Every year, citizens from across Canada—young and old, of all races and ethnic backgrounds—join together at the National March for Life in Ottawa, to show their solidarity with the pre-born . . . and with the elderly, the disabled and other vulnerable members of our society.

The first March for Life in Canada was held in 1998 and is now in its 27^th year. From small beginnings (about 700 attended the first event), it has grown to become the largest annual protest event on Parliament Hill, sometimes achieving participation levels of up to 25,000 attendees. It represents an effort to raise awareness about the killing of the pre-born.

The National March for Life in Ottawa takes place every year on the second Thursday of May; it’s organized primarily by Campaign Life Coalition, a wonderful organization that has been in the forefront of efforts to defend not-yet-born Canadian children from the premature and intentional termination of their lives. Early organizers recognized and responded to the disastrous results of PM Pierre Elliot Trudeau’s 1969 Omnibus Bill. That bill legalized abortion under certain circumstances and opened the floodgates to what we now see: abortion on demand, for any or no reason at all, through all nine months of pregnancy.

Although accurate numbers are hard to obtain, due to various provincial policies that obscure the number of surgical abortions performed in clinics and hospitals, most pro-life Canadians believe the number to be around 100,000 per year. The increasing use of abortifacients like mifepristone and misoprostol has made tracking the numbers of babies killed in utero even more difficult. The estimate of four million young lives prematurely and intentionally snuffed out since 1969 is no exaggeration . . . probably low.

Some advocates for life who cannot make it to Ottawa for the 2024 March for Life this Thursday, May 9, will be gathering in smaller groups in a number of Canadian cities on the same day. Last year, I had the privilege of speaking at the Victoria March for Life. This year, Elaine and I will be back in Ottawa at the National event and will attend the Rose Dinner following the March. There is also a similar event taking place in Toronto on Saturday, May 11. That event is being organized by We Need a Law, CCBR and Toronto Right to Life.

The importance of raising our voices regarding the plight of the pre-born cannot be overemphasized. Over the past fifty years, a callous disregard for the sanctity of life has hardened hearts, has had a numbing effect on our society and has fostered a searing of consciences and a cynical attitude toward morality and faith. After all, if some lives are deemed not worthy of respect and protection, why should other lives be respected? The law of the jungle and survival of the fittest (Darwin’s central themes) have been conveniently applied to human affairs as they have been (inaccurately at best) to the animal kingdom.

And, of course, since the advent of MAiD (Medical Assistance in Dying) in 2016, the assault on innocent human life in Canada has expanded to include adults and “mature minors” who are facing health challenges, depression and poverty. Some military veterans have been offered MAiD instead of the care and support they are asking for and truly need. Since 2016, more than 60,000 Canadians have been killed by medical procedures . . . this is more than the 42,000 Canadian soldiers who gave their lives in WW2.

When the men of ancient Israel sacrificed their sons and daughters to pagan idols, God called them a nation “polluted with blood.” Today we hear much talk about the pollution of our air, soil and water but far worse is the pollution of our moral environment, for we also are a nation polluted with innocent blood.

Every child growing up in Canada today can be considered a survivor of the pervasive death culture that surrounds us. After all, about 1 in 5 of their peers have been killed in the womb; that sometimes includes their own siblings. Is it any wonder that young people today have anxiety about the future and insecurity about their place in society? Many elderly people are also experiencing some hesitation about checking into a hospital, not completely trusting a medical system that sometimes treats them as a burden rather than valued members of society.

In Psalm 94, God describes the politicians and activists who endorse and promote abortion and euthanasia. He says, “They gather themselves together against the soul of the righteous, and condemn the innocent blood.” And He asks these questions: “Who will rise up for me against the evildoers? Or who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity?”

As sons and daughters of God, we must answer those questions. The Christian Heritage Party will always promote policies that would recognize the personhood of the pre-born and protect innocent human life from conception until natural death.

In the time of the prophet Ezekiel, God gave a chilling assessment of the national character, the condition of the culture of that time: He said, “I sought for a man among them, that should . . . stand in the gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none.” As the people of God living today, as citizens of Canada, let us act in such a way that God will not have to say the same of us. Let us be people who will stand in the gap, who will rise up and resist the shedding of innocent blood. We do it for our children and for all those who cannot speak for themselves.

Visit www.chp.ca and—if you’re not already a member, join us in the defence of innocent life in the political arena. And we encourage every one of you to participate in the March for Life.