List of Anti-Choice MPs - April 2011

By Joyce Arthur, Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada

April 3, 2011, updated April 23, 2011

In the table below, some MPs have asterisks beside their name. These MPs voted in favour of Bill C-484 or Bill C-510, or opposed the Order of Canada for Dr. Henry Morgentaler, but have no other known public position on abortion. It’s possible they are not anti-choice, so they are not included in the total figures above, but are included in the list below. (Please email info@arcc-cdac.ca if you have additional information.)

 *  These MPs voted in favour of Bill C-484 but have no other known public position on abortion. They may be either anti-choice or pro-choice, so they are not included in the totals (top of page), just in the above long list (In particular, John Baird and John Cannis are probably pro-choice). (Please email info@arcc-cdac.ca if you have additional information.)

** These MPs voted in favour of Bill C-510 but have no other known public position on abortion. A few may in fact be pro-choice (such as Ruby Dhalla and Shelly Glover), and Ray Boughen, Ben Lobb, John Weston, and Terence Young are probably anti-choice. They are not included in the totals (top of page), just in the above long list. (Please email info@arcc-cdac.ca if you have additional information.)

*** These MPs were opposed to giving the Order of Canada to Dr. Henry Morgentaler, according to a survey done by Campaign Life Coalition, but have no other known public position on abortion.

Column 1 — Anti-choice MPs were listed during the 2011 election. Criteria: They had an anti-choice voting record, or had publicly spoken at or attended events organized by anti-choice groups, or had publicly stated they are "pro-life" or would support abortion only in limited circumstances. (Note: Several MPs on lists prior to 2011 (from 2004/06/08 elections) have been removed due to uncertainties in their stance, or because they have stated they are personally pro-life but would not vote to restrict abortion.)

Column 2 — Whether the MP publicly opposed the awarding of the Order of Canada to Dr. Henry Morgentaler, according to a survey conducted by Campaign Life Coalition.

Column 3 — Whether the MP voted in favour of Bill C-484 (“Unborn Victims of Crime Act”) at 2^nd reading in Parliament on March 5, 2008. (Note: Some pro-choice MPs voted in favour of Bill C-484, including Peter Stoffer (NDP) and Liberal MP’s John Cannis, Sukh Dhaliwal, and Francis Scarpallegia.)

Column 4 — Whether the MP voted in favour of Bill C-510 (“coerced abortion") at 2^nd reading in Parliament on December 15, 2010. Note: Harper whipped his Cabinet to vote against it, but 10 out of about 35 Cabinet members still voted in favour of it, as well as 77 of the rest.

Sources:

• 2011 Federal Election, Candidate Evaluations, Campaign Life Coalition.
  
• Parliamentary voting record on Bill C-510, "coerced abortion", December 15, 2010.
  
• Federal Election, CLC National News, November 2008.
• 2008 Federal Elections, Candidate Evaluations. Campaign Life Coalition. October 2008.
  
• Canadian National Pro-Life Group Presents Detailed Assessment of Federal Election Result, Steve Jalsevac, LifeSiteNews, October 31, 2008.
• Federal Election Results Mixed for Ontario Gays, Xtra.ca, Oct. 15, 2008.
• Over 100 MPs Oppose Morgentaler Order of Canada – List Released Today, LifeSiteNews.com, August 28, 2008
• Parliamentary voting record on Bill C-484, "Unborn Victims of Crime Act", March 5, 2008.
  
• Conservative Minority Poses a Danger to Abortion Rights, Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada, June 23, 2006
• Candidate Evaluations / Questionnaire Results - Federal Election Canada 2006, Campaign Life Coalition 
• Ontario Questionnaire Results (2000 Ontario Provincial election), The Interim, November 2000.
• A Discouraging Victory, Joyce Arthur, Pro-Choice Press, Spring/Summer 2004
  
• The anti-abortion MPs, David Akin's On the Hill blog, May 12