The Conservative Party asks its MPs to be silent on abortion

Conservatives won’t comment on leaked draft U.S. Supreme Court rulingreads the missive sent to Conservative MPs and their staff – an email first published by the Globe and Mail and obtained by Radio-Canada.

Monday, the US site Politico unveiled the draft of a majority decision written by conservative judge Samuel Alito which qualifies unfounded Roe v. Wade. If this conclusion is indeed upheld, the Supreme Court of the United States could strike down the right to abortion in the country.

This instruction not to comment is the proof that this party is not capable of assuming its positions and that it does not trust its own deputiessays an influential conservative source within the organization.

The party leadership is aware that this is a problematic issue that creates internal tensionsshe continues, and wants to avoid friction like the political formation has known under the leadership of Erin O’Toole.

The decision to send the memo came directly from the office of interim leader Candice Bergen, according to another conservative source in the West Country. [Mme Bergen] sees his role as [quelqu’un qui] must protect the brand image of the party until the arrival of the next leader, and she wants to avoid issues that polarizeexplains this curator.

He adds that, according to him, the file is thorny for Candice Bergen, since the population of his district is very religious and socially conservative. His reflex is to avoid these issues as much as possible.says this source.

By means of a press release, the main interested party did indeed indicate that it was not appropriate to comment on issues that are before the U.S. Supreme Court.

She also claimed that access to abortion had not been restricted under Stephen Harper’s government and that the Conservative Party was not going to introduce legislation or reopen the debate on abortion.

In the spring of 2021, a member of the CCPConservative Party of Canada, Cathay Waganthall, however, had introduced a private bill to try to ban sex-selective abortions. A majority of the Conservative caucus had voted in favor of the legislation, including Candice Bergen.

An issue in the United States, not in Canada?

Like Ms. Bergen, several party members believe that it is premature to comment on a leak of documents, in a file that concerns the United States and not Canada.

” This is an American issue that affects Americans, Canada has nothing to do with it. »

At the other end of the line, another Quebec MP, who prefers to remain anonymous, adds: The file is settled in Canada and what happens in the United States concerns only them.

But on Parliament Hill on Wednesday in Ottawa, a Conservative politician offered a different opinion, choosing to ignore the instructions sent by Candice Bergen’s office. The debate was never closedlaunched the Alberta deputy for Peace River-Westlock, Arnold Viersen, to the journalists on the spot.

” I see myself as a human rights defender and rights start at conception. I hope I can fight for the unborn children in Canada. »

A position quite distinct from that of Ontario Conservative MP Melissa Lantsman who thinks that women must be protected and their rights must be defended.

Divided leadership candidates

The issue of abortion could also rebound during the first debate of the CCPConservative Party of Canadaorganized on Thursday by the group Canada Strong & Free. MP Leslyn Lewis, who is running for the party’s second time, is known for her anti-abortion stance.

On the controversy surrounding Roe v. Wade, she still chose to remain silent. Mrs Lewis will not comment on leaked US Supreme Court documents as it is not a final decisionsaid his spokesperson in writing.

For its part, Jean Charest’s team explains that this one is pro-choice. He would not object to members introducing private members’ bills on the matter, but a government under his leadership will never introduce or support reproductive rights legislationwe specify.

As for Patrick Brown, he asserts that abortion in Canada should be legal, safe and, in my opinion, rare. He adds that he will always advocate for women’s right to make their own decisions about their reproductive health.

For their part, Pierre Poilievre’s team issued a short statement in which they affirm that a Poilievre government will not propose or support any legislation restricting abortion in any way.

In 2021, Mr Poilievre voted against Cathay Waganthall’s private bill, which sought to reopen the abortion debate in the country.

Liberals and Bloc Québécois on the attack

Opponents of the Conservatives were quick to seize the ball. Currently, there is a conservative leadership where all the candidates are trying to get the vote of the anti-choiceadvances Liberal Minister Mélanie Joly. For me, I find that extremely worrying.

Prime Minister Trudeau reiterated the importance of abortion rights via Twitter.

After question period, the deputy leader of the Bloc Québécois, Christine Normandin, tabled a motion concerning women’s freedom of choice in matters of abortion.

The text read as follows: That the House reiterate that a woman’s body belongs to her alone and recognize her free choice in matters of abortion, for whatever reason.

This motion, which required unanimous consent to pass, was blocked by “ Nay! coming from the Conservative benches.

The right is strongaccording to NDPNew Democratic Party

The leader of NDPNew Democratic PartyJagmeet Singh, thought saddened by these latest developments around the issue of abortion south of the border. In his view, this right is not threatened from a legal point of view in the country. In Canada, our law is stronghe argues.

However, he expresses concerns about the anti-abortion movement in Canada. Yes, I have concerns when you have candidates for the leadership of a party who do not support the right to abortionhe noted in reference to the CCPProvincial Capital Commission.

According to Jagmeet Singh, the Canadian government must fight to ensure better access to these services in the country, especially in rural areas. It’s useless to have a right without having access to ithe points out.

According to him, Ottawa must take advantage of the provisions of the Canada Health Act to force the provinces to provide adequate services to their population.