Canadian newspaper, The Globe and Mail, ran a
story today - which I urge you to read - about the move by Dobson's group,
Focus on the Family, to gain seats in Canada's federal parliament. This news comes amidst
reports that Canadians actually fear Conservative leader Stephen Harper's agenda.
more on the story...
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.
During the last Conservative party policy convention, Tories decided to leave the abortion issue alone, but the issue of same sex marriage is still ripe for criticism from the right.
Following the failed attempt by the Conservatives and the Bloc Quebecois to take down the Canadian minority Liberal government last week, the Liberals have actually gained ground in the polls. The news about Dobson's cronies attempts at co-opting the Conservative party agenda is not only of concern to liberals - even some tories are speaking up:
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.
Party leader, Stephen Harper, attained that position after the two right-wing Canadian parties merged not long ago. He is a former member of the Reform/Canadian Alliance party and is known to be much more socially conservative than members of the older Progressive Conservative party with which his party merged.
One evangelical, Tristan Emmanuel, who supported a nomination in Halifax, had this to say:
"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."
"Heavenly minded"? Isn't that the idea of what being a Christian is all about? "No earthly value"? Measured by how politically active a Christian is? As a former Christian, my understanding of having earthly value is that you simply perform good works while you're here. Maybe I'm deluded. But, I don't think so.
Should Canadians be concerned about this movement? On one hand, yes. We don't want Dobson's tenatcles reaching any further into this country than they have already. On the other hand, Canadians have staunchly rejected pushes by the far right-wing in this country over the last two decades. These nominees may end up with a public voice, but they certainly will never become as powerful as their compatriates are in the United States. Our society will not stand for that.
The Conservatives are waging a losing battle against the acceptance of same sex marriage in Canada, since some provinces have already asserted the legality of such unions. The movement is growing and will continue to do so regardless of what these right-wingers do.
The attempted Dobsonization of Canada is annoying, but I'm confident the Canadian public will resist it at every turn.