More Than Half of Andrew Scheer’s Elected Conservative MPs Were Supported by Anti-Abortion Groups

A solid majority of Andrew Scheer’s new 121-member Conservative caucus have the blessings of Canada’s most hardline anti-abortion groups.

Last week, PressProgress reported that Campaign Life Coalition, Canada’s biggest anti-abortion group, had endorsed dozens of Conservative candidates ahead of Monday’s federal election.

Of those candidates, 46 won their seat — or, one-third of Scheer’s 121-member caucus.

However, another anti-abortion group says at least 68 members of Scheer’s caucus are “pro-life” — or, 56% of all Conservative MPs.

The anti-abortion group RightNow targeted 50 swing ridings in the federal election with the goal of replacing “50 pro-abortion MPs with 50 pro-life MPs.”

RightNow is upfront that it is playing a long-game to help social conservatives takeover Canada’s mainstream conservative parties from within by stacking nomination meetings with social conservative activists.

In a post-election analysis, RightNow co-founder Alissa Golob said: “The total number of pro-lifers in the House of Commons has increased from 53 to (at least) 68 Members of Parliament.”

“While this is not the result that was being worked toward,” Golob wrote, “the fact is that the House of Commons is now more pro-life than before, the Conservative Party of Canada caucus is more pro-life than before.”

RightNow

According to Golob, 68% of newly elected Conservative MPs are anti-abortion.

“Of the 22 newly elected Conservative candidates that won their seats, at least 15 of them are pro-life,” Golob wrote. “This means that at least over two-thirds of all newly elected Conservative Members of Parliament are pro-life.”

The anti-abortion group noted it sadly lost a few “long-time stalwart pro-life” MPs, such as Kitchener-Conestoga’s Harold Albrecht, but they “happily” noted the defeat of a “number of prominent pro-abortion” Conservative MPs, like Lisa Raitt.

One reason for the discrepancy between RightNow and Campaign Life Coalition’s numbers is that the two anti-abortion groups appear to have different standards concerning who is sufficiently socially conservative.

For example, CLC said it didn’t endorse Conservative candidate Nicholas Insley (who lost in Port Moody–Coquitlam) because he told an interviewer that he “possibly” thinks abortions should be legal in cases of “rape and incest.”

RightNow, on the other hand, identified Port Moody–Coquitlam as a target riding.

CLC also blacklisted Scheer, claiming the Conservative leader “crossed a final red line” when he told “the liberal media that that his government would mimic Harper’s policy of not reopening the abortion debate,” despite having an “impeccable voting record on life and family issues.”

RightNow, by contrast, described Scheer as “100-per-cent pro-life” and as “the most pro-life leader the Conservative Party of Canada has seen since John Diefenbaker.”

RightNow hasn’t published a list of the anti-abortion MPs it supported or endorsed, however, CLC provided a detailed breakdown showing how the group’s preferred candidates performed on election night.

One graphic lists the names of all 46 CLC-endorsed candidates who won their seat on election night.

Campaign Life Coalition

According to Campaign Life Coalition, here’s a list of the names of all the victorious anti-abortion candidates candidates currently sitting in Andrew Scheer’s caucus:

Alberta

1. Arnold Viersen, Peace River – Westlock.

2. Blaine Calkins, Red Deer – Lacombe.

3. Christopher Warkentin, Grande Prairie – Mackenzie.

4. Damien Kurek, Battle River – Crowfoot.

5. Dane Lloyd, Sturgeon River – Parkland.

6. Garnett Genuis, Sherwood Park – Fort Saskatchewan.

7. Glen Motz, Medicine Hat – Cardston – Warner.

8. Michael Cooper, St. Albert – Edmonton.

9. Michael Lake, Edmonton – Wetaskiwin.

10. Rachael Harder, Lethbridge.

11. Shannon Stubbs, Lakeland.

12. Tom Kmiec, Calgary Shepard.

British Columbia

1. Alice Wong, Richmond Centre.

2. Bob Zimmer, Prince George – Peace River – Northern Rockies.

3. Edward Fast, Abbotsford.

4. Mark Strahl, Chilliwack – Hope.

5. Nelly Shin, Port Moody – Coquitlam.

6. Tamara Jansen, Cloverdale – Langley City.

7. Todd Doherty, Cariboo – Prince George.

Manitoba

1. Candice Bergen, Portage – Lisgar.

2. James Bezan, Selkirk – Interlake – Eastman.

3. Ted Falk, Provencher.

New Brunswick

1. John Williamson, New Brunswick Southwest.

2. Richard Bragdon, Tobique – Mactaquac.

3. Rob Moore, Fundy Royal.

Ontario 

1. Ben Lobb, Huron – Bruce.

2. Bob Saroya, Markham – Unionville.

3. Cheryl Gallant, Renfrew – Nipissing – Pembroke.

4. Colin Carrie, Oshawa.

5. David Sweet, Flamborough – Glanbrook.

6. Dean Allison, Niagara West.

7. Derek Sloan, Hastings – Lennox and Addington.

8. Kyle Seeback, Dufferin – Caledon.

9. Lianne  Rood, Lambton – Kent – Middlesex.

10. Michael Barrett, Leeds – Grenville – Thousand Islands and Rideau Lakes.

11. Phil McColeman, Brantford – Brant.

12. Philip Lawrence, Northumberland – Peterborough South.

13. Pierre Poilievre, Carleton.

14. Todd McCarthy, Whitby.

Saskatchewan

1. Cathay Wagantall, Yorkton – Melville.

2. Jeremy Patzer, Cypress Hills – Grasslands.

3. Kelly Block, Carlton Trail – Eagle Creek.

4. Michael Kram, Regina – Wascana.

5. Robert Gordon Kitchen, Souris – Moose Mountain.

6. Rosemarie Falk, Battlefords – Lloydminster.

7. Tom Lukiwski, Moose Jaw – Lake Centre – Lanigan.

CLC notes that “there are many Conservative MPs with an amber light CLC rating who had strong pro-life leanings, but were not deemed to be fully pro-life.”

More than 75% of the CLC-endorsed candidates who won their seats are men.