Brothers and sisters in Christ,

You may remember the letter about same-sex unions which I sent to you in August 2003, recalling the Church's position on Marriage and the fact that there cannot be marriage without the lifelong union of a man and a woman in mutual fidelity to assure the continuity of human life and the diversity of gifts to the raising of children. I also invited you to establish an informed opinion on this subject and encouraged you to share this opinion with your Federal Members of Parliament who in turn should show their true colours while being coherent with the Faith which inspires them.

Since that time, the government decided to refer its own questions on the matter to the Supreme Court and to ask for its opinion. The Court recently responded to three of the four questions posed by the government, while refusing to venture an opinion on the constitutionality of marriage as the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others. In addition, the Supreme Court itself returned the entire matter to the government in order that Parliament may vote on a Bill which would greatly modify the very nature of marriage within the society that we and your children live in.

In their response to the Supreme Court opinion, the Ontario bishops expressed their dismay but welcomed the Court's acknowledgement that religious groups will not be forced to solemnize or support marriages which are contrary to their convictions. However, since the Supreme Court has left the final decision about the definition of marriage to the Members of Federal Parliament, I ask you to play an active role in the maintenance of the traditional interpretation of marriage, as the union of one man and one woman. I continue to believe that Parliament could very well leave the definition of marriage unchanged, while respecting the legitimate needs of persons who live other types of interpersonal relationships.

As Catholics, we have a duty and a right in the democratic process, to make our voices heard in this debate before it is too late. These are momentous and far-reaching decisions. Your members of Parliament need to hear from you. Write, phone or email the Prime Minister, your Member of Parliament and the leaders of the political parties and let them know that the definition of marriage must be upheld for the common good of our society.

Personally, I have made my position known to the Members of Parliament in our Diocese. I now ask you, as your Bishop, to make your opinion known, since every voice will be important during the free vote which will be held in the House of Commons. Finally, we need to pray that our Members of Parliament are guided so that they make wise decisions which will have an impact on future generations, and that they do so solely for the good of all. May God guide us in this historic moment.

Yours sincerely in Christ,
+Jean-Louis Plouffe
Bishop of Sault Ste. Marie

Sudbury, ON
January 18, 2005

This letter is also available in PDF Format

Contact information for local Members of Parliament

Raymond Bonin, Member for Nickel Belt, ON
Diane Marleau, Member for Sudbury, ON
Tony Martin, Member for Sault Ste. Marie, ON
Anthony Rota, Member for Nipissing-Timiskaming, ON
Brent St. Denis, Member for Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing, ON

Paul Martin, Prime Minister
Irwin Cotler, Federal Minister of Justice
Jack Layton, Leader of the Federal New Democratic Party
Stephen Harper, Leader of the Federal Conservative Party
Gilles Duceppe, Leader of the Bloc Québécois

Model Letters

Some examples of model letters to Members of Parliament are available. NOTE that a personal letter is always preferable since it allows Members of Parliament to understand the depth of their constituents' convictions and the extent of their concerns.

Prayers

Various prayers written by the Holy Father, Blessed Teresa of Calcuta and Evangelium Vitae are available.

OCCB

The Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops published a press release in reaction to the recent statements by the Hon. Pierre Pettigrew, Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade. Other information is also available on the OCCB website.