OTTAWA, June 3, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The Canadian media establishment is up in arms about a “hidden agenda” on the part of Conservative Leader Stephen Harper regarding abortion. In fact, Harper has not even claimed to be pro-life, has said his government would not introduce legislation on abortion in its first term and has acknowledged publicly that Campaign Life Coalition – the political arm of the pro-life movement in Canada would not endorse him. Supposedly because the Conservative leader has not come out as strongly in support of “a woman’s right to choose” as has his Liberal counterpart Paul Martin, the media is attempting to portray him as an extreme moralist. However, it is common knowledge that Liberal strategists, together with their media allies, have been planning for some time to aggressively paint the Conservatives and their leader as socially dangerous fundamentalists. The same hardball tactic was successfully used by the Liberals to defeat the Alliance Party under Stockwell Day during the last federal election.
Asked about allowing a free vote on a private member’s bill on abortion Harper responded, “Absolutely . . . I would generally continue the practice of allowing free votes on all private member’s legislation.” A Canadian Press story on the comments which appeared in papers across Canada quipped, “Harper’s willingness to allow the abortion controversy to live another day is fresh fodder for critics who say the party has a hidden, hardline agenda.” CTV headlined its coverage, “Harper’s socially moderate image under attack.” See the CP and CTV coverage: https://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1086260467319&call_pageid=968332188492&col=968793972154 https://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1086282074304_81691274/?hub=TopStories