Liberals go down Conservative bill in flames
(Ottawa) In this week when the anti-abortion movement is gathering on Parliament Hill, the Trudeau government is making a fuss about a Conservative bill addressing this issue. Debated for the first time Tuesday, two days before the "March for Life", it aims to reopen the debate on abortion in the country, denounce the Liberals and all the other parties of the Commons.
The Liberals, Bloc and New Democrats had fired red balls on Bill C-311 put forward by Cathay Wagantall during debates in the House on Tuesday. On the Liberal benches, we returned to the charge on Wednesday during question period, seeing it as the usual vein.
Two MPs, Judy Sgro and Lisa Hepfner, used a "planted" question – an exercise in which an elected member of the governing party questions his own party – to allow Justin Trudeau to hit the nail again during question period in the House on Wednesday.
There was also a statement by Emmanuella Lambropoulos on this subject, and in the first few minutes of question period, the Prime Minister responded to a question from Pierre Poilievre on affordability by talking about abortion and misogyny.
Bill C-311 seeks to amend the Criminal Code to include that "knowingly assaulting a pregnant woman" or "causing bodily or emotional harm" becomes "aggravating circumstances for sentencing purposes."
In the morning, several Conservative MPs lined up behind the proposal.
"It is a well-established fact that pregnant women are more at risk of experiencing violence, and are more vulnerable to it. This bill is designed to prevent gender-based violence against women. It's nothing more than that," said Michelle Rempel Garner.
His colleague Michelle Ferreri agreed, seeing it as "public safety" measures.
Prime Minister Trudeau did not hesitate to criticize her. Without waiting to be launched on the subject by journalists, when he arrived in parliament for the weekly meeting of his caucus, he went on the attack.
"I want to emphasize how disappointed I am to see that the Conservative Party, supported by Pierre Poilievre, has chosen to reopen the debate on abortion and attack women's free choice [...] As a government, we will always remain fiercely pro-choice," he said.
As for Alain Rayes, who slammed the door of the Conservative caucus in the wake of the election of Pierre Poilievre, he summed up his thoughts in three words – "And she starts again" – and three emoticons of face rolling his eyes to the sky.
Timely debateThe legislation was debated for the first time this week when the annual high mass of the anti-abortion movement is held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. The rally will be held Thursday on the lawn across from Centre Block.
It will include representatives of the group We Need a Law.
"Canada is the only democratic country in the world without abortion laws. Abortion ends more lives each year in Canada than all other causes of death combined. This is not something we can gloss over," Anna Nienhuis, a spokeswoman for the organization, said on Wednesday.
What are the risks for the right to abortion?The Saskatchewan elected representative is not at the first attempt to revive the debate. In 2021, his bill on gender-selective abortions was defeated in second reading, by a vote of 248 to 82. The Conservatives overwhelmingly supported it, but all the elected members of the Quebec caucus opposed it.
It must be said that the chances of Bill C-311 being passed are quite slim, as is the case with the vast majority of private members' bills.
And the Conservative Party vigorously denies that the bill is intended to reopen debate.
A member of the Canada Research Chair in the Sociology of Social Conflict, Véronique Pronovost notes that "there is extensive jurisprudence in Canada that protects the right to abortion against the adoption of federal laws restricting access or invalidating the law," and that "a potential federal law would undoubtedly be blocked by Canadian courts."
On the other hand, even if MP Wagantall did not have this intention, the anti-abortion movement could seize it, says the doctoral student in the Department of Sociology at UQAM.
"What worries is the politicization and judicialization of the issue: the creation of a window of opportunity favoring the mobilization of forces against abortion and reopening the debate in society – while we know that we do not debate
on equal terms (disinformation, demagoguery)," she illustrates.
The Liberals, Bloc and New Democrats had fired red balls on Bill C-311 put forward by Cathay Wagantall during debates in the House on Tuesday. On the Liberal benches, we returned to the charge on Wednesday during question period, seeing it as the usual vein.
Two MPs, Judy Sgro and Lisa Hepfner, used a "planted" question – an exercise in which an elected member of the governing party questions his own party – to allow Justin Trudeau to hit the nail again during question period in the House on Wednesday.
There was also a statement by Emmanuella Lambropoulos on this subject, and in the first few minutes of question period, the Prime Minister responded to a question from Pierre Poilievre on affordability by talking about abortion and misogyny.
Bill C-311 seeks to amend the Criminal Code to include that "knowingly assaulting a pregnant woman" or "causing bodily or emotional harm" becomes "aggravating circumstances for sentencing purposes."
In the morning, several Conservative MPs lined up behind the proposal.
"It is a well-established fact that pregnant women are more at risk of experiencing violence, and are more vulnerable to it. This bill is designed to prevent gender-based violence against women. It's nothing more than that," said Michelle Rempel Garner.
His colleague Michelle Ferreri agreed, seeing it as "public safety" measures.
Prime Minister Trudeau did not hesitate to criticize her. Without waiting to be launched on the subject by journalists, when he arrived in parliament for the weekly meeting of his caucus, he went on the attack.
"I want to emphasize how disappointed I am to see that the Conservative Party, supported by Pierre Poilievre, has chosen to reopen the debate on abortion and attack women's free choice [...] As a government, we will always remain fiercely pro-choice," he said.
As for Alain Rayes, who slammed the door of the Conservative caucus in the wake of the election of Pierre Poilievre, he summed up his thoughts in three words – "And she starts again" – and three emoticons of face rolling his eyes to the sky.
Timely debateThe legislation was debated for the first time this week when the annual high mass of the anti-abortion movement is held on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. The rally will be held Thursday on the lawn across from Centre Block.
It will include representatives of the group We Need a Law.
"Canada is the only democratic country in the world without abortion laws. Abortion ends more lives each year in Canada than all other causes of death combined. This is not something we can gloss over," Anna Nienhuis, a spokeswoman for the organization, said on Wednesday.
What are the risks for the right to abortion?The Saskatchewan elected representative is not at the first attempt to revive the debate. In 2021, his bill on gender-selective abortions was defeated in second reading, by a vote of 248 to 82. The Conservatives overwhelmingly supported it, but all the elected members of the Quebec caucus opposed it.
It must be said that the chances of Bill C-311 being passed are quite slim, as is the case with the vast majority of private members' bills.
And the Conservative Party vigorously denies that the bill is intended to reopen debate.
A member of the Canada Research Chair in the Sociology of Social Conflict, Véronique Pronovost notes that "there is extensive jurisprudence in Canada that protects the right to abortion against the adoption of federal laws restricting access or invalidating the law," and that "a potential federal law would undoubtedly be blocked by Canadian courts."
On the other hand, even if MP Wagantall did not have this intention, the anti-abortion movement could seize it, says the doctoral student in the Department of Sociology at UQAM.
"What worries is the politicization and judicialization of the issue: the creation of a window of opportunity favoring the mobilization of forces against abortion and reopening the debate in society – while we know that we do not debate
on equal terms (disinformation, demagoguery)," she illustrates.
