Prime Minister Harper said last week that if a private member’s bill on abortion comes before Parliament, he will order his cabinet to vote against it.
That was not only an attack on the pro-life movement; it was also an attack on democracy.
Some Tory candidates in this election have alleged that their party is improving democracy: “We have free votes in the Conservative Party,” said Langley MP Mark Warawa.
But that’s only true for the back-benches, where pro-lifers languish. The cabinet will be “whipped”—made to vote however the Prime Minister says, just like the Liberals under Jean Chretien and Paul Martin.
“Liberal, Tory—same old story.”
And that’s not the only way the Conservatives are killing democracy:
- Although they talked about reducing the power of the Prime Minister’s Office when they were in Opposition, the control of the PMO has been growing under Stephen Harper.
- Although they talked about restraining judicial activism when they were in Opposition, theyve done nothing about it. As Senator Anne Cools said in 1998, “The problem is not just judicial activism; its also cowardice in the House of Commons.”
So all their brave talk about defending democracy falls to the ground, along with the broken promises about income trusts, about reducing hospital wait times, about defending the traditional definition of marriage, etc. etc. etc.
And it’s just “more of the same” under ‘Liberal Lite’.
That’s why it’s time to send a message to Ottawa by voting for the one party that is pro-life, pro-family, that is actively fighting the Human Rights Commissions’ intrusion into Canadians free speech rights, and has a concrete plan to defend democracy and the Constitution in Canada: the CHP.
Today, more than ever, Canada needs the CHP!