The Christian Heritage Party ran 30 candidates in the federal election, garnering a total of 15,284 votes nationwide, an average of nearly 510 votes in the ridings which the CHP ran. It was the seventh most among the political parties, after the Liberals, Conservatives, NDP, Bloc Quebecois, Green, and Libertarians.
CHP leader Rod Taylor thanked “all our CHP candidates who have given so generously of their time, energy, and talents,” to provide pro-life voters with a conscientious ballot option. “Together we have declared to our fellow citizens the importance of Biblical principles upon which this nation was founded.” He said that CHP candidates “advanced the cause of both fiscal sanity and moral conviction.”
The top three vote-getters for the party were Jerome Dondo in Portage-Lisgar (1,315), Harold Jonkers in Niagara West (1,234), and Melody Aldred in Oxford (1,175). Taylor won 740 votes in Ottawa West-Nepean and party president Dave Bylsma won 884 in Haldimand-Norfolk.
While Taylor is disappointed the CHP did not win any seats, he said “as individuals, we do not control the outcome of elections, (but) we have a part to play and a duty to perform.” He said voting for the CHP was a not wasted vote, but an “electoral message” to the other parties and media that there are voters who care about issues that most other involved in the political process ignored.
Campaign Life Coalition national president Jim Hughes told The Interim he is thankful for the sacrifices made by all pro-life candidates to bring their principles into the public square. “We thank CHP candidates for bringing the pro-life message to the doorstep and all-candidates meetings when many politicians want to ignore the topic.” He said 15,000 Canadians were thankful for the opportunity to vote for men and women who share their values.
