CLC National News - June 1997

Dear pro-lifer,

Well, the votes have been counted and the lawn signs taken down. The Liberals have won another majority, albeit greatly reduced; Reform has replaced the Bloc as leader of Her Majesty's Loyal Opposition; and the NDP and the Tories have re-gained official party status in the House of Commons.

But what was the real outcome of the election? Was the voice of the unborn heard on the hustings, the editorial page, or in the polling booth? Was it heard in the hearts of Canadians of goodwill, or in the hearts of Canadian pro-lifers? Moreover, will it be heard in the newly-elected Parliament?

FEDERAL ELECTION REPORT
Analysis of the results
Reflections on the campaign
Reform and the CHP
Church leaders make life an issue
CLC worked hard to make life an issue

• Pre-campaign activities
• The Voters' Guide
• Rallying the pro-life vote

NATIONAL SURVEY
Pro-lifers file complaint against BC Health Minister Joy McPhail
Alberta pro-lifers warn Bill 35 may lead to euthanasia
Study shows Ontario doctors choose not to commit abortions
Ontario Knights of Columbus: no more funding to hospitals committing abortions
Leading Ontario pro-life activists plan series of demonstrations
Culture of death threatens francophone culture in Canada
New Brunswick lawsuit on rights of preborn
Halifax MD charged in death of patient, euthanasia suspected

FEDERAL ELECTION REPORT

Analysis of the results

We're happy to report that the new Parliament looks fairly promising. Of the 301 people elected to the House of Commons, 47 are thoroughly pro-life; 76 are pro-life, but are not entirely consistent in their views; 89 are pro-abortion; and the views of the remaining 89 are presently unknown.

This leaves us with a total of 123 pro-life MPs. The number opposed to euthanasia in particular is actually greater, since several pro-abortion MPs are against the practise. Of the 89 MPs whose views are unknown, it is likely that some are pro-life, and that an even greater number are at least educable on life issues.

The upshot is: we have a fighting chance of resisting doctor-assisted suicide, which is sure to come up in this Parliament; and we may be able to start rolling back the culture of death in other ways.

Analysis of New Parliament by Party

Party	Pro-Life	Pro-Life with Exceptions1	Total Pro-Life	Pro- Abortion	Unknown	Total MP's
LIB	29	31	60	67	28	155
PC	4	3	7	2	11	47
REF	12	37	49	4	7	60
NDP	1	1	2	8	11	21
IND	1	0	1	0	0	1
BQ	0	4	4	8	32	44
TOTALS	47	76	123	89	89	301
1"Pro-Life with exceptions" means (1) they accept abortion in hard cases like rape; and or (2) they support Reform Party policy requiring MPs for vote according to majority opinion among their constituents on issues like abortion and euthenasia.

Reflections on the campaign

So the results of the election are encouraging, all things considered; but looking back on the campaign itself, can we say that the right to life was a "front-burner" issue, as we hoped it would be?

Unfortunately, it must be admitted that it was not. Of course, abortion and euthanasia are by far the most important issues facing us today, but most politicians and media people in this country continue to ignore it. In fact, they seemed more determined than ever to avoid the life issues during this campaign.

Moreover, most Canadian voters seem unaware or unconcerned about the loss of over 100,000 of our children to abortion every year, and the rapid expansion of the culture of death into infanticide, euthanasia, and doctor-assisted suicide. Only two-thirds of eligible voters actually went to the polls, the lowest number in almost seventy years!

That said, it is clear that while the sanctity of human life may not have received the attention it deserved, it was by no means forgotten in the '97 campaign.

Reform and the CHP

On May 16, for example, Reform Party leader Preston Manning restated his personal support for a constitutional amendment protecting children in the womb. While Mr Manning was clearly reluctant to press the issue, his willingness to speak publicly about his views helped to keep abortion on the agenda.

Although Mr Manning set a good example in being honest about his beliefs, politicians this time around were especially evasive on the life issues. Many refused to respond to our questionnaire (58%, in fact), some refusing to give any indication of their views; and ordinary voters tell us it was often very difficult to get straight answers from candidates and campaign officials in their own ridings. There seemed to be a concerted effort on the part of the party elites to deny voters information on where the candidates stood on abortion and euthanasia. Fortunately, we were able to provide information on the majority of candidates from our own files.

