studios: if they don’t always produce “pro-choice” propaganda series or films, they very often produce simply vulgar works that corrupt morals and further dumb down the population, making them unable to vote properly. As for schools and universities, they are not in much better shape, most of them working around the clock to free students from the “taboos” (morals) and “superstitions” (faith) that their parents may have tried to instill in them.
Moreover, no country is completely isolated, but tends to form blocs of like-minded countries. Now, the Western bloc (Europe/USA/Great-Britain-Canada-Australia, etc.) is largely “pro-choice,” except for a few states within the US. The Asian blocs (China, India, Japan, etc.) are also pro-choice, in the sense that they do not consider the unborn child a human being in the fullest sense of the word. Africa is rather pro-life, but poor, without much influence, and constantly harassed for its “retrograde” values. Let’s not dwell on supranational bodies such as the UN, the WHO, the European Union, or the World Economic Forum, which constantly promote not only abortion, but everything that contributes to it, such as contraception, gay pseudo-marriage and surrogate motherhood, not to mention a delirious transhumanism and a nihilistic ecologism.
Finally —and I am still speaking from a human perspective—the greatest challenge for pro-lifers is the almost complete collapse, from the second half of the 20th century onwards, of the pro-life institution par excellence, the Catholic Church, which for 2,000 years taught the dignity of Man from the moment of his conception by preaching the existence of a God-Man who became incarnate in the virginal womb of His Mother. The Church today is in such a state of discredit and popular opprobrium, in such a state of demographic decrepitude (priests and religious whose average age is around 75 years) that it no longer seems to be able to counteract the influence of the above-mentioned media and anti-educational mind-deformation systems. On the contrary, in its advanced state of decay, it has not only ceased to oppose contemporary errors, but is hurrying to bless certain so-called “positive” aspects of them, hoping perhaps to gain some recognition, although these attempts at conciliation only provoke universal contempt.
Here then, from a human point of view, are the challenges we face as pro-lifers in Quebec, in Canada and in the world. In order to achieve our goal, we must convert almost all parliaments, senates, courts, media, schools and universities, and international bodies. And in the eyes of churchmen—these representatives of the Institution in charge of converting man from sins such as abortion—we are generally perceived as embarrassing backward people from whom it would be better to be rid of to look better in the eyes of the world…
1 reaction Read more
Praying and Witnessing
With Easter upon us, I’m writing to wish you and your loved ones a most blessed Easter season.
Further, I’m writing to you only days after the Quebec Life Coalition’s annual Lenten 40-day prayer vigil for the end of abortion has ended. On the final day of the vigil, Sunday, April 2, 2023, between thirteen and fifteen of us came out to pray and witness publicly for the protection of unborn life.
Background: For the past fifteen years, the Quebec Life Coalition (QLC) has hosted twice annually – during Lent and in the fall, public prayer vigils near abortion facilities, inviting people of faith to gather and pray and witness for the end of abortion.
It was a beautiful sunny day from start to finish. The closing ceremony began 3pm, reciting some final prayers, doing a half-hour of Eucharistic adoration, and fellowshipping in a local restaurant over some fine Italian food. Many thanks to the prayer volunteers who were able to make it today; and to the many who could not, thank you for your warm wishes.
This Lenten season, since Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2023, when the vigil began, close to eighty different people have prayed and witnessed to the importance of unborn life at the intersection of Berri and St. Catherine Streets in downtown Montreal. These persons have logged a combined total of about 500 hours of prayer/witnessing time.
Under the onus of building a Christian culture that defends faith, family, and the human person from conception to natural death, the vigil combined two of the three foundational elements of our organization – aid to women and education, with the third being political activism.
Regarding the latter, my colleague Arpad Nagy is the active agent in the latter movement while a dedicated team led by QLC President Georges Buscemi works daily to update our website and social media to inform you of events impacting faith, family, and life.
This year the 40-day prayer vigil had a very distinctive quality to it – helping pregnant women.
Since February 22, 2023, we have been privileged to meet and assist three women pregnant experiencing difficult in their lives.
The circumstances regarding each varies.
