Rod Bruinooge wrote an opinion piece entitled, “Why I Am Pro-Life” that appeared in the Dec. 29 edition of the National Post. It ignited a mini-debate on talk radio and on the internet, but also forced the mainstream media to press Canada’s political leaders for their reaction to the existence of a group of MPs who want to restrict and ban abortion.
Bruinooge, a Conservative MP for Winnipeg South, was named co-chairman of the Parliamentary Pro-Life Caucus, a non-partisan and unofficial caucus whose membership numbers have fluctuated over the years, but whose members work to advance a pro-life agenda in Parliament and highlight issues related to abortion and other life issues. Many media outlets criticized the “secret” nature of the caucus – in shades of the Conservative party’s alleged “hidden agenda'”- but, in truth, the PPLC’s co-chairmen and select members have held press conferences and issued press releases for years. Past co-chairs have included Progressive Conservative Elsie Wayne, Liberals Tom Wappel and Paul Steckle, and Conservative Maurice Vellacott.
A handful of caucus members have joined the co-chairs at press conferences, often held during the week of the National Pro-Life March, to highlight issues such as the impact of abortion on women or sex-selection abortions.
CLC national organizer Mary Ellen Douglas told The Interim that just because the media choose to ignore the activities of the caucus – as in refusing to cover its press conferences at the annual National March for Life — does not mean that the caucus is a “secret” group acting in the shadows. She stressed that the PPLC is “not a secret caucus meeting, but rather a forum where MPs can speak freely.”
Douglas noted no caucus makes its planning and strategy sessions public and the charge of secrecy is meant to scare the public over the activities of the PPLC.
The caucus is unofficial and does not receive direct taxpayer funding of its meetings or activities. The membership list has not been made publicly available, because some members worry about recriminations from their party leaders, although many members do go public with their pro-life activism and views. Bruinooge wrote in a letter to the editor of the Globe and Mail, “Not all members are as vocal about their views as I am, because other party leaders do not tolerate their MPs speaking out on issues of conscience.”
The press asked the prime minister and the leader of the opposition about having pro-life members within their party caucuses. Stephen Harper’s spokesman said the government has no intention of re-opening the abortion issue. “Throughout his political career, the prime minister has been clear on this issue,” said Dimitri Soudas. “We will not introduce or support legislation on abortion.” During the 2008 federal election campaign, Harper was emphatic: “This government will not open, will not permit anyone to open, the abortion debate. Our position is clear.”
When contacted by the Globe and Mail, Jill Fairbrother, a spokesman for Michael Ignatieff, would not answer whether the new Liberal leader would permit members of his party to participate in pro-life activities: “I don’t think we are in a position to answer those questions today. I think they are speculative at this point.” Fairbrother went so far as to cast doubt about whether the PPLC even existed, before insisting that the Supreme Court has spoken and settled the abortion issue.
In his Post article, Bruinooge criticized the lack of Canadian law on abortion, which means there are no limits on it. He said most Canadians do not agree “that an unborn child in the ninth month of gestation, moments away from delivery, should be eligible for an elective abortion.”
Bruinooge said that his aboriginal upbringing instilled a value for all human life and that he has “no choice but to advocate for the unborn and seek to have their value restored in my Canada. Our collective future depends on it.”
CLC’s Douglas said that the pro-life lobby group is “pleased with Rod Bruinooge taking a strong stand on this issue” and hopes that other MPs follow his lead in speaking up on behalf of the unborn.
Abortion advocates charged Bruinooge’s comments were proof that the Tories harboured a secret agenda and claimed Canadians support the abortion status quo of abortion without restrictions. Joyce Arthur, co-ordinator of the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, was quoted in the Globe and Mail as saying, “It’s something that the Conservative party is out of touch with, because Canadians don’t want to go back to the abortion debate.”
Douglas said that the public does not agree with the status quo, pointing to polls that show the majority of Canadians oppose the status quo and want at least some restrictions. She reiterated that Campaign Life Coalition supports the recriminalization of abortion, but works with groups and individuals seeking to limit abortion’s scope.