Another sign that life issues factored into the election debate was the increased media profile of the Christian Heritage Party, which, as you know, is the only federal party committed to protecting every innocent human life from conception to natural death. The Ottawa Citizen carried a feature article on CHP leader Ron Gray on May 29, for example; and in his Financial Post column of May 14, Michael Coren detailed the CHP's platform, and noted the party was a major player in several ridings during the campaign.

Church leaders make life an issue

Also notable was the role played by Canadian church leaders in raising the abortion issue during the campaign. Vancouver's Catholic Archbishop Adam Exner, who chairs the Catholic Organization for Life and Family, wrote to the Prime Minister shortly before the election was called, asking to know what Mr Chrétien's government would do to end the state of lawlessness in Canada where unborn children are concerned. Several other Catholic bishops, including Calgary's Paul O'Byrne and Ottawa's Marcel Gervais, urged Catholics in their dioceses to make abortion an election issue. Also, a document issued by the Social Affairs Commission of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops listed life issues first among three main areas of concern for Catholic voters.

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada also spoke up on behalf of children in the womb in the run-up to the campaign. In light of the recent Drummond and "glue-sniffing" cases, EFC National Affairs Director Bruce Clemenger pointed out the absurdities of the status quo in Canada, and called for a new law to protect the unborn.

Last, but certainly not least, we know that the sanctity of human life was an election issue for the thousands of voters who consulted us during the campaign, wanting to know where their candidates stood on the right to life. We're convinced that this is in fact the most important sign that preborn children and those vulnerable to euthanasia were not forgotten in the 1997 vote.

CLC worked hard to make life an issue

Pre-campaign activities

CLC Canada's preparation for this election began well before the campaign itself. For several months prior to the campaign, we helped identify, form, and support pro-life candidates in various parties across the country. (In fact, this is part of our on-going work, whether or not an election is near. In that sense, our preparation for the campaign began right after the '93 election.) At the end of the pre-campaign period, we helped those candidates fight their nomination battles.

During that period, we also hammered out our election questionnaire, identifying seven key life issues we expect the new Parliament will have to face. At the same time, we built up our network of riding contacts, and trained those contacts to help in getting the candidates to fill out the questionnaire. (Three cheers for our riding contacts!)

Once the writ was dropped (that is, once the election was called), we focused on collecting completed questionnaires. This was no easy task, given the reluctance of some politicians to state their views up front, and given the fact that there were over 1,200 candidates in the main parties to contact. (Also, the campaign was 10 days shorter this time around, which made everything more difficult.) During this period, we also went through our files on the incumbents, and prepared summaries of their records on life issues.

The Voters' Guide

Next came the awesome task of preparing and distributing our CLC Canada 1997 Voters' Guide. The Voters' Guide included charts outlining the positions of the individual candidates, and articles covering the party platforms, the seven key life issues we identified in our questionnaire, and the principles of pro-life voting. It was mailed out, just in time for the vote, to over 100,000 households across the country. Another 75,000 copies were distributed in bulk to pro-life groups, churches, and other supportive organizations.

We're glad to report that the Voters' Guide received additional exposure through articles in newspapers across the country, including The London Free Press, The Brockville Recorder and Times (Brockville, Ontario) and The Gazette (Montréal).

The Voters' Guide was also available "on line" (that is, on the internet) for the first time. We're pleased to report this project was a great success. First, it allowed us to reach an unlimited number of people at low cost with the information needed to vote pro-life. Second, it allowed us to update the Voters' Guide right up until election day itself, as information on the candidates and questionnaire responses came in. For those not yet living in "cyberspace," our toll-free phone line was available for information we might not have had at the time the printed version of the guide went out.

Finally, both before and during the campaign we placed ads in over two dozen secular and religious newspapers and magazines across the country, to publicize the Voters' Guide, the website, and the toll-free phone line, and to encourage people to vote pro-life. Similar ads were sent to thousands of churches on our mailing list. Also, Campaign Life Coalition television ads appeared in Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia.

Rallying the pro-life vote

We also distributed several thousand copies of our new "Voting Pro-Life" pamphlet, which outlines the reasons why the right to life is the most important political issue of our time, and gives advice on how to vote pro-life in various circumstances. In my own regular meetings with local and provincial pro-life groups, I focused my talks on how important it is that pro-lifers actually vote according to their belief in the sanctity of human life. This was also a central theme in the conference call we had with CLC leaders from across the country to check the implementation of our election strategy during the campaign.