For instance, one of these women came to see me while I was vigilating on the streets. At the time I was alone, yet the day did not begin that way. From 8am, prayer volunteers came to the site, replacing one another. The flow stopped at around one o’clock when I found myself alone. Then about an hour and an half later, a young couple, mid-twenties, came to speak to me.
The woman began speaking.
With tears gradually filling her eyes, she shared that she could not carry through with her abortion appointment. She recounted that on finding out she was pregnant and having a busy lifestyle as a student, she resolved to abort her child. She made an appointment for the following week and on the appointed day, presented herself at the abortion facility. This is when her epiphany happened. She realized that she was about to end the life which was budding inside of her; a life depended on her.
In tears, standing in front of me she expressed contrition over her initial decision.
I congratulated her for her courage and gave her my contact information saying that if there was anything I could do, I would gladly help.
As for the two other pregnant ladies we are helping, both are resolved in keeping their child, yet because of difficult social circumstances, they and their unborn child are vulnerable prey to our social planners. We are helping them build a support network which will permit them and their children to grow and live in security.
This is just a small part of the work with QLC that your donations help to fund.
Our faith is our strength and so we organize prayer vigils to defend our faith, families, and life.
Wishing you a blessed Easter Season
Sincerely Yours,
Brian Jenkins
Outreach Coordinator
Quebec Life Coalition
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This is what the world wants to ban
Do you know what conversion therapy is? It's an intervention that aims to lead a person struggling with same-sex attractions to feel these attractions less and, simultaneously, to develop attractions for people of the opposite sex. Nothing more natural than such therapies.
However, these therapies are now illegal in Quebec and Canada. In Quebec, anyone who advertises or offers such therapy faces fines of up to $150,000 and criminal prosecution. And this, even if this therapy is offered to an adult who requests it and consents to it! How is this possible in a country that claims to be in favor of freedom of expression and belief?
Here we see all the hypocrisy of our ruling class: so-called freedom is granted for the exercise of evils such as abortion, euthanasia and gay "marriage" while being forbidden to those who want to live according to the truth -- in the case of therapies, the truth about human sexuality.
One might think that this criminalization of "conversion therapies" is not of great importance for the vast majority of citizens. Let us not be fooled. This is a major step towards criminalizing any expression condemning the immorality that prevails today. Above all, it is an outright attack on Christianity, which is fundamentally incompatible with the LGBT "lifestyle". Indeed, the criminalization of "conversion therapy" is only a thinly-veiled criminalization of conversion in the strict sense, that is to say, the condemnation of sin and the conversion of the sinner. This is what this world wants to ban: the very idea that a person could be wrong and that he ought to change his life, with the help of Christ.
Recently, pseudo-journalists from the Métro newspaper infiltrated Christian groups to find providers of conversion therapy. It's a real witch hunt and it's scandalous that a publication lends itself to such an exercise. We must fight with all our might this latent persecution of people of good will and of Christians.
***
I wanted to thank those who donated to our Lenten fundraising campaign. According to my latest calculations, we exceeded our initial goal of 12,000$! But if you haven't donated yet, help us surpass our goal even further, allowing us to reach even more people with our Life-giving message.
For Life,
Georges Buscemi
P.S. P.S. The closing ceremony of the 40 Days for Life vigil will be held in Montreal on Sunday, April 2, 2023, at 3 p.m., at the northwest corner of Berri and Sainte-Catherine (1400 Berri street). Program: Rosary of Divine Mercy, adoration before the Blessed Sacrament, followed by a light fraternal meal.
Also, don't forget to put The National March for Life on your calendar. This event is held this year on Thursday, May 11. Watch the video to learn more!
1 reaction Read moreWhen the media become the sleuths of power to unearth "conversion therapies"
Blog by Augustin Hamilton (Campaign Life Coalition) — WavebreakMediaMicro/Adobe Stock
An article in the Métro newspaper tells us that reporters from the rag have been introducing themselves to Protestant churches as people uncomfortable with their "sexual orientation" and seeking a solution to it, in order to find out if they offer "conversion therapies" — illegal in Canada, and more so in Quebec.
According to Métro:
Some churches are offering conversion therapies for LGBTQ+ people in Montreal, a year after Canada passed a law banning them. Journalists from Métro investigated these churches claiming to want to change their sexual orientation and obtained one of these therapies, which is similar to an exorcism.
