M ne Sao 6

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Wednesday, September 18, 1985

eS

Newsstand Price 40°

M nal

Vol. 48, No. 34

mmission

Free trade: the road
to economic servitude

— pages, 4, 5 —

THE LITTLE TRUCK DRIVER

FROM BAIE COMEAY DELIVERS

Action centre hits MHR’s

Flanked by her children, Heather Co
details of sexual activity, and is now

A Vancouver woman is refusing to sign
a Ministry of Human Resources question-
naire that asks single parents to list inti-
Mate details of their sexual history.

Heather Cortner said she’s been told by

HR workers that failure to answer the
questions, which among other items seeks
information on the time and place of one’s
acts of sexual intercourse, will result in
termination of her GAIN benefits.

Staff of the Vancouver Unemployed
Action Centre, who have taken up
Cortner’s case, have called the questions

dehumanizing” and “unbelievable.”

_ “They pushed me too far,” Cortner said
M an interview, “It’s been nothing but
harassment and pushing me.”

he questions are printed in the middle
Section of a four-page MHR form (HS
1400) designed to ferret out potential
financial supporters — called ‘putative
fathers” — of single parents.
_ The MHR wants Cortner to seek finan-
cial support from the father of her young-

= child, under a program called the

amily support program introduced last
pril. Cortner points out that the man is

‘dehumanizing

&

also a GAIN recipient, and unable to pro-
vide financial support.

The ministry also wants Cortner to seek
through court action increased financial
support from her ex-husband, the father
of her first two children who has recently
remarried and is unable to provide further
support.

“As far as I’m concerned, it’s black-
mail,” said Cortner of the ministry’s threat
to cut her benefits. Cortner also said she
was forced into enrolling in the family
support program, and not told of an
option to withdraw from the program.

Among the questions asked on the
offending form are:

“Where and when did the mother meet
the putative father? Who introduced
them? :

“Where and when did the first sexual
intercourse occur? Did either party tell a
friend or relative of this sexual intercourse?
Discussion on use of contraceptives;

“When did the mother start her last
menstrual period prior to the preg-

nancy...? :
“Did the mother go out with any other

Sex quiz

rtner displays questionnaire from Ministry of Human Resources. It asks single parents
the target for action by the Vancouver Unemployed Action Centre.

men from eleven months before birth
onwards? Who? When? Where? Any wit-
nesses?

“Did the mother engage in sexual inter-
course with any other men during this
period?”

Rather than knuckle under to ministry
threats, Cortner plans to meet with her
social worker while accompanied by
advocates from the action centre, run by
the unemployment committee of the Van-
couver and District Labor Council.

Cortner contacted the unemployed
action centre on the advice of her family
doctor.

“We've had lots of cases like this, but
we’ve never seen the HS 1400 form
before,” said action centre volunteer John
Rex.

Said centre advocate Gary Colley, a
former MHR worker: ‘“There’s always
been provision for single parents to pursue
ex-spouses for maintenance. But this vir-
tually forces one to seek support.”

‘sanctions

Impressions
of the

Festival
— page 10 —