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Kontiki
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Canada
Aug 2001
time: 00:19
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http://www.theglobeandmail.com/serv...Story/National/
quote:
Christian activists capturing Tory races
By GLORIA GALLOWAY
Friday, May 27, 2005 Updated at 4:28 AM EDT
From Friday's Globe and Mail
Ottawa — Christian activists have secured Conservative nominations in clusters of ridings from Vancouver to Halifax -- a political penetration that has occurred even as the party tries to distance itself from hard-line social conservatism.
At least three riding associations in Nova Scotia, four in British Columbia, and one in suburban Toronto have nominated candidates with ties to groups like Focus on the Family, a Christian organization that opposes same-sex marriage.
But organizers say many more will be on the ballot during the next federal election, a feat achieved by persuading parishioners, particularly new Canadians, to join the party and vote for recommended candidates.
Some Conservatives argue that the selection of a large number of candidates from the religious right is an unfortunate turn for a party that was accused in last year's election campaign of harbouring a socially conservative "hidden agenda."
"The difficulty, from a party perspective, is that it begins to hijack the other agendas that parties have," said Ross Haynes, who lost the Conservative nomination in the riding of Halifax to one of three "Christian, pro-family people" recommended by a minister at a religious rally this spring in Kentville, N.S.
Candidates who are running on single issues such as opposition to same-sex marriage "probably can't get elected because they certainly don't represent any mainstream population view," Mr. Haynes said.
Others within the party say they are extremely concerned and wished the party leaders had been more involved in the nominations.
But Tristan Emmanuel -- the Presbyterian minister whose endorsement at the Kentville rally aided the nominations of Andrew House in Halifax, Rakesh Khosla in Halifax West and Paul Francis in Sackville-Eastern Shore -- makes no apologies.
"It's time we stopped apologizing and started defending who we are," he said. "The evangelical community in Canada, by and large, and socially conservative Catholics, are saying we have been far too heavenly minded and thus we have been of no earthly value for far too long, on too many fronts."
Mr. Emmanuel runs the Equipping Christians for the Public Square Centre, which teaches people of his faith to become political. He is reluctant to say how many adherents have obtained Conservative nominations because he is afraid the news media will portray the campaign as the infiltration of the party by "right-wing fanatics."
But "it's happening everywhere, especially in urban ridings and in Ontario," he said. "Even in Toronto we have incredible people from the immigrant community who are stepping up to the plate who are just awesome candidates and sincere Christians."
Mr. Emmanuel said Christians have been allowed to believe that "to be a genuine citizen of the nation we need to check our religion at the political door. And I'm saying no, that's fundamentally flawed. You may participate in the public square as a religious individual and be not ashamed."
John Reynolds, the retiring Conservative MP who ran the party's nomination process, said the fact that social conservatives have won his party's nominations is simply a function of democracy.
"I don't believe in appointments and neither does our party, so we get some real battles," Mr. Reynolds said. "People say, 'Can't you do something about these guys running?' and I say 'Hey, you can do something: go out and sign up some more people.' "
That said, Mr. Reynolds is offended by attempts to paint the Conservative party as a harbour for religious zealots.
"There were three dozen Liberals who voted with us on the same-sex thing," he said. "Nobody is going after them and saying, 'Look at these far-right Christians that got into the Liberal Party.' "
If reporters who write about Christian fundamentalists taking over his party were to "insert the word Jew everywhere you've put Christian, do you think they would let you print it?" he asked. "I doubt it."
Darrel Reid, the party's candidate in Richmond, B.C., is a past president of Focus on the Family. Cindy Silver, who will run for the Tories in North Vancouver, was the executive director of the Christian Legal Fellowship for two years in the 1990s. Marc Dalton in New Westminster-Burnaby has been the pastor of a community church in Burnaby.
Mr. Reid, a former chief of staff to then Reform leader Preston Manning, said it is easy to label a person with his background a single-issue candidate.
"But the reason I entered this nomination contest is because I am really concerned about the direction our government is going," Mr. Reid said.
"In politics, people call you names. And sometimes it's not very pretty, but in the meantime I'm going to talk about the big issues and marriage is one issue out there. I know Canadians are concerned about it, a lot of people are talking about it, but it's just one of a whole range of issues that I went into politics to discuss."
Ms. Silver, a lawyer in the federal Justice Department, objects to being labelled a Christian candidate. "That's a form of discrimination," she said. "That's putting them in a class of people and ascribing to them the characteristics of that class without ever giving them a chance to stand on their own merits."
But other candidates clearly relied on their churches to promote their nomination.
Rondo Thomas beat former Conservative MP René Soetens for the nomination in Ajax, on the eastern edge of Toronto. Dr. Thomas is a top official with the Canada Christian College, which is run by Charles McVety, a senior director of the Defend Marriage Coalition.
"The Defend Marriage Coalition engaged in a concerted effort to help pro-marriage candidates become nominated," Dr. McVety said.
"There is a desire to see pro-marriage nominees as candidates right across the country. We know that we have 141 pro-marriage MPs now and our hope is to achieve a pro-marriage Parliament."
There has been no specific drive to infiltrate the Conservatives, Dr. McVety said. Some religious Liberals have been nominated as well. But the Tories have taken the lion's share, he said, probably because of the party's opposition to changing the definition of marriage.
