Political parties in Canada have never been democratic institutions, in the sense that their representatives are free to vote as they choose. Political parties are teams, and in order to win the game you have to play as a team. That's the way our system works. First and foremost, Liberals believe in individual autonomy. This would have little meaning if a woman (or man) was unable to control her own body. Of course people are free, absolutely, to believe what they want on abortion, and to advocate their position loudly in the public's square. The Charter, that most Liberal of laws, entrenched that right in our Constitution.
But people are not free, as Liberal candidates, or Liberal MPs, to undermine the aims of their team. To the contrary, they have a duty to support those aims. In the context of the Liberal party's position on abortion, personal religious belief and party aims do, for some, conflict. If a Liberal's personal religious beliefs makes them unable to support key Liberal goals, they are free to say so, but they are not free to be Liberal candidates. It would be like allowing your left winger to take the puck against his own goal. Even my four-year-old knows that's wrong. At convention, an overwhelming majority of the Liberal membership voted to affirm a women's right to choose, and made clear it wants political action to promote that aim. As representatives of the membership, candidates must support the will of the membership, not undermine it. This is hardly shocking, and like any good leader, Justin Trudeau is right to insist on it.
Ben Levine,
Vice President, Cariboo-Prince George Electoral District Association
Prince George
