The beginning of a new year is a good time to reflect on the past twelve months. What went well? How can we build on our successes and make the most of our opportunities in the next twelve? We’re happy with the progress made in 2015 and we want to hit the ground running in 2016. In order to bring our members and supporters up to date, we’re going to focus this article on some of our activities and achievements of the past year and give a broad-brush intro to our plans for the year ahead.

This past January, CHP Canada released our Perpetual Prayer Calendar. This calendar includes specific days to pray for every federal electoral district in Canada, our federal, provincial, and municipal governments, the Senate and other federal governmental agencies, and leaders. It also contains pictures and information about each Canadian province and territory. If you don’t have your copy, they can still be purchased through our national office.

For the Christian Heritage Party, 2015 will go down as a year of building bridges with other branches of the pro-life community. Our leader was incredibly busy as he reached out to other active pro-life groups, groups with common goals but their own unique approaches to reinstating Canada’s Christian heritage and values.

For several years, CHP has participated in meetings of pro-life leaders convened by Alex Schadenberg, Executive Director of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition seeking to find a more unified approach to raise awareness and influence public policies. In 2015, our leader was able to represent us at these meetings, bringing our perspective and moral support. The most recent meeting in November was to consider options and strategies for addressing the legal vacuum regarding assisted suicide under the recently elected Liberal government. The Supreme Court of Canada’s decision last February, striking down the law against assisted suicide has created a crisis and pro-life Canadians must speak up now. Our leader also met with Mark Penninga of ARPA and urges all members to access ARPA’s comprehensive proposal to reinstate the law and to contact their own MPs to educate them and encourage them to act. (see Action Item below)

Rod participated in several Elections Canada meetings in Ottawa hosted by the ACPP (Advisory Committee of Political Parties). Aside from the inherent value of meeting with Elections Canada staff and representatives of all the political parties, Rod used these trips to Ottawa to connect with pro-life MPs and other people and organizations working for common goals. Among many others, he has visited both the Ottawa and Toronto offices of Campaign Life Coalition; their coverage of our CHP campaign and candidates in 2015 has been very helpful and much appreciated.

Rod participated with leaders of various like-minded, socially-conservative groups in fighting for Trinity Western University in TWU’s battle against the legal establishment’s anti-Christian agenda. One of the initiatives of this group was the #MoveMyMoney campaign on March 4^th and a press conference/release on March 25^th. TWU recently won a court case in BC, fighting for the right to establish a law school, but the battle goes on.

Our Deputy Leader, Peter Vogel, who serves as CHP’s Development Director and National Campaign Chair, was also busy this year. Among many other activities, he attended meetings in Toronto to oppose the aggressive and perverted Sex-Ed curriculum being introduced by Ontario’s Liberal government. Rod also spoke on this at a Parliamentary Press Conference, bringing in a federal perspective to the degrading imposition of immorality in provincial legislation.

Rod, Peter, and National Secretary, Martha Sjaarda, attended the 2015 Manning Networking Conference in Ottawa, hosting a CHP booth and meeting many conservative thinkers and speakers, including several MPs. We plan to host a table at the conference again in 2016. Rod and Peter traveled to Montreal to meet with potential candidates there. Over the course of the year, Rod also visited with members in PEI, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Alberta, and BC.

Rod, Peter, Martha, and others also attended the National March for Life and the Rose Dinner in Ottawa last May. We were pleased that our leader was allowed to bring our voice to the steps of Parliament as the nation’s only pro-life political party and to express our solidarity and support for the elected MPs who used their time in office to defend the pre-born and the vulnerable.

Of course, the highlight of the year began with our national Election Readiness Committee moving into high gear in January. Each aspect of the 2015 campaign was meticulously planned to achieve maximum results for minimum financial outlay. Brochures, TV ads, radio ads, election signs, and our first ever foray into social media. With the guidance of several of our CHP members, we were able to present the CHP often enough on Facebook and YouTube, that we earned complaints from our opponents that every time they went on social media, they saw CHP ads. While that’s an exaggeration, we were pleased with how often the CHP was presented in the electoral districts where CHP candidates were running.

We are grateful for all of the volunteer efforts and funds that went into CHP Canada in 2015. Without you, the pro-life, pro-family, pro-freedom, pro-equality message would not have been kept before the Canadian electorate.

2015 was an election year. 2016 will be a building year. Membership is the key to expanding our influence and finding and equipping candidates for the future. Plans are underway to develop new promotional and educational materials for our members to use in recruiting and engaging new members. As we focus toward the future and building our party in preparation for the 2017 National Convention in Ottawa and the 2019 federal election, we anticipate that our dedicated members will join us in developing public awareness of the CHP, the only real political alternative for those who care about life, family, and liberty. Canada could be a much-changed nation in four years under this current Liberal government. We mustn’t be idle. We must use our time and energy to promote and defend sound policies, to provide hope to Canadians who are discouraged and to prepare for the future. We need to be ready to serve our nation in whatever capacity the Lord directs.

If you’ve delayed joining CHP Canada awaiting the perfect time, this is it!!! Now is the time when we can focus on reaching this nation with the need to return to our heritage of protecting the weak; equality for all Canadians; freedom of thought, religion and the press; thrift; and self responsibility.

Join CHP Canada today and leave your mark on this nation!

Action Item

Please read the leader’s call to action from Dec. 4, 2015 and take steps to educate and motivate your MP:

CHP Leader urges all members to call their MPs; defend human life with new law

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