Lynne Scime

Lynne Scime is a veteran social conservative activist in Canada and a perennial candidate for the Family Coalition Party of Ontario.

She was chosen as national president of REAL Women in 1987, and was quoted as being opposed to divorce, abortion and homosexuality. Scime supported free marriage counselling to prevent divorce, and encouraged tax breaks for single-income families to encourage stay-at-home parenting. She also expressed conservative views on foreign policy, supporting nuclear missile testing in western Canada and opposing "biased" accounts of conflicts in South Africa, El Salvador and Nicaragua ("Toronto Star", 15 February 1987).

Scime opposed affirmative action programs, arguing that "getting jobs is not for everyone". She claimed that her organization would instead address issues such as "how a woman can pick a husband to fulfil all her needs" ("Globe and Mail", 16 February 1987). Scime herself was a stay-at-home mother for many years, and managed her husband's medical practice ("Hamilton Spectator", 24 May 1995).

Her leadership of REAL Women proved controversial, and she was opposed by members who wanted to broaden the group's support base by moderating its conservative and Christian elements. One of Scime's opponents accused her of trying to turn the group into a "biblically based" movement aligned with the Christian Heritage Party, rather than a broad coalition involving other religious groups. There were also accusations that funds had been mismanaged under her leadership. Scime was narrowly re-elected leader of REAL Women in 1988, but immediately resigned to form a right-wing splinter group called Family Forum ("Globe and Mail", 22 February 1988). Unlike REAL Women, Scime's new organization opposed government funding for pressure groups ("Toronto Star", 26 February 1988).

Scime later became involved with Canadians For Positive Community Standards, and spoke in opposition to pornography ("Hamilton Spectator", 28 May 1992). She served as president of the Family Coalition Party in the 1990s, and was elected to the position again in 2005. [http://netrover.com/~fcpont/exec.htm#Lynne]

She represents the Hamilton-Wentworth Family Action Council on the Hamilton-Wentworth Sexual Health Network, promoting socially-conservative views. [http://www.hamiltonfamilyaction.org/Newsletter_Articles/SHNApr05.htm] Scime is also a member of People for Alternative Christian Education, supporting public funding for Christian education in the public school system. [http://www.theinterim.com/2001/dec/14hamiltonboard.html]