By Thaddeus M. Baklinski and Steve Jalsevac
October 31, 2008 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The suppression of social conservative issues again by the Conservative Party leadership during the recent federal election has dismayed many Canadians and apparently failed to gain the party any clear political advantage. Fr. Alphonse de Valk reacts in a strongly worded editorial in the November issue of his Catholic Insight magazine stating, “It is highly undesirable that Stephen Harper continue to hold the Prime Ministership for very much longer for a number of reasons.”
The prominent Canadian Catholic priest notes that after the October 14 federal election some political observers concluded Harper’s time is coming to an end, but de Valk says they missed the real reasons why that conclusion is appropriate. The reality of Harper’s failure to win a majority, he says, rests in less obvious reasons than the Prime Minister’s “aloofness,” “autocratic personality,” or his “personal “faux pas” in denigrating Quebeckers’ interest in culture,” as the mainstream media has concluded.
Fr. de Valk addresses the personality issue by pointing to Harper’s “mistake of coming to believe that his persona is the personification of Conservatism. Thus he tolerates no views other than his own, is suspicious of others in the party, bullies his MPs …”
Still, of greater concern says Fr. de Valk is that, “The democratic character of the party organization is set aside whenever it is deemed desirable,” and Harper “seems to have turned his back on what he himself understood in earlier days to be threats to the nation.”
Those threats, such as the electoral gag laws and the unprecedented actions of the Human Rights Commissions, “instead of bringing equality to Canadians, are pitting groups against one another while extinguishing freedom of speech,” says de Valk.
Catholic Insight magazine itself has been subjected to costly Human Rights procedures challenging its journalistic and religious freedom. The magazine and numerous other organizations and individuals have not received any support from the Conservative government during their trials with the out-of-control, government created Canadian human rights courts.
Fr. de Valk briefly commends the Harper government which “has made some improvements, such as the abolition of the Court Challenges Program, the appointment of judges opposed to judicial activism, and extending child support directly to families instead of spending billions on centralized daycare.”
The Catholic editor, author, former high school principal and university historian then follows with his major condemnation of the leadership of Stephen Harper. He states, “none of this makes up for the most grievous flaw of all, Harper’s outright and brutal rejection of the pro-life ethic in defence of the dignity of all persons.”
Fr. de Valk explains,”To tell Canadians not only that his government has no intention to ever revisit the “abortion” issue, but that he will see to it that none of “his” MPs will be allowed to introduce Private Member’s bills, or to take any other action, is unconscionable”.
de Valk proclaims, “No self-respecting pro-life MP should put up with this dictatorial nonsense. MPs should revolt over this “trained-seal” scenario by quietly but aggressively organizing a bloc of members who will, if necessary, break away to form a new Reform party and do what our Prime Minister will not do but what must be done to save Canada.”
The Basilian priest, who has dedicated at least the past 35 years of his life to the pro-life cause, concludes, “That is the beauty, and opportunity, of Harper having failed to win his coveted majority.”
See the complete Catholic Insight editorial: https://catholicinsight.com/online/editorials/article_853.shtml