Social conservatives say voice is being ignored

TORONTO — Prominent social conservatives within Ontario’s Progressive Conservative party say their voices were being ignored at this weekend’s policy convention, once again exposing cracks in a coalition that helped propel the party to a massive election win earlier this year.

Jack Fonseca of the social conservative group Campaign Life Coalition and Tanya Granic Allen, a parental rights advocate and former Tory leadership candidate, both expressed frustration that dozens of policy resolutions with a social conservative bent were blocked from being debated by party members at the event in Etobicoke, Ont.

The exclusion of the proposals has rekindled fears among some social conservatives that their voices will once again be marginalized, as they said the party had done under former PC leader Patrick Brown.

“Our take on this is that liberal-progressive elements within the party establishment that are corrupt and against democratic rights of party members have filtered out policy resolutions that were submitted by grassroots members,” Fonseca said, alleging party officials have “rigged” the debate.

Fonseca said the rejected proposals, which run the gamut from denouncing the Liberal sex-education curriculum to protecting so-called conscience rights for physicians, are in some cases actual policies that Premier Doug Ford’s government is currently taking action on.

Fonseca points to one resolution that would affirm support for requiring parental consent in order to grant a minor an abortion.

Ford made headlines during his run for the Tory leadership by supporting the idea, at the time expressing his incredulity over other politicians’ fear of addressing the issue.

“Doug Ford said during the (leadership) campaign that he supported that kind of legislation,” he said. “He ran on that. It helped him.”

Fonseca said Ford himself should intervene and ensure social conservatives have a voice during the policy debate. If the premier doesn’t, he risks damaging the coalition that helped him win the spring vote, Fonseca said.

“It will be seen by social conservatives as a betrayal by the party,” he said. “I seriously believe it would put at risk a secondterm majority government for the Ford PCs.”

Granic Allen said a number of policy resolutions she submitted for debate were also rejected by the party.

“The majority of what one would describe as social conservative (policies) ... just simply didn’t make it,” she said.