Commentary by Campaign Life Coalition, British Columbia President John Hof

VANCOUVER, BC, June 19, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – For the record: I stood with Mr. Manning as he started the Reform Party. I cheered and worked with him as he changed course and urged us to “Think Big” at the founding convention of the Canadian Alliance Party. I even encouraged others to work and to watch and to wait with me through those lean years. I waited through all of those long years for Preston Manning to raise the issue of 100,000 children dying by abortion annually in Canada. He “chose” not to bring it up. I watched as he avoided the issue at every single opportunity.

Well now Mr. Manning comes to town as the guest speaker for the Focus on Life dinner and he suddenly wants to advise us to be “wise as serpents and gracious as doves” when it comes to abortion.

I take issue with his misrepresentation of history, both recent and more than 200 years ago. He states “We must acknowledge that past efforts (to end abortion) …. have been less than satisfactory.” Actually past efforts of the pro-life movement have been very satisfactory sir, considering the efforts were made by volunteers trying to squeeze a minute here and a minute there to write letters, sign petitions and make phone calls to politicians who were “Thinking bigger” They did all of these things while they were manning the telephones of crisis pregnancy centers ministering to hurting women from dining room tables and church basements across this country.

There are many strategies needed to end abortion in Canada. Yes there is room for the “more gracious” approach. But there must always be room for the truth to be proclaimed.

Preston Manning referred to the model of slavery as an example we should use in our battle against abortion. He pointed specifically to William Wilberforce and his relentless campaign to end the slave trade. Mr Manning did not mention Thomas Clarkson, the driving force behind the politician of his day.

When Clarkson pushed Wilberforce to action it was through constant focus on the reality of what slavery was and what it did to the slaves. Clarkson made sure that zeal for his cause was the driving force and the rational to all he did. There was no compromise in his agenda. This zeal is precisely what spurred Wilberforce. It spurred him to even go to the extent of chaining himself to his seat in Parliament. When Preston was in Parliament he left his seat everyday without acknowledging the children who died that day.

He was in that position of power with the opportunity to be like William Wilberforce. History has a way of painting politicians as the deal makers when in fact, were it not for the activists driving an agenda, there would not have been a need for political action at all.

When Preston was in Parliament and in a position of power, that was the time for him to be like William Wilberforce. Sadly he was not.