Help us build an inclusive City of Mississauga. Several Councillors and the Mayor claim there is no support to remove the Lord’s Prayer.
Take a few minutes to prove them wrong. The following is in order of quickness but reverse order of effectiveness.
For samples of messages and arguments scroll to the bottom.
1. E-mail all City Councillors and the Mayor.
It is best to send personalized emails to each individual, but if you are low on time copy the entire list into a single email. Be sure to use the “bcc” field
mayor@mississauga.ca, jim.tovey@mississauga.ca, karen.ras@mississauga.ca,
chris.fonseca@mississauga.ca, carolyn.parrish@mississauga.ca, ron.starr@mississauga.ca,
nando.iannicca@mississauga.ca, matt.mahoney@mississauga.ca, pat.saito@mississauga.ca,
Sue.McFadden@mississauga.ca, george.carlson@mississauga.ca
Mayor Bonnie Crombie: mayor@mississauga.ca
Ward 1 Councillor Jim Tovey: jim.tovey@mississauga.ca
Ward 2 Councillor Karen Ras: karen.ras@mississauga.ca
Ward 3 Councillor Chris Fonseca: chris.fonseca@mississauga.ca
Ward 5 Councillor Carolyn Parrish: carolyn.parrish@mississauga.ca
Ward 6 Councillor Ron Starr: ron.starr@mississauga.ca
Ward 7 Councillor Nando Iannicca: nando.iannicca@mississauga.ca
Ward 8 Councillor Matt Mahoney: matt.mahoney@mississauga.ca
Ward 9 Councillor Pat Saito: pat.saito@mississauga.ca
Ward 10 Councillor Sue McFadden: Sue.McFadden@mississauga.ca
Ward 11 Councillor George Carlson: george.carlson@mississauga.ca
2. Call all City Councillors and the Mayor.
Mayor Bonnie Crombie: (905) 896-5555
Ward 1 Councillor Jim Tovey: 905-896-5100
Ward 2 Councillor Karen Ras: 905-896-5200
Ward 3 Councillor Chris Fonseca: 905-896-5300
Ward 5 Councillor Carolyn Parish: 905-896-5500
Ward 6 Councillor Ron Starr: 905-896-5600
Ward 7 Councillor Nando Iannicca: 905-896-5700
Ward 8 Councillor Matt Mahoney: 905-896-5800
Ward 9 Councillor Pat Saito: 905-896-5900
Ward 10 Councillor Sue McFadden: 905-896-5010
Ward 11 Councillor George Carlson: 905-896-5011
3. Mail all City Councillors and the Mayor. It is best to make these hand written notes.
Mayor Bonnie Crombie:
Mayor Bonnie Crombie
Office of the Mayor
City of Mississauga
300 City Centre Drive, Mississauga, Ontario L5B 3C1
Mail to each Councillor using the name of the Councillor and the same mailing address as above.
4. File a formal complaint (only formal complaints get registered and reported to the entire Council)
Fill out this document and submit it
Sample filled out form: Derek Gray prayer complaint
5. Request to make a deputation and present to the Council. Call 311 from within Mississauga or 905-615-4311 from outside city limits.
Samples of messages and arguments
It is important that messages appear fresh and unique, so instead of providing pre-written paragraphs to copy and paste, here are some points to include
The full CSA position statement is here
– reciting prayer is illegal. The Ontario appeals court in 1999 declared the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer unconstitutional in Ontario municipalities and the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal has found that all forms of prayer are unacceptable in Ontario municipalities
– City Council is not a place for the majority but for all citizens of Mississauga
– The second largest “religious” group after Christians are those with no religious affiliation. Atheists/agnostics account for about one quarter of Canadians
– The “argument from tradition” is about the weakest argument possible. Any tradition that is not reflective of the population or is counter to the protection of minorities provided by the Constitution does not deserve to be retained. And let’s be honest here; we’re talking about something introduced by Mayor Hazel McCallion, not something centuries old that might qualify as a legitimate tradition of Mississauga. In fact Mississauga has abandoned its real tradition of secularism.
– “But there are so many other important matters” is really no argument at all. What could be more important than having our council represent all citizens with equality and within the boundaries of the law?
– Cite your background or family if you can point to religious and ethnic diversity of those in support of our position
– Religious prayers may reflect tradition, but exclusionary behaviour does not reflect contemporary Canadian values
– Mississauga is not a Christian city, nor a theist city. Religious services belong in places of worship and not in government.
Media Advisory – Marketwired
MEDIA ADVISORY – FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Mississauga Resident To Speak Against Lord’s Prayer at City Council Meeting Dec 17th
Derek Gray Backed by Canadian Secular Alliance, intervenors in Supreme Court Prayer Case
MISSISSAUGA, ONTARIO — (December 10, 2014) Mississauga resident Derek Gray has filed a complaint with Mississauga City Council calling for an end to the recitation of the Lord’s Prayer and will be called to address council on Wednesday, December 17th, 2014 at 9:00AM.
He is supported by the Canadian Secular Alliance, which intervened in the October 14th Supreme Court of Canada case to argue against all public prayer in Canada.
“The City of Mississauga is breaking the law,” said Justin Trottier, CSA Spokesperson. “The Ontario Court of Appeal has declared it unconstitutional to recite the Lord’s Prayer at city meetings.”
“Religious prayers may reflect tradition, but exclusionary behaviour does not reflect contemporary Canadian values,” said Trottier. “Mississauga is not a Christian city, nor a theist city. Religious services belong in places of worship and not in government.”
Contact:
Justin Trottier
416-402-8856
info@secularalliance.ca
-30-