You'll notice that almost all our activity in preparing for this election was geared toward rallying the pro-life vote. Sure, we issued press releases, gave interviews, took part in demonstrations, tried to influence the debate during the campaign, and did all the things you'd expect of a pro-life organization like CLC. But in the end, we know that what matters is that Canadians are informed about where the candidates stand on the life issues, and that they vote for life above all else.

Whatever the politicians say, and whatever the media tell us to think, when we enter the polling booth, you and I have the power to make the right to life a "front-burner" election issue. The importance of exercising our most basic democratic right-the right to vote-and the importance of pro-lifers actually voting according to their convictions, cannot be overstated.

NATIONAL SURVEY

As you know, the world keeps on turning during an election campaign. Even though we've had our hands full with the '97 vote, we've had to keep on top of many other political matters affecting the sanctity of human life in Canada. As you can see from the following survey, that hasn't been easy!

Pro-lifers file complaint against BC Health Minister Joy McPhail

Last winter, BC's NDP government abolished the province's local, elected hospital boards, and replaced them with a smaller number of regional, government-appointed bodies. The government claimed the unprecedented takeover was necessary to cut costs and improve services; but it was widely suspected that the real purpose was to end the considerable influence of the many pro-lifers who had been elected to the local boards.

In March, Health Minister Joy McPhail confirmed that the government's approximately 700 appointees have all been screened to ensure their views conform to the NDP's pro-abortion position. Later that month, under the leadership of Ted Gerk of the Pro-Life Society of BC, provincial pro-life groups filed a complaint against Ms McPhail with the BC Human Rights Commission, alleging unfair discrimination. Health officials claim the Minister's remarks were "misunderstood."

Alberta pro-lifers warn Bill 35 may lead to euthanasia

Faith Today reported in its May-June issue concerns about a bill in the Alberta legislature which may open the door to euthanasia. Bill 35, the Personal Directives Act, would establish guidelines for healthcare advance directives in the province.

Although the use of advance directives for arranging a doctor-assisted suicide is ruled out in the preamble of the bill, pro-lifers warn the bill would give too much power to a person's designated decision-maker. They fear it would allow designated decision-makers to choose "passive" euthanasia in some cases. ("Passive" euthanasia is killing by withholding life-saving medical treatment which would be beneficial to a patient.)

The bill has passed several hurdles in the legislature, but has not yet become law.

Study shows Ontario doctors choose not to commit abortions

A study by Dr Lorraine Ferris of Toronto's Institute for Clinical and Evaluative Sciences released this spring contains good news for Ontario pro-lifers. Dr Ferris found that abortions are not committed in over half the province's non-religious hospitals. The reason? Seventy-three per cent of doctors in those hospitals simply refuse to commit the bloody deed.

The study has left the pro-aborts wringing their hands about "access" to baby-killing in Ontario. As far as we're concerned, however, it's a great sign of hope. It reaffirms what pro-lifers in Canada and the United States have been saying for years: whatever the government says, and whatever the hospital boards decide, if doctors are unwilling to kill babies, abortion will decrease significantly.

It's also a sign that whatever they say or think about abortion, most doctors know in their hearts that abortion profoundly contradicts the healing mission to which they've dedicated their lives.

Ontario Knights of Columbus: no more funding to hospitals committing abortions

At their annual convention in Toronto May 16-19, the Ontario Knights of Columbus passed a resolution against giving money to hospitals which commit abortions. The K of C, as you may know, is a Catholic fraternal organization with over 50,000 members in Ontario alone. They routinely contribute substantial sums to healthcare institutions across the province. They also have a strong record of pro-life witness and service.

Delegates to the convention urged local councils to support hospitals which do not commit abortions, or to contribute to other community projects which are consistent with Christian morals, and human dignity.

We believe the Knights have sent a strong message to hospitals which deliver babies in one wing, and destroy them in another. We believe they've also sent a message to all pro-lifers who must choose whether to co-operate with such hypocrisy: abortion is, literally, something we cannot live with.

