By the President of Campaign Life

A three-ring circus


The circus will soon be back in town. The acts in the three rings will feature the Liberals under Trudeau, Turner or whomever; the Tories behind Brian Mulroney; and the New Democrats with ringmaster Ed Broadbent. Already the “advance men,” the publicity flacks are dusting off the familiar old clichés in the hope of attracting a bigger audience than before.

Meanwhile, over one million Canadians have been killed by abortion in the fifteen years since the Criminal Code was amended in 1969.

The architects of the present law were former Justice Minister, John Turner (who has taken the position that if abortion is removed from the Criminal Code, then the law would be “neutral”, thereby ignoring the point that the unborn child would be totally without protection – via abortion-on-demand), and Prime Minister, Pierre Trudeau.

You have read in The Interim about the slick political manoeuvring which took place in 1969, leading to these amendments. No matter if Turner or Trudeau leads the Liberals, don’t expect any sympathy there.

At their policy convention last summer, the New Democrats overwhelmingly endorsed abortion-on-demand. In addition, they passed several pro-abortion motions which included the following:

● Support for abortionist Henry Morgantaler’s illegal abortion clinics across the country

● Reaffirmation of N.D.P policy of abortion-on-demand. Even the Liberals don’t    go that far

The Progressive Conservatives have been the most receptive of the three political parties, having promised a free vote on this issue in Parliament. But there are many pro-abortionists in the party. The Red Tories, such as Joe Clark and Flora Macdonald, still abound. We just can’t trust them.

The parliamentary arena

In his Regina decision, Mr. Justice Matheson stated that, with regard to “the rapid advances in medical science… It may well be socially desirable that some legal status be extended to the unborn irrespective of ultimate viability.” He also stated that it is for Parliament and not the courts to enact whatever legislation may be considered appropriate to extend to the unborn any or all legal rights possessed by living persons.

So, like it or not, at least for the present, the fight for protection of the unborn must be taken up in the political arena. It’s in the hands of the trapeze artist, the trained seals and the clown act.

Over the years, Campaign Life has found the most effective lobbying of our federal politicians has not taken place on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, but at the local riding level. Each Member of Parliament maintains a local office to effectively communicate with the grassroots in his riding.

In order to have any impact in Parliament, we must become actively involved in federal politics in our own riding with the political party of our choice. Moreover, it is important that we become involved in the organization at the local level in order to keep the pro-life issue up front.

We must question the potential candidate’s position on abortion and we must educate him to the dangers of abortion.

However, we must neither work for, nor support, any candidate who is not totally pro-life. So, during an election campaign, it may become necessary to switch our efforts to elect a pro-life candidate to another riding.

For the coming election, Campaign Life supporters will be questioning each candidate’s position on abortion. At the national board meeting of  Campaign Life held in Edmonton, Alberta in November 1983, it was decided to use the following questions.

● “If elected, will you agree to restore full legal protection to the unborn child?”

● “Will you agree to work to stop the distribution of public funds to government and non-government agencies that support and promote abortion?”

Challenge to the charter

It is absolutely essential that we apply these objective standards so that the candidate’s true position is known. A pro-life stand is not itself an issue: it is, like being of age, a qualification for candidacy. Without it, one is not ready for responsibility, not of mature enough judgment to lead.

However, the pro-life political situation has changed considerably because the amendments to the Canada Elections Act Bill C-169, passed by the House of Commons October 25, 1983 would prohibit us from running ads or distributing flyers door to door in any future federal election.

As you know, the National Citizens’ Coalition (NCC) has commenced legal action, arguing that the Bill contravenes the Charter of Rights. Campaign Life has to explore all possibilities. One possibility comes from the fact that national parties are allowed to advertise. If the NCC is not successful, we may have no alternative but to activate the Pro-Life Party of Canada in order to advertise the candidates’ position on abortion.

The National Citizens’ Coalition appears to have a strong case. It may well be that the courts will throw out the amendments to the Canada Elections Act and we will be allowed to return to work as usual.

Campaign Life is keeping a very close watch on the situation. For further analysis, please watch this column.