Note that said journalists did not hesitate to lie to flush out the purveyors of "conversion therapies," but that the Métro article does not hesitate to point out that these churches denied providing "therapies" when openly questioned by the newspaper. Oh, while we're at it, can you tell me when reporters stop lying so I know if they're telling the truth in their article?
But what is "conversion therapy"? "Conversion therapy" is the term used in Canada's Bill C-4 and Quebec's Bill 70 to refer to any attempt to change or repress a person's "sexual orientation", "gender identity" or "gender expression". However, both laws agree to prohibit only "conversion therapies" aimed at "changing a person's sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression or repressing non-heterosexual sexual behaviour," to quote the Quebec law. So why not prohibit "therapies" that are intended to make a person homosexual? The "therapies" that the Métro spies went through consisted of prayers from the pastor of the church they were seeking, and some advice.
One of the reporters (still under the mask of a lie...) contacted a pastor, claiming he wanted to help his younger brother get over his "sexual orientation," leading Pastor Karl DeSouza to reveal that he would know of support groups for such a person, according to Métro :
1 reaction Read moreThe pastor offered to put the young man in touch with support groups located in various places in Canada, including some in Montreal. These groups would be made up of "Christian brothers and sisters" who are "struggling with homosexuality" and who could testify about how they are "overcoming it."
"You are not alone," he assured him. "Once I make contact with these people, they will put me in the network where they will give me other contacts."
Le Journal de Montréal confirms that “Baby Daniel’s” abortion took place
Augustin Hamilton’s Blog (Quebec Life Coalition)
Yesterday, February 16, 2023, Le Journal de Montréal published an article written by Héloïse Archambault, with the collaboration of Frédérique Giguère, reporting that a hospital felt "compelled to call the police because of aggressive anti-choice activists", essentially confirming that the baby, whom we have nicknamed "Daniel", had indeed been aborted.
This confirms, if it were necessary, that when we announced "Baby Daniel’s" forthcoming late abortion we were not spreading false news, whatever some people may think...
To take the case back to its beginning, before addressing Archambault's article, let's first look at the chronology of events as we have learned it.
On the morning of February 1, 2023, a whistleblower contacted a pro-life organization other than ours, via social networks, to communicate her dismay. She was aware of an exceptional medical staff meeting at Montreal’s Sacré-Coeur Hospital on how to perform an abortion at 38 weeks of pregnancy the next morning.
Faced with the revelation that this barbaric, disgusting act would take place at 38 weeks, we sent an email to our subscribers the same day, asking them to pray that the abortion would not take place, that a baby would be saved.
Later that day, a pro-life Montrealer, Marie-Josée Rivest, contacted us: she had called Sacré-Coeur Hospital and an employee of the institution had confirmed to her that this late-term abortion was really going to take place the next day. Note also that about 100 people responded to our email, but other than Mrs. Rivest, no one informed us as to whether they had contacted the hospital in any way.
The following day, February 2, 2023, our first source informed us that the abortion had taken place as planned.
At noon on Friday, February 10, 2023, Quebec Life Coalition held a press conference at the corner of Fréchette Street and Gouin Boulevard West, not far from Sacré-Coeur Hospital. Note that the rally took place more than 50 meters from the hospital, in order to comply with the exclusion zone imposed by law 92 around places performing abortions.
Click here to view the press conference.
1 reaction Read moreOur modern societies
Our modern societies feed on the sacrifice of unborn children and other vulnerable people, without which they could not continue to flee God and His commandments. Like a steam locomotive which, frantically fueled by coal, rushes towards the abyss, our society is speeding towards its destruction, while filling the crematorium ovens of its hospitals with the remains of unborn children.
In such a situation, and especially in this time of Lent, the little pro-life flock must turn to the ardent hearth of the Heart of Christ, to receive, in this spiritual winter, warmth and consolation.
