You could have heard a pin drop on the first night of the United Alternative convention. Ralph Klein, the premier of Alberta and poster boy of fiscal conservatism, was at the podium delivering a workman-like speech to over 1,500 delegates and populist elites. Democracy, he affirmed, is about choice. Conservatism is about being true to ourselves and our principles. And then he [...]
So what have our parliamentarians been up to in the last couple of months? With a controversial court ruling in B.C. over the possession of child pornography as the backdrop, the Hon. Lucienne Robillard, the minister of citizenship and immigration, introduces Bill C-63 to amend the Citizenship of Canada Act. Among other things, the legislation will give the government the exclusive authority [...]
Under Dalton McGuinty, the Ontario Liberal Party has moved firmly to the left on almost every social issue, to the point that it is now almost indistinguishable from the provincial NDP on life and family issues. The most noticeable swing to the left took place in last fall's announcement in Kingston that McGuinty would change provincial law so that same-sex couples would [...]
Reform MP Maurice Vellacott is the House of Commons's answer to the now-retired Senator Stanley Haidasz. Pro-lifers have been trying for years to gain protection against workplace discrimination for health care workers, particularly nurses, who refuse to take part in abortions and other unethical practises. Health care practitioners usually fear going public with their stories for fear of more persecution, but pro-life [...]
Reform of private members' business may curb government's power to stifle pro-life bills If they can use the new rules to their advantage, pro-life forces may benefit significantly from recent changes to parliamentary procedures forced upon the government by the Reform Party. On Nov. 4, 1998, Reform MP Jason Kenney took advantage of a lack of Liberal representation in the House of [...]
'Social conservatives' cautiously optimistic about unite-the-right possibilities Pro-life, pro-family delegates to last month's United Alternative convention in Ottawa are cautiously optimistic about the direction of this political movement to unite Canada's right-of-centre federal political parties. The convention was unlike most political conventions that pro-family, pro-life veterans have attended in the past. All opinions were respectfully heard, and delegates were given significant authority [...]
While the Harris government has been a big disappointment, the PCs still deserve some credit In last month's Interim we presented a general overview of the Ontario Progressive Conservative government's record on life and family issues. This month, we present details and a rating of the Tories on some of the issues most important to social conservatives.Although there is a lot of criticism [...]
Tory Senator Ron Ghitter, Q.C., believes that religious conservatives "pose the greatest threat to the maintenance and advancement of human rights in our nation." In Ghitter's estimation, "theo-conservatives" are more dangerous to Canadian society than "skinheads, the Aryan Nation and white supremacists." Senator Ghitter's recent address entitled, "Theo-conservatism: A Threat to Human Rights," delivered at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, N.B., amounts [...]
With an election looming, grassroots Ontarians are asking whether the Mike Harris Tories are more "progressive" than conservative. They've certainly been a huge disappointment for one of their most natural constituencies: pro-life, pro-family voters. With an Ontario election seeming imminent this spring, Ontario voters for whom life and family are the first priority are feeling deeply betrayed by the Tories. It seems [...]
Whether due to naivete or a bold streak, Reform MP Eric Lowther has decided to take on Ottawa's pro-United Nations bureaucracy all but single-handedly. Being told to get lost by a bureaucrat in the Department of Canadian Heritage was added motivation to push ahead. Mr. Lowther is the Reform Party's children and families critic and also a member of the Parliamentary Heritage [...]
Loree Moores loved spending summers at her cottage. But in 1996, she was diagnosed with cancer. As her health deteriorated, she moved in with her son. At the start of her last summer, she and her family assumed that the 33-year tradition of summers at the cottage would have to be broken. But Loree Moores had a palliative care team. These health [...]
Over the years I've learned that one of the perils of being a national columnist is that my writings can be used against me. In a recent Freedom of Information request I came across one of my columns, kindly submitted to the British Columbia Ministry of Health courtesy of the mother of all pro-abortion "researchers," Will Offley. Mr. Offley has been a [...]
Data indicate people who cared most about the abortion issue were more likely to vote pro-life With the generally pro-life Republican party expected to make huge gains because of the Clinton scandal, the results of the U.S. election Nov. 3 were generally seen to be disappointing. Earlier this year, out-going Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich was predicting a pick-up of three [...]
Former Justice Minister Allan Rock was forced to establish the parliamentary committee on custody and access in 1997, in order to gain passage of his bill amending child-support legislation. Liberal Senator Anne Cools joined with the Tories in the Upper Chamber to stage a coup against what she saw as discrimination in the way reforms were being implemented in the realm of [...]
Roman Catholic leaders appear to have rejected 'seamless garment' approach to abortion Although the document discussed below is addressed primarily to Roman Catholics in the United States, it contains a very strong pro-life message of great importance to all Christians, and all people of conscience, in Canada no less than in the U.S. The ideas presented in the document are especially relevant [...]