Most Conservatives voted for failed abortion bill

OTTAWA — A private member’s bill from a Conservative MP to ban sex-selection abortions was voted down in the House of Commons on Wednesday by a margin of 248 to 82, but about two thirds of the Conservative caucus voted in favour of it.

Conservative leader Erin O’toole voted against the bill, but 81 of 119 Conservative MPS voted in favour. The only other “yes” vote was from independent MP Derek Sloan, the former Conservative leadership candidate who was ejected from the caucus in January.

Bill C-233, put forward by Saskatchewan MP Cathay Wagantall, would have made 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.”

The bill was never likely to pass Parliament, given opposition from the Liberals, Bloc Quebecois, NDP and Green Party, who argued the bill is effectively a stealth move to bring in abortion restrictions. But private member’s bills on abortion have long been a tricky issue for Conservative leaders to stickhandle, as the party’s policy is to always allow free votes on “issues of moral conscience.”

When the bill first came up for debate in April, O’toole said he opposed it, but would not try to whip the vote in his caucus. “I’m pro-choice and I will be voting against this private member’s bill,” he said.

O’toole’s management of issues such as abortion and gay rights is under close scrutiny in part because he strategically courted the social conservative wing of the party during last summer’s leadership race. Although O’toole said he was personally pro-choice, his campaign deliberately drew a distinction with his rival Peter Mackay by promising greater freedom to social conservatives in the party on abortion votes.

When Sloan and Leslyn Lewis — the two outspoken social conservatives in the leadership race — were eliminated on the ranked ballot, their support largely flowed to O’toole and gave him the victory over Mackay.

Since being elected leader, O’toole has changed his messaging strategy and distanced himself more clearly from social conservative positions.

Still, the Liberals sought to punish O’toole for allowing a free vote on Bill C-233, holding a news conference earlier in the day to slam the Conservatives.

“This is the seventh time since 2007 that a member of their party has worked hard to bring forward legislation to limit women’s access to choice and reproductive health,” said Maryam Monsef, minister for women and gender equality. “The debate is over. Women and women alone are in control of their bodies and their health care choices. This is not a place for politicians to weigh in.”