CALGARY, December 20, 2002 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Despite having just witnessed the awesome power of a cooperation between fiscal and moral conservatives in the recent U.S. elections, Canadian Alliance Leader Stephen Harper has chosen to further alienate himself and the Party from its natural constituency of moral conservatives.
In an interview with the Calgary Herald, Harper said he wanted to rid the Alliance of a “too right wing, too scary” image by distancing it from “sensitive” social conservatism. “On sensitive things, we will try to be clear where this party stands. My position on abortion, for example, will be that this party is not going to introduce abortion legislation . . . we’re not going to have a referendum on it.”
It appears that Harper is following the strategy of both Joe Clark and Jean Chretien who declare that the issue has been settled in order to justify undermining meaningful efforts by their members to restore respect for life in law and/or policy. The issue is far from settled as various polls and the strength of the pro-life movement continue to prove. Pro-life leaders would respond with dismay to Harper’s suggestion that their efforts to defend the lives of thousands of defenseless pre-born children killed in Canada each year are “too right wing, too scary.”
See the Herald coverage at: https://canada.com/national/story.asp?id=%7B2BDF7C5A-D72E-4657-9AF5-BA43451CC1A3%7D