By John-Henry Westen
OTTAWA, January 24, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) – An initial analysis of the 2006 election results by the pro-life group Campaign Life Coalition shows a modest gain in the number of pro-life MPs heading to Ottawa.
The analysis once again demonstrates clearly that, despite mainstream media spin epitomized by CBC News, being upfront about pro-life views does not harm candidates’ election campaigns.
With only two exceptions, all the Liberal incumbents listed as pro-life were re-elected. In one of those exceptions, pro-life MP Judy Longfield lost to a pro-life Conservative – Jim Flaherty. The situation was mirrored in the last election where the only pro-life Liberal MP to lose a seat was Janko Peric who was defeated by pro-life Conservative Garry Goodyear.
On the Conservative side, strong pro-life, pro-family Conservative MPs in so-called ‘progressive’ Ontario, retained their positions and some pro-life Conservative candidates won new seats in the province.Â
True to form, the Conservative MP most demonized by the Liberal Prime Minister for her vocal support for the rights of the unborn – Cheryl Gallant – smashed her opponents in her eastern Ontario riding winning 58% of the popular vote. Gallant secured the highest popular support for all Conservative winners in Ontario, with her pro-life colleague in an adjacent riding – Conservative Scott Reid – following closely behind with 51% of the popular vote.
The Liberal government specifically targeted Gallant, going so far as to issue a fear-mongering press release on January 20 titled, “Stephen Harper’s Covert Support for Cheryl Gallant.” The release, which if it were not meant to be serious, would be completely laughable, begins, “Under the cover of darkness last Saturday, Stephen Harper . . . made a quick pit stop to support his Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke candidate, Cheryl Gallant.” (see the Liberal release here: https://liberal.ca/news_e.aspx?id=11452 )
Despite this good news however, there are still a large majority of non-pro-life MPs in Parliament.
Moreover, with the Conservatives having an extremely weak minority, the prospect of success from their promises to revisit the same-sex “marriage” legislation is next to nil.Â
CLC National President Jim Hughes commented to LifeSitenews.com, “It remains to be seen how long a Conservative minority can operate having to make deals with socialists and separatists while at the same time maintaining credibility.”
One political insider suggests that the Liberals’ plan to hold their leadership conference in late spring or early summer and “when the time is right they’ll end the minority government and ride to a majority in a federal election.”
Campaign Life is urging all pro-life MPs re-elected and newly elected to put aside party rivalry and work together more closely than they ever have before for the sake of life and family and the good of the nation.