Your generosity through sacrifice and prayer
Thank you for donating to our Lenten fundraising campaign, which begins today. Because among the elect called by our God, creator of all human life, there are those who will be touched by the pro-life message. Through your donations, you provide us with the means to reach as many people as possible, through our website, through our videos on YouTube, through our meetings and events, through our paper publications. As Saint Paul said, "how will they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how will they hear about it, if there is no one preaching?" Thank you for helping us "preach" the truth about faith, family and life, from conception to natural death. Your donations and your prayers support us in our work.
For Life,
Georges Buscemi
P.S. This Lenten season, I hope you can join us in person or through prayer at the 40 Days for Life Vigil, being held at the northeast corner of Sainte-Catherine and Berri Streets in Montreal. For 40 days in a row, 12 hours a day, until April 2, we will be outside the downtown abortion centers to pray and fast for an end to abortion. For more information, you can go here. Also, I encourage you to read the interview with our 40 Days organizer, Brian Jenkins.
Also, don't forget to put The National March for Life on your calendar. This event is held this year on Thursday, May 11. Watch the video to learn more!
Finally, the CLC and the Interim 2023 summer internship programme for pro-life students is now accepting candidates. These are paid internships in which students will learn about the philosophy of the pro-life movement, practical apologetics, various modes of action, from administrative tasks, to writing articles, to design or management of social networks, to participation in concrete events.
For more details, click here.
1 reaction Read moreFlight attendant of 14 years quits her job to save babies from abortion
Katie Somers in her flight attendant uniform on the left and her activism role on the right --Photos: Katie Somers
By Joanne of Arc for Quebec Life Coalition
How does a flight attendant go from traveling across Canada to spending most of her time in the streets of Toronto talking about abortion?
Katie Somers is the Outreach director at Toronto Right to Life, a pro-life organization that condemns all forms of abortion-related violence and works to make abortion “unthinkable.” However, before she dedicated herself to the pro-life cause, she was a flight attendant for 14 years working domestically across Canada, a job she told Quebec Life Coalition that she absolutely loved, but felt called by God to leave so that she could work for the pro-life movement.
In 2015, Katie involved herself in activism on Toronto’s city streets and campuses. This is also the year that she saw an abortion video on social media that compelled her to make the move permanently into activism.
In January 2023, Quebec Life Coalition held a conference titled Students for Life during which Katie shared about her experiences doing pro-life activism. She encouraged the students to be bold, because, she said, “ordinary people like you and me, with just a little bit of training and guidance can have powerful impacts on the pro-life cause.”
Katie speaking at the "Students for Life" event held by Quebec Life Coalition January 14th - Photo: Joanne Of Arc
A perfect vigil for Lent
This Lenten season, I hope you can join us in person or through prayer at the 40 Days for Life Vigil, being held at the northeast corner of Sainte-Catherine and Berri Streets in Montreal. For 40 days in a row, 12 hours a day, until April 2, we will be outside the downtown abortion centers to pray and fast for an end to abortion. For more information, you can go here. Also, I encourage you to read the interview with our 40 Days organizer, Brian Jenkins.
Also, don't forget to put The National March for Life on your calendar. This event is held this year on Thursday, May 11. Watch the video to learn more!
For Life,
Georges Buscemi
P.S. The CLC and the Interim 2023 summer internship programme for pro-life students is now accepting candidates. These are paid internships in which students will learn about the philosophy of the pro-life movement, practical apologetics, various modes of action, from administrative tasks, to writing articles, to design or management of social networks, to participation in concrete events.
For more details, click here.
This Week's Quebec Pro-Life News
The 40 Days for Life vigil started in Quebec on Ash Wednesday
Montreal — The 40 Days for Life vigil started in Montreal, Quebec on Ash Wednesday.
Why go to the March for Life? Father Alain Vaillancourt, pastor of the Marie-Reine-du-Monde Cathedral answers
Father Alain Vaillancourt, pastor of the Cathedral Marie-Reine-du-Monde in Montreal, agreed to speak with Quebec Life Coalition about March for Life.
This 18-year-old from Quebec started a pro-life organization called "Action Vitale"
Philippe, an 18-year-old student from Cégep du Vieux Montréal who is studying social science, founded a pro-life group called "Action Vitale". Philippe and his group meet weekly near a popular metro station in Montreal to engage with college and university students on the topic of abortion.