Like Mr. Emmanuel, Dr. McVety expresses no uneasiness with his efforts.
"The distortion of the separation of church and state has driven people of faith out of leadership and this is very wrong," he said.
And now that the government has decided to redefine marriage, faith leaders have been forced to urge their congregations to mobilize politically, Dr. McVety said.
As a result, they "are typically signing up as members of political parties, some of them for the first time in their lives. Many of them even signing up for political parties that they've never voted for in their lives before."
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Just a damn Liberal plot to make them seem more socially conservative. And the stupid voters will buy it. Stupid, stupid voters.
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Kontiki
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Canada
Aug 2001
time: 00:19
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quote:
Originally posted by Wezil
I've been trying for YEARS to get Liberals on this board to defend Liberal policies. They always take a pass. |
Do we have any Liberals on this board?
quote:
Kontiki - Do we assume the other parties support the positions of ALL their candidates? What does the PARTY platform say? This would be a more useful debate. |
Maybe it was just a dream I had, but I seem to remember a Conservative Party convention not too long ago where the issues of gay marriage and abortion (among other, admittedly more mundane things) were brought up for a vote to the consternation of the more moderate members of the party. I also seem to recall that while the anti-aborition vote didn't pass, the anti-gay marriage one did. That, I would assume, is what determines party policy. Tack on some more socially conservative members, have another vote and let's see where the chips fall.
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Kontiki
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Canada
Aug 2001
time: 00:19
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quote:
Originally posted by Wezil
A valid position. This atheist supports the traditional definition of marriage. |
Bully for you. I assume you realize it is a socially conservative position.
quote:
The implication being that these members were not in the party at the time of the last convention. I suspect they already voted (and as you point out - lost). |
From the article:
"And now that the government has decided to redefine marriage, faith leaders have been forced to urge their congregations to mobilize politically, Dr. McVety said.
As a result, they "are typically signing up as members of political parties, some of them for the first time in their lives. Many of them even signing up for political parties that they've never voted for in their lives before."
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Kontiki
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Canada
Aug 2001
time: 00:19
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quote:
Originally posted by Wezil
Kontiki:
I don't care if it is a socially conservative position. I think they are correct on this issue and I support the position (although probably for different reasons). I also agree with the 'left' on a good number of issues but would rather be tarred and feathered before calling myself an NDP'er. See?
As to the article - Sure, they will gain some new members but let's be honest. The politically active are already in the party. Quite frankly you are engaging in the fear mongering. A central canadian newspaper spouts the fear message and you repeat it. Why no concern over the 'kooks' in other parties? The NDP is choc-a-bloc with them. |
Getting a bit defensive, aren't we? I could care less what your personal position on gay marriage is - I'm not looking for a debate on it. But the reality is that it is a socially conservative position, so you shouldn't get your panties in a bunch if people look at the CPC as socially conservative - or at least moreso than the other major parties.
And the NDP is about as likely to form even a minority federal government as the Yogic Flying Party (are they still around?), so there's not much point worrying about the kooks there. To which I can predict your reply 'well, they sure seem to be having alot of influence on the Liberals', to which I'd reply 'what fringe views of the NDP in particular are the Liberals adopting? '
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JimmyCracksCorn
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Macedonia - Sovereign country north of Greece.
Dec 2002
time: 05:19
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quote:
Originally posted by St Leo
quote:
Originally posted by Wezil
Does it matter in the end? Nope. As you can tell from the posters here, ethics and morality in government are not something the Canadian public expects or are prepared to insist upon. |
We also look at competence, class, sense of fair play, and maybe even policies. And right now it looks like Harper just really, really, really, really, really wants to be Prime Minister. That sort of thing tends to set off alarm bells. |
But isn't that essentially the opposition's job? People vote for candidates assuming they are going to pursue forming a government.
But I do see what you mean.
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Kontiki
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Canada
Aug 2001
time: 00:19
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You're really hung up on this "fear" thing, aren't you? You seem to think people like me are of the opinion that if the Conservatives are elected, they'll immediately turn the country into a fundamentalist theocracy. That there's this massive, unfounded paranoia out there. But you know what? I DO think that there should be gay marriage, and I DON'T think that abortion should even enter the debate (funny - I remember Harper saying during the election that the abortion issue has been settled and isn't even a point of discussion. Apparently his party disagrees with him). Is the evil Liberal media lying when they report that the CPC voted against gay marriage and had a vigorous debate about abortion? 'Cause if not, I'm not sure why my "fears" would be unfounded.
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Kontiki
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Canada
Aug 2001
time: 00:19
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I'm "scared" that they might legislate in accordance with their official position. Crazy, I know. I'm also getting worried that you don't seem to understand anything I'm saying.
As for acceptable debate topics, pick whatever you want. Just don't whine about it when it's reported what you debated.
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Kontiki
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Canada
Aug 2001
time: 00:19
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quote:
Originally posted by Wezil
The media weren't reporting on my debate. I'm not a Conservative and was not at the convention to be part of the debate. |
The fact that you would say this suggests that there's not much hope of you understanding what I'm saying, so perhaps it's best if I stopped trying.
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