GATINEAU, Quebec, June 14, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Bloc Quebecois leader Gilles Duceppe said his party would oppose any attempt by the Conservative Party to make abortion illegal, should the Conservatives win power in the June 28 election.
“I will not accept that the Conservatives abolish the right to abortion,” Duceppe emphasized, as reported by the Canadian Press. “The position of the Bloc is that we cannot ignore the rights of women in order to keep our seats.” Yaroslav Baran, spokesman for the Conservative Party, said that Duceppe’s concerns were unfounded, as there is no party mandate to make abortion illegal. Earlier this month, Harper said that as a Conservative Prime Minister, he would allow a free vote in the House should a private member’s bill be brought forward on the subject of abortion. Duceppe’s Bloc Quebecois is leading the polls in the province of Quebec. If the Conservatives win a minority government, Conservatives would rely on the cooperation of Bloc or New Democratic Party votes for passage of any legislation, including private member bills proposing any regulation of abortion. Currently, there is no regulation of abortion in Canada’s criminal law. Read related LifeSiteNews.com coverage: Harper Wants a Big Tent: Tells Martin if He Can’t Stomach Pro-Life Liberals – Send them to Us https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/jun/04060902.html “Devout Catholic” Prime Minister Martin Dares Harper to Surpass Him in Abortion Support https://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2004/jun/04060303.html