O'Toole to vote against Tory's private member's bill
OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Erin O'Toole says he'll vote against a Conservative MP's private member's bill that would ban sex-selective abortions, but his office says the rest of his caucus will be free to vote as they choose.
“I'm pro-choice and I will be voting against this private member's bill,” O'Toole told reporters Monday.
“I will always as prime minister defend the human rights of all Canadians, including women to make this decision for themselves. I've been crystal clear on that and will be as prime minister.”
The bill, put forward by Saskatchewan MP Cathay Wagantall, is scheduled for second reading debate on Wednesday but has little chance of passing due to expected opposition from the Liberal, NDP and Bloc Quebecois caucuses, along with some Conservative MPs. The bill would make it a crime “for a medical practitioner to perform an abortion knowing that the abortion is sought solely on the grounds of the child's genetic sex.”
Private member's bills on abortion are a perennial issue for any Conservative leader, and they are primarily a test of how a leader manages relations in a caucus with widely differing views on the subject.
In her own news conference, Wagantall said she doesn't have a problem with O'Toole opposing her bill.
“That's his decision,” she said. “I am really pleased actually ... Within our party we have the freedom, we have a big broad tent, and I feel very welcome within my party.”