Tory leadership candidates appear at anti-abortion event
The 20th edition of this country’s largest annual anti-abortion gathering had a particularly political bent, given the ongoing leadership race in the Conservative Party of Canada.
Two of the 13 candidates running to be the next Tory leader were at Thursday’s March for Life on Parliament Hill, while a third sent in a written statement. The event drew an estimated 6,000 people, according to the RCMP.
The rally also kicked off a controversy after the March for Life flag was raised at Ottawa City Hall before getting taken down after councillors protested.
As it does every year, the city put out a proclamation recognizing “Respect for Life Day,” which was triumphantly read out by organizers as the rally kicked off just after noon on a chilly, cloudy day. Hundreds of yellow smileyface signs that said “I am pro-life” were distributed among the crowd.
About 15 Conservative MPs and senators were on hand to briefly address the rally, along with Campaign Life Coalition president Jim Hughes and a few religious leaders, but it was the two leadership candidates Brad Trost and Pierre Lemieux who drew the most attention.
Trost, who noted it was the 12th year he’s spoken at the rally, kept politics entirely out of his speech, instead quoting a Bible verse and saying faith, hope and love must drive the movement.
That was in sharp contrast to Lemieux, who used his speech to urge people to put him at the top of the leadership ballot, which allows for multiple ranked candidates.
“We have a rightful place in our Canadian society and we have a rightful place in the Conservative Party of Canada,” he told the crowd.
Andrew Scheer, who is also endorsed by the anti-abortion movement but, unlike the other two, is considered a front-runner in the race, sent in a statement that attacked Prime Minister Justin Trudeau for telling his MPs they must vote pro-choice, saying all Conservatives are welcome in his caucus.
Voting in the leadership race wraps up on May 26, and the winner will be announced at a Toronto convention the next day.
As the speeches wrapped up around 1:30, the rally turned into a march that snaked through Ottawa’s downtown core.
There were counter-protesters sprinkled along the route with signs saying things such as “Keep your rosaries out of my ovaries,” and “Don’t like abortions? Then don’t have one.”
Ottawa police kept a firm presence between the marchers and other areas where the protesters were more rowdy, but said the event ended with no serious incidents or arrests.