“This has been viewed by many [leadership candidates and MPs] as an indirect way for the pro-lifers to advance their agenda from a new angle, and you can imagine that the party doesn’t need this now before the May convention,” a Conservative source told The Hill Times, adding that even before the bill was introduced, some of the OLO staff and shadow Cabinet members were concerned that the private member’s bill could generate unwanted media attention and attacks from the other political parties.
Conservative MP Cathay Wagantall (Yorkton-Melville, Sask.) introduced the private member’s Bill C-225, named Cassie and Molly’s Law or An Act to amend the Criminal Code (Injuring or Causing the Death of a Pre-born Child While Committing an Offence), on Tuesday, Feb. 23. The proposed bill, if passed, will “make it an offence to cause injury or death to a pre-born child while committing or attempting to commit an offence against a pregnant woman and to add pregnancy as an aggravating circumstance for the purpose of sentencing.”
Ms. Wagantall said she named the proposed legislation after a Windsor, Ont., woman Cassandra Kaake, seven months pregnant, who was killed in 2014. Ms. Kaake had planned to name her daughter Molly, upon her birth. Matthew Brush, a LaSalle, Ont., resident has been charged for the murder.
Jeff Durham, Molly’s father-to-be, started the “Molly Matters” campaign and has also submitted a petition, signed by about 11,000 people, calling upon the House “to pass legislation which would recognize pre-born children as separate victims when they are injured or killed during the commission of an offence against their mothers, allowing two charges to be laid against the offender instead of just one.”
Ms. Wagantall denied that by introducing the bill, she was trying to reopen the abortion debate.
“It applies to a third party with a criminal offence against a woman and causing harm to her child or to the death of her child that she is choosing to carry,” Ms. Wagantall said. “It only applies to criminal offences against women and that in no way touches the abortion issue.”
Interim Conservative Party Leader Rona Ambrose (Sturgeon River-Parkland, Alta.) was not available for an interview, last week.
Mike Storeshaw, OLO director of media relations, said he was not aware if the bill caused any concern amongst the OLO staff or the Conservative shadow Cabinet.
Ms. Wagantall said her bill is expected to be debated in the House before the summer recess. Mr. Storeshaw and Conservative MP Lisa Raitt (Milton, Ont.) a potential Conservative Party leadership candidate, told The Hill Times that the vote on C-225 will be a free vote, as it’s a matter of conscience.
In the past, Liberals have run attack ads painting the former Canadian Alliance and the Conservative Party leaders of having a “hidden agenda” on social policies, including on a woman’s right to choose, which caused them significant electoral damage in the 2000 and 2004 elections. When Conservatives came to power in 2006, they also used negative attack ads to target three successive Liberal leaders—Stéphane Dion (Saint-Laurent, Que.), Michael Ignatieff, and Justin Trudeau (Papineau, Que.) to define them before they had a an opportunity to define themselves. In the first two cases, the Conservatives were remarkably successful, but these ads didn’t work in Mr. Trudeau’s case.
In 2012, former Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth tabled a private member’s motion M-312 that sought to establish a committee to study the Criminal Code’s definition of when life begins. This motion, which was defeated by a vote of 203-91, was seen by some as a backdoor way of reopening the abortion debate by Mr. Woodworth, a pro-life MP.
The three major national parties deemed the motion a matter of conscience and declared it a free vote.
Abortion was illegal in Canada until 1988 when the Supreme Court struck down provisions of the Criminal Code. Currently, no federal laws exist to regulate abortion in Canada.
Then-prime minister Stephen Harper (Calgary Heritage, Alta.) voted against the motion but some Cabinet ministers at the time, including Rona Ambrose (Sturgeon River-Parkland, Alta.), Jason Kenney (Calgary Midnapore, Alta.), Ms. Raitt, Peter Van Loan (York-Simcoe, Ont.), Julian Fantino, Ed Fast (Abbotsford, B.C.), Peter Penashue, Gerry Ritz (Battlesford-Lloydminster, Sask.), and Gail Shea, voted in favour of the motion. Conservative MP Kellie Leitch (Simcoe-Grey, Ont.), who is now a potential candidate to seek the Conservative Party leadership, voted against the motion. In total, 74 Conservative MPs opposed the motion, 86 voted in favour, and two did not vote.
