It came as no surprise to me to hear the leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Stephen Harper, proclaim during the recent federal election that those who value human life before it is born, are welcomed in his big tent.

Come with me now to a recent LifeSite story regarding threats made by the Canadian Customs and Revenue Agency to churches and non-profit groups to keep quiet on moral issues during an election – or else.

Our old Revenue Canada also has a big tent.

The common thread in all of this is the same. Come on in! The tent is big. We value freedom of thought … even the right to express an opinion.

Just don’t do it during an election.

Mr. Harper takes it a step further and ensures us that the welcoming air in the big tent will go quickly stale if anyone dares try to restrict the sacrament of abortion.

Here in B.C., the situation is the same. The leader of the Liberal party, Gordon Campbell, has managed to include in his big tent a number of pro-life members of the legislature.

I can well remember the appeal of pro-family journalists such as Terry O’Neill of Report newsmagazine to vote Liberal, because anything would be better than the NDP.

Well, in case anyone has noticed, every baby that was legally abortable before our provincial election, was legally abortable after the Liberals came to power.

In fact, absolutely nothing has changed, except our new anything-is-better-than-the-NDP government paid for some new digs for one of B.C.’s abortion mills, and abortion is still the topic one dare not speak of. Try getting abortion stats from your local hospital, if you don’t believe me.

So, what is the difference?

Everywhere we go, we hear talk of this “big tent.” But once inside, pro-lifers are the ones who are told now to keep quiet … we can’t even suggest that a woman get some good, honest, third-party counselling before she has her abortion.

So, whether you are Stephen Harper, Gordon Campbell or Canada’s tax collectors, the results are the same. You are allowed to be part of the political process only as long as you dare not speak about – the “a” word.

Some tent.

And to all those who suggested that anything will be better than those who support wholesale abortion, all I can say is: please explain to me what the difference is?

I mean, what exactly is the difference between Henry Morgentaler and Stephen Harper? If Morgentaler were elected prime minister, say, in 2005, over 100,000 babies would die through abortion that year … the same as this year.

If Stephen Harper is made prime minister, over 100,000 babies will die through abortion that year, the same as this year.

If Mr. Harper would like to tell us in his big tent what the difference is, in practical terms, and why we should vote for his party, I am all ears.

But I can’t hear right now … there are too many babies crying in his tent.