National Post (National Edition)
As abortion debate in U.S. heats up, Bloc motion fails
Tories told to stay silent on matter
• The abortion issue inevitably made its way on Parliament Hill, as Liberal and Bloc Québécois MPs tried to score political points off the leaked draft of the U.S. Supreme Court decision that could overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling legalizing abortion in the United States.
Bloc MP Christine Normandin put forward a motion in the House of Commons Tuesday to reaffirm support for a woman's right to choose. Some very clear “no's” were uttered in the room, thus denying the unanimous consent to carry the motion.
“Bunch of bigots,” muttered an unidentified Bloc MP.
Normandin told reporters that the refusal to adopt her motion came from the Conservative benches.
“We can see, from our neighbours down south, that the debate has been reopened. We can think that we're immune to that scenario, but the goal of the exercise was to prove that we are not,” said the Bloc MP explaining why she put forward the motion.
Emotions have been running high since Politico revealed on Monday night that it had obtained a draft decision of the U.S. top court that would overturn the landmark 1973 ruling legalizing abortion nationwide. The chief justice has since confirmed the authenticity of the document and ordered an investigation into the leak, the first in the court's 233-year history.
Tuesday morning, Conservative MPs were instructed not to comment on the matter by the leader of the official opposition's office and those instructions were leaked to Canadian media outlets almost immediately.
“It would be inappropriate to comment on matters before the U.S. Courts. That is why Conservatives will not be commenting on the leaked opinions from the Supreme Court of the United States,” explained Conservative interim leader Candice Bergen in a statement.
Bergen is one of the 39 Conservative MPs who have received a “green light” from the Campaign Life Coalition for her “pro-life” views, but she reiterated that the party's position has not changed since the Harper government and would not reopen the debate.
“The only ones reopening this debate are the Liberals, and Justin Trudeau is once again using women's reproductive rights to wedge and divide Canadians,” she said.
In question period, Normandin threw a softball question to Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland, asking her if the Liberal government would always protect the right of Canadians to access abortion services. She said “yes.”
Freeland went on to say in French that she was “shocked” and “troubled” by the news from the U.S.
“As a woman, as a mother and as deputy prime minister of Canada, it is important for me to highlight the clear and determined engagement of our government to protect the right of women to choose, a fundamental right,” she said, as Liberals offered her a standing ovation.
Earlier in the day, NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh said that while abortion rights are not threatened in Canada, access to abortion services remain an issue.
“Many communities do not have access to legal abortions and women have to drive hundreds of kilometres, so that is something that we have to fight to continue to expand,” he said. “The right is important, but what is even more important is access to that right.”
Meanwhile, in the Conservative leadership race, candidates were lining up to say that they respect a woman's right to choose, but to different degrees.
Jean Charest said he is “pro-choice” and that he would not support legislation restricting reproductive rights. Scott Aitchison said he would “always” defend a woman's right to choose, arguing that most Canadians do not want to reopen the issue.
Patrick Brown said that abortion in Canada “should be safe, legal” and, in his opinion, “rare” which is why he would introduce policies such as adoption and increased parental supports. Roman Baber said the Conservative party “must welcome diversity of opinion.”
“All the old white guys running for leader of the Conservative party are stumbling over each other trying to show how pro-abortion they are. It's embarrassing to see. Completely out-of-touch with the grassroots,” criticized Alissa Golob, cofounder of pro-life organization RightNow. “We had one O'Toole, we don't need another one.”
Pierre Poilievre had not offered any comments about the issue as of press time, and Leslyn Lewis declined to comment on leaked documents “as it is not a final decision.”
WE CAN SEE, FROM OUR NEIGHBOURS DOWN SOUTH, THAT THE DEBATE HAS BEEN REOPENED.