The league will present de Valk with the award at its annual dinner in Toronto May 30. The dinner wi l l also feature a keynote address by MP Stephen Woodworth whose private members’ Motion-312 called for a parliamentary study examining Criminal Code provisions about when life begins.
Established in 2004, the award honours Exner, the archbishop emeritus of Vancouver, recognizing his achievements in advocacy, education, life issues, media and culture and philanthropy.
“Through his outstanding witness to the pro-life message, both through protest and through his writing, Fr. de Valk has given powerful witness to the pro-life message and to the importance of free speech,” said league president Philip Horgan. “It’s an honour to recognize Fr. de Valk after his recent retirement and reflect on his many contributions to Catholic life in Canada. “
De Valk, who co-founded the league in 1985 and was founding editor of Catholic Insight until his retirement last year, said he is honoured to receive the award.
“The league has done a great deal to help the legal side of the pro-life and pro-family movement, and I am greatly honoured to receive this award from them,” he said.
A priest since 1965, de Valk spent the early part of his career teaching. He went to work full time for Campaign Life Coalition in Toronto in 1984, and was editor of The Interim from 1987 to 1992. He co-founded the Catholic Civil Rights League in 1985, and the Ontario Family Coalition Party in 1987. De Valk founded Catholic Insight magazine in 1993. In 2006 he became part of the war against the excesses of human rights commissions when he was charged with hate speech by the Canadian Human Rights Commission after a complaint about some writings critical of homosexual conduct. He was eventually cleared of all charges.
The Catholic Civil Rights League assists in creating conditions within which Catholic teachings can be better understood, co-operates with other organizations in defending civil rights and opposes defamation and discrimination against Catholics on the basis of their beliefs.