Conservative MP Says Caucus Leaks on Move to “the Centre” are Unfounded Rumours

OTTAWA, July 14, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Unabashedly Pro-Life Conservative Saskatchewa MP Garry Breitkreuz, spoke with LifeSiteNews.com yesterday about press stories on a touted shift to “the centre” by the Conservatives.  In the article, “Harper to steer party to centre”, the National Post alarmed social conservatives last week by reporting that unnamed sources claimed “Harper made private assurances to his caucus he wants to steer the party closer to the political centre.”  However, Mr. Breitkreuz told LifeSiteNews.com that he did not get that out of the meeting at all.  The Post article began: “Stephen Harper, whose bid to be prime minister foundered on Liberal allegations he would violate Canada’s social values, yesterday told Conservative MPs he wants to put a more moderate stamp on the party.”“I would have to say I don’t know where that rumour is coming from,” Breitkreuz told LifeSiteNews.com.  “I didn’t see anything happening to suggest that our policies will change in any way.  Our policies we had during the election campaign are still the same policies. They have not changed.”  The rumour about a shift “to the centre” or to a “moderate” position – euphemisms for becoming pro-abortion and failing to defend traditional marriage – is being interpreted as perhaps what the social liberal media would like to see, or the red Tories would hope for, but such moves were not indicated at the caucus meeting.  With regard to pro-life and other moral issues, Breitkreuz said they are “all non-partisan issues. All come through private members business. There will be no attempt made to try to control that.”  A second Conservative MP who spoke anonymously to LifeSiteNews.com about the news reports agreed with Breitkreuz. He suggested that the ‘sources’ who spoke to the Post about Harper adding to his inner circle red Tories who would be intolerant of social conservatives was also unfounded.  Of note, Breitkreuz, one of Canada’s most outspokenly pro-life politicians who has introduced numerous pro-life private-member’s bills, won re-election by the highest margin in his province. Winning 62.98% of the vote, Breitkreuz easily bested NDP candidate Don Olson who received less than 19% and Liberal Ted Quewezance who got less than 15%.  jhw