OPEN LETTER
TO ONTARIO PREMIER DALTON McGUINTY
Don't
ghettoize women's rights
Margaret Atwood, Maude
Barlow, June Callwood, Shirley Douglas, Michele Landsberg, Flora MacDonald, Margaret Norrie
McCain, Maureen McTeer, Sonja Smits,
Lois Wilson
In support of the “No
Religious Arbitration Coalition”
Saturday, September 10,
2005
Dear Mr. McGuinty:
An important tenet of
Canadian democracy hangs in the balance of your response to the matter of
religious arbitration in the province
of Ontario. While many Canadians
may assume that we are all governed by one system of laws, created by publicly
elected officials who are accountable to the electorate, your government is
poised to shift the ground under this cornerstone of liberal democracy.
While our public system
of law is not always perfect, it is designed to recognize the realities of all
citizens and is open to public scrutiny and improvement. Such is not the case
with private systems of law, such as religious laws.
The public may identify
this issue from media reports as "Sharia law in Ontario," but they,
and you, need to understand that this is a matter of the formal separation of
all religious matters from the business of the state. This is in no way an
infringement on religious freedom, which we endorse as an equally important
tenet of Canadian democracy. Religion should simply remain an important part of
the lives of citizens but not of public law.
Surely the separation of
church and state is understood by today's politicians to be the fertile ground
upon which modern, rights-based democracies such as that in Canada have
flourished. Arbitrariness, petty theocracies and selective -- rather than
universal -- access to public law await us if we simply treat this issue as a
detail in the daily business of government.
Ontario's commitment to religious freedom, anti-racism and
multiculturalism are very important to us and to all Ontarians. Some have
argued that to deny arbitration based on religious laws is a breach of these
commitments.
We do not agree.
Allowing the use of
religious arbitration will lead to divisiveness, the ghettoization
of members of religious communities as well as human-rights abuses,
particularly for those who hold the least institutional power within the
community, namely women and children.
We urge you to speak
strongly in favour of Ontario's commitment to one system of laws
for all, as well as for freedom of religion and anti-racism. Prohibit the use
of religion in the arbitration of family law disputes through appropriate
amendments to the Arbitration Act. The eyes of the world are quite literally
watching Ontario
at this time to see if we have the courage to move forward on this issue in a
way that preserves our common bond and is inclusive and respectful of all.
Sincerely,
Margaret Atwood
Maude Barlow
June Callwood
Shirley Douglas
Michele Landsberg
Flora MacDonald
Margaret Norrie McCain
Maureen McTeer
Sonja Smits
Lois Wilson
In support of the “No
Religious Arbitration Coalition”