Month: January 2006

The Liberals are certainly desperate if their homepage is any indication. There is not one single positive message that the Liberals are offering voters as they make their decisions this weekend.

No vision. No hope. Just fear.

“extreme agenda”, “covert”, “muzzling”, “abortion”, “conservative cuts”, “MP calls right to choose undemocratic”

A mandate is not earned from the Canadian people based upon a veto that is scared out of them.

The only positive message that I can find is that Scott Feschuck’s blog stays crispy in milk.

I think that Paul Martin’s recent fearmongering is disgusting and insults the intelligence of the undecided voter.

Consider CPC MP Rona Ambrose’s response to Paul Martin’s insult to women:

“I am truly troubled and disappointed in Paul Martin’s fear mongering on women’s rights – because women’s rights is a very important issue to me. Violence against women is one of the reasons I became involved in politics. Paul Martin is doing a disservice to women by using a campaign of fear and lies to scare women on issues like abortion.” – Rona Ambrose, CPC MP

(click the image to enlarge)

In their last ditch effort to keep the Conservatives from forming government, Paul Martin’s war room is doing its best to try label Conservatives “regressive” social conservatives on the issue of abortion. They’ve gone after Conservative candidate Jason Kenney for attending a pro-life rally. However, the rally was co-attended by Liberal MPs Dan McTeague and Albini Guarnieri.

Let’s consider a few quotes uttered by Liberals on this divisive issue:

Prime Minister Paul Martin on abortion:

“I am personally against abortion on demand, but I believe it is very clear that there must be legislation brought in that will deal with what is becoming simply a mish-mash of approaches” – Paul Martin (Halifax Daily News, July 20, 1989)

Further, according to the same edition of the Halifax Daily News:

“Martin said the prime minister must immediately recall parliament to introduce new abortion legislation”

and finally, Paul Martin on abortion laws and judicial activism:

“It’s very clear that we are going to have 10 different [abortion] laws and that we are going to have these laws made by judges” (Halifax Chronicle-Herald, July 20, 1989)

Joe Fontana said that abortion should be limited to “exceptional extenuating circumstances” involving rape or incest (London Free Press, October 12, 1988). Joe Fontana is the current Minister of Labour

Minister of Veterens Affairs Albina Guarnieri on abortion and judicial activism and a woman’s choice: “The decision as to which life merits protection cannot be left to judges, doctors, or even women themselves. The issue must be dealt with on a national level by Parliament so that we as elected representatives may once and for all establish the supremacy of life and the protection of the unborn as would befit a civilized society. We must not be condemned by a future Parliament for legitimizing the termination of hundreds of thousands of unborn Canadians” (Hansard, November 23, 1989)

“Bill C-43 is abortion on demand with red tape…In effect, the legislation makes it possible for women to seek and obtain abortions for reasons that may have more to do with lifestyle considerations than with actual physical endangerment” – Albina Guarnieri (Hansard, November 23, 1989).

“In fact, the health clause will operate as nothing more than a rubber stamp condonement of abortion on demand. It will allow women to abort their unborn child based on a fleeting notion of immediate convenience” – Albina Guarnieri (Hansard, November 23, 1989).

“To imperiously determine which life should be afforded protection of the law and which should not would leave our society extremely susceptible to the social decision-making characteristic of the genocidal policies of certain Third World nations” – Albina Guarnieri (Hansard, November 23, 1989).

Joe McGuire, the current Minister of ACOA called abortion “the murder of another human being” (Hansard, November 27, 1989)

Consider Minister of Immigration Joe Volpe’s comments on abortion: “The government has contented itself with casting the issue in the context of abortion, a context which invariably favours the rights of those who are present against those who are silent, a context which too often is seen as purely a woman’s issue” (Hansard, November 22, 1989)

and these are just quotes from the PM and cabinet ministers… anybody got any good Tom Wappel quotes?

UPDATE: “There is no legal right to abortion in this country, according to the Supreme Court of Canada.” – Tom Wappel, former Martin Liberal MP

According to Wikipedia: In his nomination speech, Wappel called for abortion to be made a criminal offense with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

Remember that at their inaugural (and latest) policy convention in March 2005, the CPC approved the following policy:
“a Conservative government will not initiate or support any legislation to regulate abortion.”

Here are some more quotes by Liberal MPs:

Maurizio Bevilacqua:
“Hon. members, everything I believe, everything that I hold dear, my social and cultural make-up, my personal beliefs as a human being, tells me that abortion is wrong. I feel within myself, passionately, that abortion is against the natural order. It negates the essence of our being” – Maurizio Bevilacqua (Hansard, November 27, 1989).

“I do not understand how any of us can accept giving the responsibility and the right to anyone to decide on who will live and who will not” – Maurizio Bevilacqua (Hansard, November 27, 1989).

Paul Szabo is a current Liberal MP and gave his opinion on what choice he believes women have:
“Last year there were over 110,000 abortions in Canada with a cost to our health care system of over $10 million. That is over 300 abortions each and every day. It says that each year 110,000 mistakes are made at the expense of all Canadians by those who fail to act responsibly. Is it too much to ask Canadians just to be responsible for their actions? We do have a choice and that choice should be made before we act, not after we have failed to act responsibly” – Paul Szabo (Hansard, November 27, 1998).

Alan Tonks (another current Liberal MP):
“Generally speaking, I opt on the side of life. I don’t support carte-blanche abortion,” Mr. Tonks said. “If there was a motion that was presented to review and send to committee, whatever the nature of the change being asked, I would always support it going to the committee” (Globe and Mail, January 14, 2006).

Liberal incumbent Maria Minna quickly shot back at Beaches-East NDP challenger Marilyn Churley when Ms. Churley questioned her omission of Paul Martin’s name on her election signs on Mike Duffy Live a couple of days ago. Ms. Minna asserted that old stock signs were in rotation in the riding and that no conclusions should be drawn from what might have otherwise appeared to be a snub from the left-of-centre Chretienite Liberal.

The exchange is reminiscent of the 2004 election when the word “Liberal” was dropped from campaign signs to play to what Grits believed to be their strength in the face of Liberal scandal: their new leader Paul Martin. Thus, the campaign signs proudly displayed “Team Martin” and Chretien Liberals scowled at the Martin faction.

However, in the current election, evidence suggests that even some staunch Martin friends are turning away from their leader as pollsters are discovering that Paul Martin is now a hindrance to Liberal fortunes.

Consider Liberal candidate Bob Speller who was Paul Martin’s Minister of Agriculture before he was upset by Conservative candidate Diane Finley. According to the May 4 2005 edition of the Hamilton Spectator, Paul Martin had personally appealed for the former agriculture minister to run again in the riding of Haldimand-Norfolk.

Speller later agreed to take on the task and in the June 20th 2005 edition of the Simcoe Reformer, the local Liberal EDA president boasted “He was a cabinet minister and will be again”.

Speller, however, has released his own “blueprint” for the riding, deviating from the national campaign’s literature and has designed his own signs which, by local reports, have replaced the standard Liberal signs as the campaign has progressed.

If an ally of Paul Martin originally passed on the “Paul Martin Liberals” sign and if he is now ditching the classic Liberal sign to run on his own style in order to increase his electoral chances, this could be another example of the implosion of Mr. Martin’s campaign.