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Social conservatives are much more cautious about who they support after doing so for Erin O’Toole, who then pushed them aside
Publication date:
May 31, 2022 • 4 hours ago • 4 minutes reading • 145 comments Federal Conservative candidate Pierre Poalievre has mixed results when it comes to socio-conservative issues. Photo by Peter J. Thompson / National Post / File
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Will the Social Conservatives play a role in Pierre Poalier’s possible path to victory in the Conservative leadership race?
Conservative MP Garnet Genois, a Socialist conservative advocate for the party, said he would recommend his supporters mark Leslin Lewis, the only openly pro-life candidate in the race, as the first choice, while encouraging them to rank Poilievre, who is a pro. – choice – second.
“Both are strong, principled conservatives and capable leaders,” he tweeted.
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Tonight, I will send an email to my contact list, supporting @LeslynLewis to lead the Conservative Party and encouraging people to put # 2 next to @PierrePoilievre. Both are strong, principled conservatives and capable leaders. Termination of membership is June 3. #cdnpoli
– Garnett Genuis (@GarnettGenuis) May 27, 2022
While pro-life groups RightNow and the Campaign Life Coalition (CLC) agree that Luis really needs to get the first vote of his members on the preferential ballot to choose the next leader, they disagree to put Poilievre second on the ballot.
RightNow interviewed all six candidates and gave them assessments based on their potential to win, their lifelong policies and their experience of voting on abortion or assisted death.
Lewis managed to get an 80 percent rating, while Poilievre received an initial score of 68 percent, mostly due to his potential to win the race. Roman Baber, who managed to score more points than Polyeur in matters related to life policy, received a score of 56 percent according to RightNow.
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The other three candidates – Jean Charest, Patrick Brown and Scott Aichison – received the fewest points, ranging between 30 and 39 percent.
Scott Hayward, co-founder of RightNow, said members should not feel compelled to follow the proposed ranking when asked to vote this summer. In fact, he has heard from members that they will rank Lewis only as their number one choice and no one else after that.
“Our recommended ranking bulletin is just that: a recommendation,” Hayward said.
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Pierre Poalievre “may be vulnerable”, says sociologist, as support softens for leader
Jack Fonseca, CLC’s director of political operations, told the National Post that his group would soon publish its voters’ guide to the Conservative Party of Canada’s leadership race, but he could now confirm that they would certainly not recommend Poilievre. to be ranked second.
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“If the Social Conservatives give Poilievre second place in the rankings, the message he sends to Poilievre and every other politician in the establishment is that they can take us for granted,” Fonseca said.
“This is exactly the wrong message to send.”
Social conservatives are much more cautious in throwing support behind a candidate after doing so for former leader Erin O’Toole, who then pushed them aside. They are now asking candidates to make a clear commitment to defend their problems if they are elected leader.
In transcripts of interviews with RightNow, most candidates pledged to allow members of parliament to present their own bills to private members, as is already the case, but not all candidates pledged to allow MPs to vote freely on matters of conscience.
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Poilievre, Brown and Charest, in a rare moment of agreement, reiterated that their government would never introduce or pass a law banning abortion.
Lewis and Baber were fully committed to free voting on matters of conscience, even in the Cabinet.
“I will always support freedom of assembly and freedom of conscience. This includes members of my cabinet. “Every politician should be able to vote for their conscience, regardless of their political position,” Lewis said, according to a transcript of her interview.
For some conservative supporters of life, Leslin Lewis is the only choice for party leader. Photo by Greg Southam / Postmedia / File
Baber relies on his own experience in the Doug Ford government to commit to free votes. “I have been forced to vote against my conscience several times in my career and I will never subject anyone to this. “I will allow free voting on all matters of conscience,” he said.
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The CLC said they were still in the process of evaluating Baber, who they said had offered more significant political commitments than Poilievre had.
Poilievre has mixed results when it comes to socio-conservative issues. He has consistently voted against bills related to assisted death, but voted against the bill of private member of parliament Cathay Wagantall, which would ban selective sexual abortion in 2021.
As the Supreme Court is likely to overturn abortion rights in the United States, the alleged favorite has been pressured by his opponents – especially Lewis – to state his personal position on the issue. So far, he has said he will not resume the debate.
It wasn’t until the French debate last week in Quebec that Polliver finally admitted he was “for choice.”
Hayward said there were many Social Conservatives who were enthusiastic about Poilievre at the start of the race in February, but many had been “excluded” from him over the past few weeks because of his stance on abortion during the debate.
“I think he kind of burst the bubble, so to speak, for many people who benefit from life.
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