The bad old days of rigged PC policy conventions are back, despite Patrick Brown’s exit
Toronto, November 2, 2018 – Campaign Life Coalition is sounding the alarm over the upcoming Ontario PC policy convention which it says has been rigged to suppress popular social conservative policy resolutions that were submitted fair and square by PC members.
When Doug Ford took over from the disgraced Patrick Brown as PC Leader, grassroots members expected that Brown’s undemocratic practice of rigging policy convention and nomination votes would be an unhappy, distant memory. However, it appears to be alive and well, despite new management.
“PC members sent us copies of at least 12 socon policy resolutions they submitted to the party before the deadline, which do not appear on the list of those going to convention,” said Jeff Gunnarson, President of Campaign Life Coalition. “We want to believe that Doug Ford – a man who says he is for the people - had nothing to do with the filtering of grassroots policies, and that it was party bureaucrats instead. Regardless, he needs to fix it.”
CLC’s Senior Political Strategist, Jack Fonseca, suggested there is reason to believe the Premier was not personally involved in the scuttling of socon policies, pointing out that even proposals aligned with Ford’s public positions during the election campaign got deep-sixed.
“The committee filtered out a policy to protect doctors’ conscience rights, another on parental consultation for children seeking abortion, a free speech policy opposing Wynne’s Bill 163 censorship law, and a second to hold universities accountable for not defending free speech,” said Fonseca. “These are ideas that Ford ran on during his leadership and election campaigns. It stands to reason he wouldn’t sabotage similar policy proposals.”
Fonseca was also disturbed to witness what appears to be a deliberate insult towards social conservatives. He explained: “It’s bad enough that the committee filtered out every pro-life policy. But then we noticed that it approved what appears to be a pro-abortion policy to support Planned Parenthood, the world’s largest abortion provider! That’s just rubbing their contempt for social conservatives in our faces”.
Gunnarson warned that “if Ford allows this undemocratic suppression of grassroots voices to stand, he risks unravelling the powerful coalition that handed him a super majority government, and puts at risk a 2nd term”.
About Campaign Life Coalition
Campaign Life Coalition is a national, non-profit organization involved in political action and advocacy for legal and cultural change in Canada with respect to protecting human life and the family. For more information visit www.campaignlifecoalition.com.
Media Contacts:
Jeff Gunnarson, National President, Campaign Life Coalition: 416-204-9749 ext. 249, email: [email protected]
Jack Fonseca, Senior Political Strategist, Campaign Life Coalition: 416-204-9781, email: [email protected]
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