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Conservative Party to Consider Partial-Birth Abortion and Gay ‘Marriage’ Resolutions at Convention

MONTREAL, March 3, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – A leak to the Bourque.com website of most of the resolutions to be considered at the March 17-19 Conservative Party Convention indicates that abortion and same-sex marriage will both be considered by delegates.

The ranking for the resolutions by riding shows that the proposal to support the traditional definition of marriage is by far the most pressing issue for Conservatives. The pro-marriage resolution received 26.5 weighted votes, with its closest competing resolutions receiving less than half the support. Resolutions concerning Quebec and federalism and the high tech industry were tied for second in weightiness in the minds of Conservatives with ratings of 13.

The resolution to defend marriage reads: "A Conservative Government will support legislation defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman."

Two resolutions on abortion will make the floor of the debate. Notably, a resolution which was passed by the Greater Toronto area Conservative ridings and which proposed making the party officially pro-choice did not receive enough support nationally to be considered at the Convention.

One resolution on abortion would see the Party follow the successful US Republican strategy against partial-birth abortion. “A Conservative government will support a ban on the performing or funding of third trimester partial birth abortion (also known as intact dilation and evacuation),” the resolution reads.

However a competing resolution would see the Party unwilling to address the issue. That proposal reads, “A Conservative government will not initiate any legislation to regulate abortion."

Another resolution of concern to social conservatives centers around the notwithstanding clause and would restrict a Conservative Government in its use of the constitutional protection against tyrannical courts. "A Conservative government will not introduce any motion in Parliament to invoke the notwithstanding clause under section 33 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms unless such motion is part of party election platform," reads the resolution.

See the leaked list of resolutions from Pierre Bourque’s website:
http://www.voy.com/178771/7151.html

See related LifeSiteNews.com coverage:
Canadian Conservative Party to go Officially Pro-Abortion?
http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2005/jan/05011001.html

jhw

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