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Long Creating Divisiveness Within Alliance Over Social Issues

OTTAWA, June 19 (LSN.ca) - In a revealing interview with the National Post, Canadian Alliance leadership candidate Tom Long was candid regarding his intention to forcefully sweep under the carpet issues of great concern to many Canadians. "Proposing new restrictions on abortion, or encouraging such a debate, is not on his radar screen. If voters want that, he says, don't vote for him. He doesn't want any 'buyer's remorse' when he wins," writes Norma Greenaway after an interview with Long.

Long's strategy on social issues appears to be identical to the Harris government where MPPs who acted to restore parental rights over the health care of their children or conscience protection for health care workers were intimidated to drop what the PCs called "abortion" initiatives because they would "cause division in the party". Thus under a Long government even conscience protection for health care workers or strengthening of parental rights would not be permitted as they would be very narrowly defined as divisive "abortion" matters.

Long's rhetoric about "divisiveness" is misleading. In fact, divisions within the Alliance are being created by Long and his supporters who appear to be pushing establishment, top-down political strategies and a radically different social philosophy into the party.

Long and the Harris Tories seem to be far more intense and preoccupied over abortion and other social conservative issues than the Day and Manning camps. The intolerance for even discussing the issues is extraordinary in the context of the usual Reform/Alliance openness and populist tradition. Both Day and Manning have been emphasizing primarily economic issues in their campaigns, but neither seem particularly troubled about speaking simultaneously on social issues.

See the coverage in the National Post:
http://www.nationalpost.com/news.asp?s2=national&f=000619/321714.html

See CLC analysis of the Tories for the 1999 Ontario election http://lifesite.net/interim/1999/march/3onttor.html OTTAWA, June 19 (LSN.ca) - In a revealing interview with the National Post, Canadian Alliance leadership candidate Tom Long was candid regarding his intention to forcefully sweep under the carpet issues of great concern to many Canadians. "Proposing new restrictions on abortion, or encouraging such a debate, is not on his radar screen. If voters want that, he says, don't vote for him. He doesn't want any 'buyer's remorse' when he wins," writes Norma Greenaway after an interview with Long.

Long's strategy on social issues appears to be identical to the Harris government where MPPs who acted to restore parental rights over the health care of their children or conscience protection for health care workers were intimidated to drop what the PCs called "abortion" initiatives because they would "cause division in the party". Thus under a Long government even conscience protection for health care workers or strengthening of parental rights would not be permitted as they would be very narrowly defined as divisive "abortion" matters.

Long's rhetoric about "divisiveness" is misleading. In fact, divisions within the Alliance are being created by Long and his supporters who appear to be pushing establishment, top-down political strategies and a radically different social philosophy into the party.

Long and the Harris Tories seem to be far more intense and preoccupied over abortion and other social conservative issues than the Day and Manning camps. The intolerance for even discussing the issues is extraordinary in the context of the usual Reform/Alliance openness and populist tradition. Both Day and Manning have been emphasizing primarily economic issues in their campaigns, but neither seem particularly troubled about speaking simultaneously on social issues.

See the coverage in the National Post:
http://www.nationalpost.com/news.asp?s2=national&f=000619/321714.html

See CLC analysis of the Tories for the 1999 Ontario election http://lifesite.net/interim/1999/march/3onttor.html

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