Leadership candidates divided on abortion

REGINA Saskatchewan Party leadership candidates are weighing in on abortion, with Ken Cheveldayoff expressing support for “anything that protects the unborn child” and Rob Clarke raising the spectre of the notwithstanding clause.

Other candidates are criticizing those positions, with one stating her “unequivocal” support for abortion rights.

Four candidates answered a questionnaire prepared by Right Now, an anti-abortion campaign.

Cheveldayoff got the group’s highest rating, 89 per cent.

He told them he agrees provincial law should restrict abortion with “very few exceptions.”

“I would support anything that protects the unborn child, anything that emphasized that life begins at conception,” he said. “I’d be in favour of that type of legislation.

“When the mother’s life is in jeopardy, certainly I think that you have to look at that on a case-bycase basis,” he added.

Cheveldayoff told Postmedia News that he was expressing his “personal beliefs.”

He said he doesn’t plan to push for changes if he becomes premier, but would be open to a “free and open discussion in caucus.”

“I wouldn’t shy away if a caucus member wanted to bring that up.”

Clarke got Right Now’s thirdhighest rating, after Scott Moe. He told the group that the possibility of placing provincial restrictions on abortion should be “looked at very carefully.”

Any such measures should be “constitutionally sound,” he stressed, but he vowed a challenge if courts refused to comply with legislation on “life issues.”

“If applicable, I would look at using the notwithstanding clause, so that the interpretation of the courts can’t be skewed on such issues,” he answered.

The notwithstanding clause allows a province to override the Charter of Rights and Freedoms, at least temporarily, after a court has ruled that legislation violates certain rights.

Clarke also claimed that “First Nations don’t believe in abortion,” something he said most non-Indigenous people don’t realize.

“I’m First Nations and I don’t believe in abortion,” he said. “It’s a stereotype, where many people believe that First Nations and the Metis are so left-wing and vote NDP.”

Clarke also said parental involvement should be “paramount” if a minor is seeking an abortion.

Cheveldayoff said he is “a firm believer in parental consent” for any major procedures performed on people under 18.

Two candidates did not respond to the questionnaire. Alanna Koch’s campaign declined to explain why, but Tina Beaudry-Mellor told Postmedia News she’s a pro-choice candidate. She said she was “gobsmacked” to see abortion become an issue in the campaign.

“Abortion is a legal medical procedure under the Canada Health Act. Our province is going to abide by this act,” she said. “It’s frankly frustrating to see this issue is coming into a leadership campaign again when it is not the primary thing that women in this province are worried about.”

She said the issue has already been decided, and that the debate is “archaic.”

When asked whether moderate candidates like her would still have a place in a Saskatchewan Party under Cheveldayoff or Clarke, she said she didn’t know.

“Once again, we have a number of men deciding about the reproductive rights of women,” she said. “I think we’ve always been a mix of Liberals and Conservatives. That’s our roots. I’m very disappointed that this conversation is being used as a leadership campaign tool right now.”

Despite her “unequivocal” support for abortion rights, Beaudry Mellor said she would still allow a free vote if abortion policy ever came up for debate in the legislature, as did all the candidates who answered the questionnaire.

Gord Wyant also criticized the way his competitors are approaching the abortion issue. In an interview with Postmedia News, he said the Supreme Court has already ruled on abortion, and that decision has “finality.”

He said Clarke’s position on the notwithstanding clause is irresponsible.

“The notwithstanding clause is a shield, not a sword,” he said. “He would be using (it) as a sword to deny women their reproductive rights.”

Moe said that he is “personally” pro-life but said policy on abortion would only move forward after a “fulsome debate in caucus.”