By Steve Jalsevac
TORONTO, October 26, 2007 (LifeSiteNews.com) – In its November, 2007 newsletter, Campaign Life Coalition, Canada’s national pro-life organization involved in the political realm, takes the Ontario Family Coalition (FCP) party leadership to task for its “intense” emphasis on proportional representation at the expense of promoting the life issues.
The newsletter article notes that the FCP was formed from CLC in 1987 “as a vehicle to raise awareness about abortion, ensure that it was not ignored during the election campaigns, and to re-enfranchise pro-life voters without pro-life candidates in their ridings”. CLC says that success for the FCP is marked not by the votes it gets but rather by “its ability to persistently and effectively raise the abortion and other life issues during elections.”
The pro-life organization goes on, “That’s why we think the party leadership has abandoned its roots and gone wayward in its strident, very high priority emphasis on Mixed Member Proportional representation (MMP). By focusing on getting MMP passed and the long-shot possibility of getting representation in provincial parliament, the FCP has been less effective in its primary role.”
Campaign Life Coalition, noting that the FCP has done very poorly in recent elections, emphasizes, “the only way the party will energize most pro-life Ontario voters is by boldly addressing the abortion issue during and between elections.”
CLC also responds to severe criticism directed at it and other pro-life opponents of MMP by the FCP leadership in the online FCP newsletter and other communications. The CLC newsletter responds, “It is time for the FCP to drop its misplaced, intense emphasis on proportional representation and apologize for its leader’s shockingly harsh condemnation and mean spirited, false accusations towards CLC, REAL Women and others for merely having a sincere, alternative view on this political strategy issue.”
Also at issue is the party’s running of mere paper candidates in many ridings this past election. Again the focus was especially on MMP and culling whatever total votes the party could get as a prelude to benefits it might eventually receive from voter approval of the electoral reform ballot question. The ballot failed. CLC states, “The FCP should also stop running paper candidates and focus on key ridings where they are likely to make a significant impact on the abortion and other life issues.”
The provincial and national pro-life organization does however praise the many FCP candidates who agreed to run in the election. CLC states, “most of the individuals who ran as FCP candidates were indeed solid pro-lifers for whom the life issues were a first priority.” The party leadership, however, is taken to task for not doing enough to assist these candidates with that priority. “Unfortunately,” says CLC, “FCP candidates have not been getting the direction and resources from the party to help them effectively inject that pro-life priority into their local campaigns.”
The Campaign Life Coalition newsletter concludes that “all Ontario pro-life voters should express a huge thank you to all those who put their names forward as FCP candidates in order to raise awareness of the abortion issue and give pro-life Ontario voters an opportunity to cast an ethical vote.”