On the Liberal side, 28 voted against the motion, four in support and three did not vote. Liberal MPs who voted in support of the motion, included John McKay (Scarborough-Guildwood, Ont.) Lawrence MacAulay (Cardigan, P.E.I.), and Kevin Lamoureux (Winnipeg North, Man.). Former Liberal MP Jim Karygiannis also supported it. On the NDP side, 96 of the 100 MPs voted against and four did not vote.
Prior to the Oct. 19 election, Mr. Trudeau (Papineau, Que.), as party leader, disallowed anti-abortion potential candidates to seek Liberal Party nominations, for the first time in the party’s history. Critics described this as a calculated political move to win the women’s vote, a significant demographic in the Canadian electorate. Incumbent Liberal MPs who were against abortion, however, were exempted from this rule because they were elected before it became the party’s official policy.
In interviews last week, Conservative MPs said they hoped the motion would not cause any distraction for their party ahead of the May party policy convention in Vancouver.
“It shouldn’t be. I would hope it would not,” Conservative MP Peter Kent (Thornhill, Ont.) told The Hill Times, adding that at this time, he’s against this bill.
“At the moment, my inclination would be to vote against this bill,” said Mr. Kent.
The Conservative Party is holding its policy convention in Vancouver from May 26-28, but the party spokesman Cory Hann was not available to say if the party will debate or discuss abortion or any resolution similar to Ms. Wagantall’s.
Ms. Wagantall said she had no plans to send her private member’s bill as a resolution to be discussed at the convention and did not know if anyone else had any such plans.
The Conservative Party will hold its leadership convention on May 27 next year, but as of last week it had not publicly announced the venue.
Ms. Raitt told The Hill Times that she was against reopening the abortion debate, but also wants to hear more from Ms. Wagantall before she makes up her mind on how to vote.
“I voted in the last government very clearly that I didn’t want to open up any debate around abortion, at all,” said Ms. Raitt. “So, that’s why I need to hear from the proponents. I haven’t heard from the Member as to why she’s bringing it forward. It’s important. I have read the text of it now, it’s important for me to hear from her, her perspective, and make a decision after that.”
Ms. Raitt said that as of last week she had not heard any “chatter” about the bill, adding that if any controversy arises, the leadership candidates will deal with it. Moreover, she said it appears unlikely it will become a significant political issue as her party is in opposition and the proposed legislation has come from a single Conservative MP as a private member’s bill.
“But it’s tabled,” Ms. Raitt. “You can’t wish something away. You have to deal with it.”
Ms. Leitch did not respond to an interview request.
Conservative MP Erin O’Toole (Durham, Ont.) in an interview said that his party is not afraid to debate tough issues and this bill will not cause any controversy.
“We shouldn’t shy away from debate. As long as they’re held in a way that’s respectful and informed, Cathay has done that in an exemplary fashion,” said Mr. O’Toole. “We shouldn’t shy away from pigeonholing every issue in a certain light.”
Conservative MP Randy Hoback (Prince Albert, Sask.) told The Hill Times that he will make a decision on the bill after consulting his constituents.
“Conservatives are big people and we love to debate. We have different ideas and policies. It’s a party that has a big tent. It has a variety of different opinions and those are healthy debates,” Mr. Hoback said. “I look forward to talking to my constituents to get their guidance on it.”
Rookie Conservative MP Gerard Deltell (Louis-Saint-Laurent, Que.) said that he had not studied the bill and had no opinion and Conservative MP Larry Miller (Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound, Ont.) said that he supports the bill and did not believe it will cause any controversy ahead of the party convention.
Original Article
Source: hilltimes.com/
Author: ABBAS RANA
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