Liberal Leader McGuinty Blasted at All Candidates Debate for Failing to Live up to Faith

OTTAWA, September 25, 2003 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Ottawa-South All Candidates debate last night was heavily attended since it is the riding of Ontario Liberal Leader Dalton McGuinty.  The Liberals’ main contender in the riding and provincially is the Progressive Conservative Party. However, the opponent that most ruffled McGuinty at the meeting was John Pacheco representing the Family Coalition Party.  Pacheco lit into McGuinty from the beginning of the debate setting the tone for the evening.  “Ladies and gentleman, this provincial election is really about ONE central issue: preserving the traditional definition of marriage between one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others.”  Despite the fact that the moderator of the debate had called for civility and asked that jeering and booing be respectfully omitted, the crowed erupted with jeering but also with clapping.  After a full 15 seconds of the moderator attempting to quell the crowd, Pacheco continued.  He raised the fact that McGuinty’s father, Dalton senior – also a politician – was, unlike his son, pro-life.  “He was a wonderful example of an authentic politician. He believed and lived his faith on Sunday – the way he did on Monday. If he believed something personally, he would stand on it publicly. There would be no compromising his convictions for political gain. You see, for him, ripping apart a child in the womb was just as wrong in Church as it was on Queen’s Park,” said Pacheco.  The comments later drew from McGuinty the retort, “he thinks he knows my father better than I do.”  The greatest tumult of the night however, came when Pacheco, himself a Roman Catholic, confronted the Liberal leader on his faith.  “Mr. McGuinty, if you call yourself a Catholic, then it’s high time for you to walk the walk,” said Pacheco to thunderous applause also from PC supporters as well as shouts and booing.  Of note, the Ottawa Sun coverage of the debate contains only one direct quote from McGuinty, and that quote attacks not the PC’s nor even the NDP but the Family Coalition Party.  See the meager Ottawa Sun coverage:  https://www.canoe.ca/OttawaNews/os.os-09-25-0005.html   See Pacheco’s website and the Family Coalition Party site:  https://www.pacheco.ca www.ontariocoalition.com