ACTION ITEM

You may wish to congratulate the Ontario Knights for finally taking such a stand consistent with the Order's strong Catholic, pro-life beliefs. Write to

Michael Sheehan
Ontario State Deputy
Knights of Columbus
15 Arizona Ave.
Sault St. Marie, ON P6A 4L7

Leading Ontario pro-life activists plan series of demonstrations

Leading Ontario pro-life activists are planning a "Show the Truth" tour, a series of demonstrations to be held in the southwestern region of the province July 1-5. The group plans to gather at major intersections at busy times in cities throughout the area, with signs carrying basic pro-life messages. Some of the signs will show pictures of children killed by abortion.

Although such pictures are upsetting (especially to the activists themselves), it's been found time and again that many people will only face the reality of abortion when confronted with the full horror of what it does to children.

If you're interested in taking part in the tour, or any of the scheduled demonstrations, please call us at (416) 368-8479, and we'll put you in touch with tour organizers Bill Whatcott and Rosemary Connell. Transportation, lodging, and signs will be provided.

We are convinced that this kind of witness is powerful and necessary, and we encourage all our supporters to consider taking part. It's an opportunity to "Show the Truth" to tens of thousands of our fellow citizens.

Culture of death threatens francophone culture in Canada

The last 30 years of secularism, with its accompanying anti-life, anti-family mentality may prove a greater threat to Québec's "distinct society" than "money and the ethnic vote."

University of Ottawa Professor Charles Castonguay said in The Globe and Mail April 19 that if current trends continue, the province's population may actually decrease early in the next century. "A quarter century of inadequate fertility," he said, "is almost impossible to get out from under." Québec's share of the Canadian population has already fallen below 25%.

Experts say immigration cannot make up the difference, and that government incentives for increased child-bearing (such as "baby bonuses") have not been successful.

Pope John Paul II had it right when he said during his recent trip to Poland, "A nation which kills its own children is a nation without a future." Like so many western peoples-including English-speaking Canadians-Québecers are birth-controlling and aborting themselves out of existence.

New Brunswick lawsuit on rights of preborn

The New Brunswick Court of Appeal ruled last month that four-year-old Ryan Dobson may sue his mother Cynthia for injuries sustained because of her negligent driving-while he was still in her womb. Moncton lawyer Jim MacAulay, whose firm represented Ryan, said the decision "recognizes that a pregnant woman has a general duty to drive carefully, and that duty extends to her unborn child."

In his judgment, Chief Justice William Hoyt pointed out that children in the womb are not persons under Canadian law. In addition, Mr MacAulay pointed out that the ruling concerns negligent driving only, and does not include other actions harmful to preborn children, such as drug or alcohol abuse.

New Brunswick Right to Life Association President George Gilmour, however, sees the ruling as a small step toward legal protection for children in the womb.

The ruling is indeed a sign of hope, whatever the court has said about the limits of its implications. If mothers have a duty to their unborn children to drive carefully, it follows that unborn children have a right not to be put at risk by another person's negligence.

Halifax MD charged in death of patient, euthanasia suspected

On May 8, Dr Nancy Morrison of Victoria General Hospital in Halifax was charged with first-degree murder for the death of patient Paul Mills of Moncton, NB, on November 10 last year. Dr Morrison says she has done nothing wrong; but it's been revealed that she had been suspended temporarily from work in the intensive-care unit where Mr Mills died, after a quiet, in-house investigation indicated her actions in the case had been "outside the bounds of normal medical practise."

Victoria General is part of the Queen Elizabeth II Health Sciences Centre, Atlantic Canada's largest healthcare facility. In response to numerous calls, the hospital is taking steps to reassure the public that its services are reliable. Since her arrest, however, Dr Morrison has implicated another Victoria General doctor; and police are now investigating eight other deaths at the hospital.

In addition, concerns have been expressed about the hospital's handling of the Morrison case before it became public. Although it appears Nova Scotia law did not require the hospital to report concerns about Mr Mills' death to police, it did require that the province's College of Physicians and Surgeons be notified of Dr Morrison's suspension from the ICU. Such notification was not given.
This case could be a very important factor in the ever-intensifying debate on euthanasia and doctor-assisted suicide in Canada. We'll keep you posted.

So, folks, it's clear we've got our work cut out for us. There's a lot going on, and more just around the corner. Looking at it all, it's easy to get discouraged. Attacks on the sanctity of human life seem to be coming more frequently, and with greater ferocity than ever before. We've got to remember, though, that we're not alone, and that ultimately, victory is certain. This is God's battle we're fighting, after all.

Yours for life,

         Jim Hughes, National President

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