Interim special
In the wake of the June 2 federal election, Christian Heritage Party leader Ron Gray expressed concern about whether the CHP and the pro-life movement have yet succeeded in forming a solid bloc of pro-life voters in this country.
“Why are some pro-lifers not voting pro-life?” he asked. “It seems as if some pro-lifers are voting more according to their pocketbooks than according to their beliefs.”
Mr. Gray attributed this lack of cohesion among pro-life voters to two things: controversy over the CHP’s stand on capital punishment, and he habit of “strategic voting.”
On the first point, he believes that many pro-lifers who oppose capital punishment on pro-life grounds, have misunderstood the party’s policy. “People have to realize,” he said, “that all the parties support capital punishment; but while we support it only in limited circumstances and for the most heinous crimes, the others support it for over 100,000 innocent Canadians every year.
On “strategic voting” – that is, voting for the lesser of two evils, or for the least offensive anti-life candidate who has a chance of winning, instead of voting for the candidate who is truly pro-life – Mr. Gray said pro-lifers should remember that an individual is primarily responsible for his own vote. Which candidate gets elected, and which party forms the government, are ultimately up to God.
Quoting Mother Teresa, he said, “God doesn’t demand that we be successful, only that we be faithful.”
Which isn’t to say the CHP isn’t aiming for success. Mr. Gray says that he is greatly encouraged by the high number of young people who ran for the CHP this time around, and he is impressed by their energy and enthusiasm.
He says he will be spending the next few years continuing to build the party from coast to coast, and that he is confident the CHP will be represented in most ridings next election.
