List of Anti-Choice MPs After October 2008 Election

By Joyce Arthur, Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada

November 15, 2008   *Last updated December 15, 2010*

The first table shows totals of MPs who are anti-choice (from each party), pro-choice, or unknown – with comparisons before and after the election.

The second, long table is a list of known anti-choice Members of Parliament after the October 2008 election.

Conservatives  •  Liberals  •  Independents

Please email info@arcc-cdac.ca if you have additional information or any corrections for this list. Thank you!

* This estimate includes Conservative and Liberal MPs with a public pro-choice position, as well as all Bloc Quebecois (47) and NDP (36) MPs on the assumption they are pro-choice.

In the table below,20 Conservative MPs have asterisks beside their name. These MPs voted in favour of Bill C-484 but have no other known public position on abortion, including no position on the Order of Canada award. 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 20 Conservative MPs voted in favour of Bill C-484 but have no other known public position on abortion, including no position on the Order of Canada award. It’s possible they are not anti-choice, so they are not included in the totals (top of page), but they are included in the above list. (Please email info@arcc-cdac.ca if you have additional information.)

** Conservative MP and Foreign Affaris Minister Lawrence Cannon claims to be pro-choice, but told the House of Commons foreign affairs committee on March 16, 2010, regarding Harper’s G8 initiative on maternal and child health, that “This [initiative] does not deal in any way, shape, or form with family planning. Indeed, the purpose of this is to be able to save lives.” Since all pro-choice people know that family planning is essential for saving countless lives of women and children, and since Mr. Cannon’s comment can only mean he is concerned about the lives of fetuses at the expense of women’s lives, Mr. Cannon is not pro-choice and we have added his name to the list of anti-choice MPs.

Column 1 — Anti-choice MPs were listed during the 2004, 2006, or 2008 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:  Conservative MP Gordon O’Connor has been removed from the 2006 anti-choice list for voting against Bill C-484 and supporting Dr. M’s Order of Canada.

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.)

Sources:

• 2008 Federal Elections, Candidate Evaluations. Campaign Life Coalition. October 2008.
• Federal Election, CLC National News, November 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
• House of Commons, 39^th Parliament, 2^nd session, Journals, No. 60, March 5, 2008, (scroll towards the end of the page for voting record on Bill C-484)
• 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
• Alberta Provincial Election 2004. LifeSiteNews. 2004.
• Ontario Questionnaire Results (2000 Ontario Provincial election), The Interim, November 2000.
• A Discouraging Victory, Joyce Arthur, Pro-Choice Press, Spring/Summer 2004
• Is There a Hidden Conservative Party Agenda on Abortion? You Decide. Katherine McDonald, Action Canada for Population and Development, Jan 13
• Canadian Post-Election Analysis by Action Canada for Population & Development, Katherine McDonald, Jan 26
• Post Election 2006: First Conservative Cabinet, Action Canada for Population & Development, Feb 6
• The anti-abortion MPs, David Akin’s On the Hill blog, May 12