OTTAWA, July 31, 2013 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The top contender in the August 1st by-election in the riding of Ottawa South, left vacant by the resignation of scandal-plagued former Liberal leader Dalton McGuinty, is rated in Campaign Life Coalition's candidate evaluation with a “Yellow light,” meaning that although CLC is still evaluating the candidate because of an unclear position relating to life and family issues, he may be cautiously supported.
CLC notes that, while door-to-door campaigning in the Ottawa South riding, Progressive Conservative Party candidate Matt Young told a pro-life voter that he believes abortion is permissible in the cases of rape and to save the life of the mother. This puts Young in CLC's category of “educable,” in that further education in pro-life issues could help him to solidify his pro-life position.
Recent polls show that Young is substantially ahead of the Liberal candidate in Ottawa South and far ahead of the other two contenders.
The poll conducted by Forum Research Inc. on July 25 shows 48 percent of residents in the one-time Liberal stronghold will vote for Young, compared to 34 percent for Liberal candidate John Fraser.
Twelve percent of the 631 residents surveyed said they will vote for NDP candidate Bronwyn Funiciello, while only five percent would vote for Green candidate Taylor Howarth.
Forum Research states that the poll is accurate to within plus or minus four percentage points, 19 times out of 20.
Although this is Young's first foray into politics, he disposed himself well in an interview with Sun News' Brian Lilley.
On July 9 he was interviewed on Lilley's Byline program and spoke out against the “radical sex-ed” agenda of the McGuinty/Wynne administration, saying a return to quality education is what the voter wants.
“A lot of us have felt that this government, the McGuinty-Wynne government, have had radical sex-ed on the mind for a long time,” Young said. “The people at the doors in Ottawa South do not think that is an important issue. They would much rather see us raise standards for children…They're focused on radical sex-education. We're focused on improving student outcome.”
The Ontario Liberal government under Dalton McGuinty introduced a sex ed curriculum for the 2010 school year that would have forced public and Catholic elementary schools to teach about masturbation, homosexuality and anal intercourse.
The curriculum sought to give gay-positive teaching on homosexual relationships by Grade 3. In Grade 5 children would be taught about “gender identity” and that homosexuality is inborn and cannot be changed. In Grade 6 teachers would give instruction on masturbation and vaginal lubrication. In grade 7, 12-year-olds would be taught about oral and anal sex.
Thanks to public outcry from parents and religious leaders, this curriculum was shelved by McGuinty's government, but openly lesbian former Minister of Education, Kathleen Wynne, now the leader of the Ontario Liberals, has vowed to re-introduce it.
During the interview with Brian Lilley, Young also spoke strongly in favor of keeping the Catholic school system intact.
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In the wake of a slew of resignations by Liberal MPPs, including former Premier Dalton McGuinty, Premier Kathleen Wynne called for by-elections in five ridings: Ottawa South, Scarborough-Guildwood, Etobicoke-Lakeshore, London-West and Windsor-Tecumseh.
All ridings except Etobicoke-Lakeshore have candidates running that CLC rates as supportable because of their stand on pro-life, and pro-family issues.
Raphael Rosch of the Family Coalition Party is a candidate in Scarborough-Guildwood. He has a CLC “green light” for being totally pro-life and having stated his opposition to the Liberals' explicit sex education curriculum and being in favour of de-funding of abortion services.
Pro-life candidate Ali Chahbar of the Progressive Conservative Party is running in London West. In a July 16th phone conversation with CLC, Mr. Chahbar indicated that he is very strongly pro-life and was raised with the value that human life is sacred.
Lee Watson of the Family Coalition Party is running in Windsor-Tecumseh. She has a “green light” from the CLC for being completely pro-life and pro-family. In the CLC's questionnaire Watson indicated that she acknowledges that human life begins at conception, opposes abortion and abortion funding with taxpayers' dollars, upholds parental rights to educate their children, and opposes euthanasia.
Another Windsor-Tecumseh candidate, Robert de Verteuil of the Progressive Conservative Party, has a “yellow light” rating from CLC but is considered “Educable.” In conversation with a CLC leader about abortion, he said he would “respect” whatever is the current law of the land with regards to taxpayer funding of abortion, until such time as there is a federal law to change the basis for funding.
“Unfortunately,” the CLC evaluation noted, “Robert seems to believe, rather inaccurately, that the provincial legislature does not have the legal power to delist abortion from the list of insured services covered by OHIP.
“The truth is that neither the Canada Health Act nor the Supreme Court have ever said that provinces must pay for elective abortions. This is a myth perpetuated by abortion-activists. MPPs have the power to delist any service that is not medically necessary. Since pregnancy is not an illness or disease, there is no reason that Ontario legislators must fund it.
“Generally, Robert seemed to be open to evidence-based arguments,” CLC concluded.
The staunchly liberal Globe & Mail newspaper concedes that the Ontario Liberals may lose all five seats in tomorrow's by-elections.
“After entering this summer’s by-election campaigns optimistic of holding on to three or four of the five seats vacated by former Liberal cabinet members,” wrote the G&M's Adam Radwanski, “sources with the governing party now concede they’re likelier to win only one or two – and it’s not outside the realm of possibility they’ll get shut out altogether.”
Evaluations of all candidates running in the August 1 by-election are available on the CLC website here.