Will Conservatives reopen abortion debate?
Movement on issue could be unwelcome distraction for leader at convention
OTTAWA—Social conservatives believe they have enough grassroots’ support to reopen the debate over abortion legislation at the Conservative party’s upcoming policy convention.
But the big question is whether a motion to repeal the party’s so-called “policy 70” — which says a Conservative government will not support legislation to regulate abortion — will actually make it to a grassroots’ vote.
Social conservative groups have made a significant push to have their people selected as delegates to the convention, which takes place in two weeks.
Derek Sloan, the recently ousted Conservative MP, has been organizing to try to increase the number of anti-abortion delegates eligible to vote on the party’s policy resolutions.
In an email to the Star, Sloan said that a motion to delete policy 70 had been put forward for consideration for a vote by the convention delegates — but he’s not certain whether it will make it through the party’s selection process.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the decision as to what policy resolutions are put to a vote rests with the heads of the party’s 338 electoral district associations (EDAs) and the party’s national policy committee.
“While we seem to have significant strength leading into convention, choosing the policies that will be voted on prior to the convention often comes down to (electoral district association) presidents and policy chairs, not the delegates,” Sloan wrote.
“While they should canvass their local members on what to support, many of them make the decision unilaterally, and we’ve heard multiple complaints from our supporters that some of the EDA presidents and policy chairs are turning a blind eye to their suggestions for support.”
Any focus on so-called “social issues” would be another headache for Erin O’Toole, who previously embraced social conservatives but has taken a more moderate tack since winning the party leadership. O’Toole wants the party focused on Canada’s post-pandemic economic rebuilding.
A win for the social conservatives on abortion policy — even though under party rules it would be non-binding on the leader — would be an unwelcome distraction.
The Conservative party has refused to introduce any legislation regulating abortion, dating back to Stephen Harper’s time as party leader. In the party’s policy declarations, policy 70 states that “a Conservative government will not support any legislation to regulate abortion.”
It was meant, in part, to reassure Canadians that Harper did not have a “hidden” social conservative agenda.
That hasn’t stopped antiabortion groups from pushing the party to adopt a “neutral” stance on abortion legislation — not necessarily endorsing new laws, but not explicitly ruling them out.
Sloan told the Star that if a motion to delete policy 70 made it to the floor at the upcoming convention, it would have “a high probability of passing.”
“I 100 per cent think it would go through,” said Alissa Golob, the co-founder of Right Now, an anti-abortion lobby group.
But Golob said she doesn’t believe that the party’s grassroots will have a chance to vote on the issue — at least not at this virtual policy convention, when the decision about what makes it to the floor rests with EDA presidents and the party’s policy chairs.
“It was quite difficult, way more difficult to get policy to (a virtual) convention this time around … I don’t believe this will be one of (the policy resolutions),” Golob said.
The party’s stance on abortion legislation was last put to the test in 2018, when then-leader Andrew Scheer held a policy convention in Halifax. The motion to delete policy 70 had overwhelming support in a closed-door meeting to choose which policies would be voted on at that convention — with 82 per cent backing the social conservatives’ push.
But the resolution narrowly failed on the convention floor — 53 per cent voting for the status quo, 47 per cent voting to repeal the policy.
The Conservatives’ policy convention runs online from March 18 to 20.
The final list of policy resolutions is expected to be made public on March 11.