We won’t be silenced, anti-abortion group says

TORY LEADERSHIP

OTTAWA • One of Canada’s largest anti-abortion organizations is attacking the Conservative Party of Canada's leadership rules as a way of “silencing the pro-life community.”

The Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) is backing four social conservatives in the leadership race and is telling its members that it is more important than ever to get involved in the campaign.

“We've been lied to by politicians who wanted our votes to win — and then had the door slammed in our faces after getting them elected — before,” wrote CLC national president Jeff Gunnarson in a letter to supporters sent in recent weeks and obtained by the National Post.

His organization is a lobby group that actively opposes abortion and gay marriage.

In an interview, Gunnarson said his critique wasn't specifically aimed at current Conservative leader Andrew Scheer. During the election campaign last fall, Scheer said he was pro-life but vowed to not re-open the abortion debate if he was elected prime minister.

“He turned his back on the movement, but that doesn't matter anymore, he's yesterday's leader,” Gunnarson said.

In his letter, the CLC national president claims the CPC leadership race rules is full of “roadblocks and red tape” that are designed to “keep grassroots social conservatives from even entering the race, let alone winning.”

Gunnarson's concerns are the rules that require potential leadership candidates to gather $300,000 and 3,000 signatures from at least 30 different ridings across a minimum of seven provinces or territories simply in order to appear on the Conservative's leadership ballot in June.

TYPICALLY, A PRO-LIFE CANDIDATE IS COMING FROM OUTSIDE.

“Typically, a pro-life candidate is coming from outside, so they don't have the typical ‘jump into the fray' type of support that the established candidates do. But pro-life members are anxious to help right now,” explained Gunnarson.

His organization is encouraging members to support four potential candidates: Quebecer Richard Décarie and Ontarians Leslyn Lewis, Derek Sloan and Jim Karahalios. So far, three of them — Lewis, Sloan and Karahalios — have made the first step to officially enter the race, which required a $25,000 fee and 1,000 signatures.