Windsor man becomes latest to reject Order of Canada
Canadian Press, July 10th, 2008 various newspapers across Canada
WINDSOR-A Windsor man honoured two decades ago for helping orphaned girls worldwide said today that he doesn't want to be painted with the same brush as Dr. Henry Morgentaler and will return his Order of Canada in protest.
"I've got nothing against the man," Frank Chauvin said. "He does what he thinks is right, but I think it's wrong."
The retired police detective, who has been applauded for creating an orphanage for abandoned girls in Port-au-Prince, Haiti, said he's not opposed to women's rights.
"My job has been for many years feeding children," said Chauvin, who also said he provides food and money to girls in Egypt, Kenya, India and Ethiopia.
"I've got over 200 girls I take care of in Third World countries, so I'm not opposed to women's rights or I wouldn't be helping these girls."
The 74-year old said he has mixed emotions about giving up the cherished honour, which means he also has to give up the privilege of swearing in new Canadians. He added that his personal feelings outweighed a fear of letting those down who voted for him to be named to the honour.
Chauvin said he is still baffled that Morgentaler received the distinction despite widespread protest.
"It's supposed to be a unanimous decision and it wasn't," said Chauvin.
Yesterday, former New Brunswick lieutenant-governor Gilbert Finn said he'd return his Order of Canada in protest. The 87-year-old said the award's value has decreased.
Members of the Madonna House, a Catholic organization, returned the medal given to the group's late founder on Tuesday and, last week, British Columbia priest Rev. Lucien Larre also returned his award.
TV Show about Parental Alienation
W5 investigates: Children on the frontlines of divorce
November 7, 2009
The world of divorce is scary for any child. But when a divorce becomes especially toxic, children can become the target of an unrelenting crusade by one parent to destroy the child's relationship with the other. Experts call it parental alienation.
A Kidnapped Mind
What does Parental Alienation Syndrome mean? In my case, it meant losing a child. When Dash was 4 1/2 years old his father and I broke up. I dealt with the death of our marriage and moved on but Peter stayed angry, eventually turning it toward his own house, teaching our son, day by day, bit by bit, to reject me. Parental Alienation Syndrome typically means one parent's pathological hatred, the other's passivity and a child used as a weapon of war. When Dash's wonderful raw materials were taken and shaken and melted down, he was recast as a foot soldier in a war against me.
Divorced Parents Move, and Custody Gets Trickier
The New York Times, New York city, U.S.A. August 8, 2004
Not too long ago, Jacqueline Scott Sheid was a pretty typical Upper East Side mother. Divorced and with a young daughter, she had quickly remarried, borne a son, and interrupted her career to stay home with the children while her husband, Xavier Sheid, worked on Wall Street.
Early last year, Mr. Sheid lost his job and saw his only career opportunity in California. But Ms. Sheid's ex-husband, who shares joint legal custody of their daughter, refused to allow the girl to move away. So Ms. Sheid has spent much of the last year using JetBlue to shuttle between her son and husband on the West Coast and her daughter (and ex) on the East.
The New York court system, which she hoped would help her family to resolve the problem, has cost her tens of thousands of dollars in fees for court-appointed experts, she said, and has helped to prolong the process by objecting to her choice of lawyers.
Judge rules father brainwashed son into hating mother
Globe and Mail
May 15, 2008
Toronto - A 13-year-old Ontario boy whose domineering father systematically brainwashed him into hating his mother can be flown against his will to a U.S. facility that deprograms children who suffer from parental alienation, an Ontario Superior Court judge has ruled.
Mr. Justice James Turnbull ordered the boy - identified only as LS - into the custody of his mother. He said that the boy urgently needs professional intervention to reverse the father's attempt to poison his mind toward his mother and, in all probability, to women in general.
The View - Parental Alienation - Alec Baldwin and Jill Egizii - Both Genders Can be Victims
Landmark Ruling Grants Father Custody of Children
PA News (U.K.), July 3, 2004
A key court decision to grant a father custody of his daughters after the mother flouted contact orders for four years was today welcomed by campaigners.
Fathers 4 Justice said that the High Court ruling was a vital victory and called for more judges to take a similar stance when faced with resistant parents.
The comments come after Mrs Justice Bracewell transferred the residence of two young girls to their father because the mother persistently refused him contact, despite court orders. Read More ..
Custody judges rule on vengeance
Courts criticized for recognizing 'parental alienation'
National Post
March 27, 2009
Toronto -- The scope of the courts' reach into family affairs has long been contentious, but a recent trend in Canada's legal system has brought a new controversy that has some onlookers praising judges and others condemning them for accepting what they call "voodoo science."
More than ever before, Canada's judges are recognizing that some children of divorced and warring parents are not simply living an unfortunate predicament, but rather are victims of child abuse and suffering from Parental Alienation Syndrome. Read More ..