TORONTO – The silent majority would seem to no longer wish to stay silent. On May 21, 2021, the Supreme Court of Canada (SCC) rendered a unanimous decision reaffirming the Constitutional rights of voluntary religious organizations to be free from the interference of the state on matters of doctrine and dogma.
Doctrine and dogma are at the core of a belief system that determines how people choose to live their lives, build and nurture a culture guiding interpersonal relationships and nurturing a value structure. Schools are essential to that process.
Catholics are not ready to give up on theirs. The Catholic school system, while not directly a part of the decision, was front of mind for the Appellants to the SCC, as it was for some of its traditional adversaries, if not “enemies”, who presented as intervenors: Canadian Civil Liberties Association, the British Columbia Humanist Association and Egale Canada Human Rights Trust (“public face” of the LGBTQ movement).
The decision effectively told them they could have no claim on Catholic schools and reaffirmed the authority of the magisterium in determining the “character” of the Catholic schools. In Toronto, radical activists who had seized control of the Board and senior administrative positions may consequently be exposed to potential legal counter measures.
On May 22, three days before the successful parties to that decision issued public statements on the decision, the Toronto Catholic District School Board was served with a “Formal Notice” that some Catholics are readying to take back what is rightfully theirs in law.
Its author, Mark Evans, former newspaper editor and a professional director of communications, appears to have a network of legal expertise to inform his decisions. He warned that a “$50M lawsuit will be initiated on June 1, 2021, against any Trustee who voted for – or illegally authorized – the raising of ’anti-Catholic sexual-perversion-gender-confusion’ flags in front of Christ’s cross at any Catholic school in the Archdiocese of Toronto.”
Mr. Evans declined the opportunity to elaborate by email, but the language of the debate has begun to change. The acrimony in the rest of the letter is palpable (we will not reprint it all) and directly warns that the author – and others for whom he purportedly speaks – “…will not be… disgraced by your anti-Catholic assault on those of us who are faithful Catholics.”
Virtually all of the more recognizable Catholic Agencies – including the Catholic Civil Rights League, REAL Women, PAFE, Cardinal Collins – along with mainstream Media (CBC, CTV) were alerted/copied.
If Mr. Evans follows through, this multi-million-dollar lawsuit against “dissenter trustees” will be piled on the others already served or being prepared against the TCDSB and those Dissenter Trustees – whose legitimacy to hold office has been challenged but remains unresolved.
Full disclosure: the Corriere Canadese and its publisher have served Statements of Claim on four of the trustees for libel, slander and defamation.
Schools remain closed. Programming for this year or next September seems to be deferred yet again. None of this seems to perturb the Director of Education or the Dissenter Trustees. They are proceeding with “virtual ceremonies” to celebrate the inauguration of Pride Month.
Mr. Evans and people like him are promising even more action.
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