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Why the Pro-Life Policy of Voting for Candidates Rather Than Parties or Leaders?

TORONTO, June 23, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Campaign Life Coalition Canada has posted the following article on its Election 2004 Web Page to further explain the importance of making pro-life voting decisions based on the views of the individual candidates rather than those of the parties or party leaders:

IMPORTANCE OF VOTING FOR THE CANDIDATE

Unlike American election campaigns where voters cast ballots directly for presidential candidates, Canada operates on the parliamentary system of government.

Members of political parties select their leaders and then during Federal election campaigns, voters cast their ballots for individual candidates, representing one or another of the parties or for independent candidates.

The party which receives the majority of MPs is invited by the Governor General to form the next government and that party's leader becomes the Prime Minister.

In Canada our electoral system is designed so that we vote directly for a local representative to sit in Parliament. When Bills on issues come up for a vote in Parliament, it is the same individual MP who votes for or against the proposed legislation.

While the parties may encourage their members to vote one way, Members of Parliament have often voted against the stand of their party or party leader on pro-life bills and motions.

By voting for a pro-abortion candidate over a pro-life candidate, for whatever reason, we lose a member from the House of Commons who would stand up for life and instead guarantee another critical vote against life EVERYTIME the issue comes up in the House.

The policy of Campaign Life Coalition, the political wing of the pro-life movement in Canada, has therefore been to encourage the public to vote for only the candidate who professes support for life and family legislation. If electors are fortunate enough to have a choice of pro-life candidates, they should use additional criteria that are important to them.

In the current election, the strategy of Liberal Party Leader Paul Martin has been a detriment to Liberal Candidates but especially the incumbent Liberal MPs who are pro-life. When you vote against one of these pro-life Liberals and in favour of a pro-abortion candidate you are critically hurting the pro-life effort.

More than a few people are suggesting a self-defeating, partisan strategy of electing a pro-abortion Conservative even over a pro-life Liberal so as to elect a majority Conservative government, believing erroneously that Stephen Harper is on our side. He is not. We strongly urge them to reconsider. This approach would be faulty since the pro-abortion Member would vote against pro-life legislation whenever it comes up for a vote in the next Parliament.

Similarly, whenever you vote for an NDP candidate, except on those rare occasions when one is prepared to vote against the pro-abortion NDP policy, you are voting for a candidate that supports abortion-on-demand, same sex marriage and doctor assisted suicide.

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