With the U.S. Supreme Court striking down Roe v Wade today, it does not take a soothsayer to know how the Liberals will run in the next election.
It will be all about abortion.
We have a choice. We can try what our party has done in the last several elections and run from the issue, letting the Liberals set the agenda, or we can be the voice of unity and take control of the conversation.
I’m hearing from Canadians on both sides that they are uncomfortable with this new state of abortion law in the United States. But what I find peculiar is that striking down Roe v Wade now makes the United States a mirror of Canada, where we have no law on abortion. I’m still trying to understand why is it that looking in a mirror at ourselves is cause for such concern? Could it be because what we are seeing in the United States is actually what happens when two sides of an issue never have conversations to find common ground?
For so long the Liberals have used the abortion issue to divide Canadians. Any discussion about finding common ground was shortsightedly dismissed as anti-women. So now we are faced with asking the real question: Do we want to be like the United States by continuing to not discuss what policies we could agree on?
I agree that we shouldn’t bring U.S. politics to Canada. But that means we need to have a respectful, adult discussion about all important issues and have honest discussions with fellow Canadians. Yes, even Canadians we disagree with.
I have put forward my pro-life policies of ending sex-selective abortion (which is the misogynistic practice of preferring baby boys over girls), banning coerced abortions, supporting pregnancy care centres, and directing overseas funding to support mothers and children rather than fund abortions. I have put these forward because these are the policies that bring all my friends together, both pro-choice and pro-life.
Our party can decide whether we want to keep running from the Liberals or whether we are actually going to be a big-tent party of unity that can welcome all Canadians into our fold, allowing healthy discussions and productive conversations to take place.
In the next election, the question will be asked by our opponents and the media. We can say nothing, knowing full well that our party is home to many who are having this conversation anyway. Or we can be honest, like I have, and set out exactly what we plan to do.
One way or another, this conversation is going to happen, and our party can choose to respectfully set the tone, or we can let ourselves be hapless bystanders once again.
I am ready for this conversation.
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