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A Talk by Gary Bauslaugh – Assisted Death in Canada – What Went Wrong

Date: Thursday, September 29th, 2016

Time: 7:30pm – 9:00pm

Location: Mount Royal University, Room EA 1004 (Faculty of the Arts) (see map below)

Cost: free for CFI and MRU Secular Humanists members (with card) and $10 for the general public

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View this event on Meetup.

Gary Bauslaugh is the author of three books related to assisted death in Canada; his most recent (The Right to Die, April 2016) tells the stories of the courageous Canadians, from the 1940s to the present, whose often heroic actions helped create a climate of acceptance of the idea that assisted death should be legalized in Canada.

The Supreme Court of Canada’s historic ruling in February, 2015, declared the law prohibiting assisted death unconstitutional, and provided guidelines for new legislation which would be in tune with our Charter of Rights and Freedoms.

Then it was up to the politicians to pass actual legislation, an exercise that many of whom have been advocates for progressive reform on assisted dying looked forward to with great hope and anticipation.

The results, however, were problematic. Bauslaugh spoke out against the proposed legislation and on May 6 was called to Ottawa to speak on the matter to the House of Commons Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights. His views were reflected in the Senate’s initial rejection of the legislation.

Still, the flawed Bill was passed in June – a negation of the efforts of many Canadians, over many years, to protect the right of grievously ill and suffering Canadians to have a dignified and peaceful death.

In his talk Bauslaugh discusses how and why this happened and looks at where we go from here.

Gary Bauslaugh is a Victoria writer who has served as President of the Humanist Association of Canada and on the board of CFI Canada. He was Editor of Humanist Perspectives for five years. Recent books include The Right to Die – the courageous Canadians who gave us the right to a dignified death; Robert Latimer, a story of justice and mercy; and The Secret Power of Juries. (All published by James Lorimer and Co., Toronto).

Tickets will be sold at the door. This event is free for CFI and MRU Secular Humanists members (with card) and $10 for the general public.

2016 Calgary Pride Parade

When: Sunday, September 4th, 2016 at 10:45am

Where: Centre Street and 8th Ave. (Stephen Ave), Calgary, AB

Visit our Meetup Event page for up-to-date information.

Join us for CFI Calgary’s 6th year of participation in the Calgary Pride Parade on Sunday, September 4, 2016.

At CFI Calgary we support Pride because we stand for secular values and freedom of inquiry, and oppose religious based bigotry. This is a Humanist opportunity for people to join us in support of positive social change.

We have CFI Calgary Pride T-shirts that will be available for $10. The T-shirt design is the same from previous years, so you can wear your old one.

The Parade starts at Center Street and 8th Ave S (aka, Stephen Ave), and proceeds West towards Shaw Millennium Park. This family friendly parade sees upwards of 60,000 spectators as over 125 entries from community groups, corporations, politicians, churches and public services roll through the heart of downtown, and celebrates the tremendous diversity of Calgary’s community.

The parade starts at 12 noon and we will need to be in place at 11:30. More exact details as to where we will meet will be released closer to the event.

Pride Calgary is all about, well, Pride! So please, have fun! Make some noise and promote equal attitudes and treatment of all citizens of Canada!

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CFI Calgary Supports Gay Rights at the 2014 Calgary Pride Parade

CFI Canada has been a long-time supporter of LGBT rights, and participates in Pride Parades across the nation. This is CFI Calgary’s fifth year marching in the Calgary Pride Parade. We march because we believe that Gay Rights are Human Rights and we proudly support this cause. Suppressing a group’s rights based on Faith Based Bigotry is something that we will always stand together with others to oppose.

CFI Calgary's Parade Banner

CFI Calgary’s Parade Banner

What is the Centre For Inquiry – Calgary?

CFI Calgary started in 2007 and is a vibrant and growing community of Skeptics, Freethinkers, Atheists, Agnostics and Humanists. We interact with around 800 members who follow our Facebook Page and/or Facebook Group. Another 700 members are part of the “CFI Calgary Atheists & Secular Humanists” group on Meetup.com. We also partner with, and support campus groups such as The University of Calgary Freethinkers and the Mount Royal University Humanists club.  (more…)

 Calgary Pride 2014

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CFI Calgary Statement Re: Calgary Doctor Refuses to Prescribe Birth Control

Medicine and Health is one of three broad areas of education and activism that Centre for Inquiry Calgary focuses on. The issue regarding Dr. Chantal Barry of Westglen Medical Centre, and her refusal to prescribe contraceptives based on religious beliefs is of great concern to us and Calgarians. Public polls on this issue through the Calgary Herald, Global News Calgary, and CTV Calgary all show a resounding negative public reaction against this Doctor’s actions.

At Centre for Inquiry Calgary, we strongly disapprove when medical treatment is influenced by personal beliefs, whether they are cultural, religious, moral, bigoted, or racist. All Albertans have the right to receive equal and appropriate care from all Physicians. Under the Canadian Charter of Rights and freedoms, a person cannot be discriminated against based on race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, sex, age or mental or physical disability.

A Physician who refuses medical treatment based on a personal or religious belief is using that as an excuse to force their beliefs onto others and to discriminate. Specifically, when a Physician refuses to prescribe contraceptives because of religious beliefs, they are discriminating against that person, because they have differing religious beliefs.

Under the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta’s policy on Moral or Religious Beliefs Affecting Medical Care, doctors can refuse to provide medical services, but must ensure the patient is offered timely access to those services from another practitioner. In the case of Dr. Chantal Barry of Westglen Medical Centre, timely access is not given. If a Physician refuses to give medical treatment to a patient, we feel that “timely access” should mean “seamless access”.

When Dr. Barry is working alone at the clinic, there is no seamless access for the patients that she has denied medical services to. At a minimum, Dr. Barry should not be permitted to be the sole Doctor on duty at a medical practice to ensure that patients can receive all the necessary medical care entitled to all Canadians.