Mary Zwicker:
As attacks on life continue on all fronts, Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) Quebec brand, Campagne Quebec Vie, is attempting to found a Montreal Students for Life group in the city.
Set to launch this month, the new pro-life group — the first of its kind in Montreal, as no campuses currently have pro-life groups — will provide pro-life students from any Montreal university or college campus with pro-life education opportunities, as well as the chance to meet and encourage other pro-lifers. From there, students will then be able to spread the pro-life message to others across their universities and campuses.
Georges Buscemi, President of Campagne Quebec-Vie, told The Interim via email that he does not believe that “the importance of campus pro-life groups can be understated.”
“We need campus clubs because Canada’s future teachers, CEOs, MPs, MNAs, are on those campuses,” said Buscemi. “They are for the most part being fed ‘woke’ propaganda, green alarmism and the need for radical population reduction, and for the most part they are told that “reproductive rights” (abortion, contraception) are sacrosanct.”
Buscemi stressed that in order to combat such a mentality from gaining widespread support amongst students, pro-life groups such as Montreal Students for Life would provide a sanctuary for pro-life students, and provide them with the opportunity to spread the message of life to others. “We must create oases of truth on those campuses,” he said. “At the very least, we need to create places where pro-life students can meet like-minded people off campus.”
Arpad Nagy, Campagne Quebec Vie’s director of political operations, who originally came up with the idea for this initiative, told The Interim that the idea came to him because he was not aware of any pro-life groups on any of the Montreal campuses. He said that this reality troubled him, since he realized that a strong pro-life youth presence is necessary in order to change a society. “In order to make society more pro-life, young adults are key,” he explained. “If, as a pro-life movement, we are absent on the campuses, we are missing out on so much,” he added.
Nagy explained living in Quebec is especially hard for pro-lifers, and so there needs to be that support system in place in order for people to flourish in their pro-life beliefs. “Being a pro-life student in Quebec is hard,” he said. “Women facing unplanned pregnancies in Quebec is hard. Everything pro-life in Quebec is hard.”
Nagy explained, “Here in Quebec, we have fewer resources for pregnancy care, almost no pro-life activism and education, few if any pro-life politicians.” He said that Quebec is “where we urgently need the most pro-life initiatives.”
Nagy said that he hopes that such an initiative will be fruitful for Montreal students, and dispose them towards being more open toward pro-life issues. “As it is the most formative and influential years of their lives, I hope that many students will be opened to the reality of where society stands on life issues and choose to make a difference in their lives and the lives of their peers.” Nagy added:
“We would like to see pro-life students encouraged to get involved in the pro-life movement, to make networks among their peers, and hopefully to start pro-life groups on their respective campuses.” The Montreal Students for Life will kick off with a launch event on Jan. 14 with an apologetics training session on Jan. 15
Nagy emphasized that founding such a group could have a massive impact on society. “Today’s students are tomorrow’s leaders (politicians, doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc.),” but he stressed that, while Montreal Students for Life will be a start, there is still much to be done to advance the pro-life cause in Quebec. “This is just the beginning,” he said. “We will need much more before we can change Quebec society to better appreciate and protect the sanctity of life.”
