The group was formed in 1985 to counter anti-Catholic sentiment, which had increased when the Ontario provincial government had extended funding to Catholic secondary schools.
It responds to criticism of Catholic teaching in the media and to comedy programs about Catholic characters which it views as blasphemous, sometimes filing complaints with the Canadian Broadcast Standards Council (CBSC) and Canadian Radio-Television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC).
It has opposed media such as the television show Father Ted,[2] the film Dogma,[3] and the book The Golden Compass.
[4] CCRL has been involved in a number of cases which relate to its interpretation of Catholicism, opposing same-sex marriage in several cases in the late 90s and early 2000s, calling for the notwithstanding clause to be used to overrule court decision in favour of same-sex marriage.
It has also taken a socially conservative position in a case challenging Canada's restrictions on prostitution, and advocated for policies protecting discrimination and hate speech against LGBT people, and displays of graphic anti-abortion posters where not permitted, as an expression of religious belief.