VANCOUVER, May 5 (LSN) – The Caucus Chair of the ruling British Columbia NDP party, Joan Smallwood, made unusual overtures to the opposing provincial Liberal Party at its convention last week. Apparently assuming that there is no difference between Liberals and the NDP on social matters, she distributed a letter to the Liberals in which she told them to “reaffirm your support for a woman's right to choose by resolution at this convention.” Smallwood noted that she and her party experienced “great alarm” over news that Liberal leaders were in discussion with pro-life leaders. The “great alarm” which led to this act of telling the Liberal Party what to think came from the fact that the Liberal leader “has twice met with Mr. Hof [a pro-life leader] and those who share his beliefs.”
Pro-life observers note that Smallwood seems to be telling the Liberal Party to treat pro-life Canadians the same way black people were treated in the past – deny them the rights of ordinary citizens; exclude them from the political system; treat them as not worthy of even discussions of their grieviencies on behalf of the lives of children in the womb.