Politicians should leave religious beliefs at home

Re: Harold Albrecht walks a political tightrope — Dec. 6

Harold Albrecht is one of a raft of politicians on the right who feel it’s OK to bring their religion to work. There are lots of people who agree with his views and that is the reason he gets re-elected.

You may ask why that is a problem. Why can’t he bring his views and the views of many of his constituents to his job as MP?

Canada is a democracy, not a theocracy. When religion comes into the laws of the land, you are automatically going to take away rights from others. You may not like abortion, but the law states that a woman has the right to control her body. In Albrecht’s world, he would take away that right. In a functioning democracy, rights do not take away anything from those who feel differently. You simply decide for yourself what is right for you. Hate abortion? No one is making you have one. Ban abortion and you are forcing women to make choices like having the baby or going back to the ugly days of backroom doctors and coat hangers.

MPs are supposed to represent all their constituents and all Canadians. Canada’s foundations are in rights. The right to practise your religion is one important one. Women’s rights, rights supporting sexuality and so on are the cornerstone of this country. Too many on the right have forgotten that. Larry Lootsteen Waterloo