F.A.C.T. Information: The Ontario Legislature
More upsetting stuff and great information is available through F.A.C.T. See our home page at www.fact.on.ca

Sung by a group, that is NOT in Ontario. This is what our government has taken away from the population of this province with Bill 117.

Well I got a hammer, and I got a bell,
and I got a song to sing, all over this land.
It's the hammer of Justice, it's the bell of Freedom,
it's the song about Love between my brothers and my sisters,
all over this land.

from the song If I had a Hammer performed by Peter, Paul and Marry

Bill 117 -- October, 2000

Bill 117, is the Progressive Conservative's release of a bill worse than what so revolted Ontarians that the Liberals under Mrs~Lyn McLeod lost an election that they were sure to win. This Bill allows the government to strip families, assets, incomes and children from --- guess who, men --- if they are alleged to have said, or even not said, a wrong word. This horrendous bill is simply another step from the Ontario legislature to turn back the clock of time to first, debtors prison, and now to destroy the Magna Carta and reintroduce the Law of Forfeiture. If you ever thought that we were sliding back into the Middle Ages, this government is the proof.

You can read this final version of the Bill as captured from the Ontario Legislature's website at ( http://www.ontla.on.ca ) or here, from FACT, in HTML format or PDF format. This version indicates that Royal Assent has been granted.

In addition, and so you can keep track FOREVER of who is doing what to this society, we have also captured and editted the Hansard's for the "debate" on second reading of the Bill and the committee sessions to date. Look at what your representatives have to say, and see if they are just parrotting the incorrect and invalid fantasy statistics that are completely invalidated by real emprical research (e.g. see the Domestic Violence section of this site). The bulk of the witnesses were from groups that are stakeholders but totally excluded from the drafting of this bill -- with valid comments that will obviously be totally ignored. Yes, Common Sense is REVOLTED. You can read these Hansards here as follows:

  • October 3, 2000 House of Commons: Second Reading of the Bill: Mr Gerry Martiniuk, Ms Frances Lankin, Mr Joseph N. Tascona, Mr Doug Galt, Mrs Lyn McLeod, Mr Garfield Dunlop, Mr David Caplan, Mr Michael Bryant, Mr Michael Gravelle

  • October 4, 2000 House of Commons: Second Reading of the Bill continued: Ms Frances Lankin, Mr David Tilson, Mr Gerry Phillips, Mr Tony Martin, Hon John R. Baird, Ms Marilyn Mushinski, Mr Dominic Agostino, Mr Joseph Spina, Mr Gilles Bisson, Mrs Claudette Boyer, Mr Doug Galt, Mr James J. Bradley, M. Jean-Marc Lalonde, Mr Garry J. Guzzo, Mr Bart Maves, Mrs Sandra Pupatello.

  • October 5, 2000 House of Commons: Second Reading of the Bill continued: Mr Rosario Marchese, Mrs Julia Munro, Mr David Caplan, Ms Marilyn Mushinski, Mr Dwight Duncan, Mr R. Gary Stewart, Mr Gerry Phillips, Mr Frank Mazzilli, Mr James J. Bradley, Mr Dave Levac, Mr Bart Maves, Mr Garfield Dunlop, Mr Joseph Spina, Mrs Leona Dombrowsky, Mr John Gerretsen.

  • October 23, 2000 Commitee Meeting: Introduction to the Committee by the Attorney General's office: Mr David Tilson, parliamentary assistant, Ms Joana Kuras, executive lead, victims' services, Ms Anne Marie Predko, counsel.

  • October 24, 2000 Committee Meeting: Witnesses before the Committee: Equal Parents of Canada, Alliance of Canadian Second Stage Housing Programs (Ontario Caucus), Human Equality Action and Resource Team, Mr Brian Jenkins, Fathers Are Capable Too--Parenting Association, Children's Voice, Mr Walter Fox, Mr Gene Colosimo

  • October 30, 2000 Committee Meeting: Witnesses before the Committee: Ontario Association of Interval and Transition Houses, Office for Victims of Crime, Woman Abuse Council, Cross-Sectoral Violence Against Women Strategy Group, Canadian Children's Rights Council, Women's Place of St Catharines, Durham Region Custody and Access Project, Mothers for Kids.

  • October 31, 2000 Committee Meeting: Witnesses before the Committee: Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children, Freedom for Kids, Second Spouses of Canada, Canadian Bar Association--Ontario, Family Lawyers' Association, Advocates' Society; Criminal Lawyers' Association, Sanator Anne Cools. MP Roger Gallaway

  • November 14, 2000 Committee Meeting: this is the point-by-point reading of the legislation. Anne Marie Predko (Ministry of the Attorney General), Peter Kormos, Toby Barrett, Marcel Beaubien, Tina R. Molinari, Lyn McLeod, David Tilson,

  • November 27, 2000 Committee Meeting: this is the apparently unscheduled point-by-point reading of the legislation snuck in on the day of the federal election. The process is not yet finished as the Liberals attempt to extend the bill to cover just about everything. Anne Marie Predko (Ministry of the Attorney General), Marilyn Mushinski, Michael Bryant, David Tilson, Peter Kormos, Marcel Beaubien.

  • December 5, 2000 House of Commons: this is the House ordering the Bill back from committee and forcings its passage through the House without debate. This autocrat, undemocratic, and rights-repealing bill will be foisted on the people of this Province of Ontario by the Progressive Conservative Government led by Michael Harris by Jim Flaherty, the Attorney-General and the Minister of Justice of Ontario. This will be their legacy -- remember this "common sense" government. Peter Kormos, Michael Bryant, Jim Flaherty, Frank Klees, David Tilson, Gerry Phillips, Gerard Kennedy, Marilyn Churley, Marie Bountrogianni, Bert Johnson, Leona Dombrowsky, Claudette Boyer.

  • December 11, 2000 Committee Meeting: this is the prefunctory look at the Bill before returning it to the house under the Dec. 5, 2999 order from the House.

  • December 12, 2000 House of Commons: this is Bill 117 returning from committee and awaiting the final kick before approval.

  • December 18, 2000 House of Commons: This is Bill 117's third reading. No debate, few words and no recorded vote. The cowards who support this legislation don't have the conviction to even let their constituents know. Remember this in the next election.

Vist http://sharedparent.freeyellow.com/WhatYouCanDo/Bill117.html for some suggestions about what you can do.