Pierre Poilievre disagrees with Conservative MP who wants to vote against same-sex marriage
CBC
Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre says he disagrees with a member of his caucus who says he wants to see more restrictions on abortion and would vote against same-sex marriage if there's a future bill on the issue in Parliament.
In an interview with Liberal MP Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, who hosts a podcast called Uncommons, Alberta Conservative MP Arnold Viersen also stressed his social conservative credentials on other issues, saying he wants protections for what he calls the "pre-born," supports Alberta Premier Danielle Smith's transgender policies and would vote to criminalize cannabis possession again if given the opportunity.
Asked by Erskine-Smith about a hypothetical future bill to overturn marriage for gays and lesbians, Viersen said, "I vote gay marriage down."
In a media statement issued Monday, Poilievre said Viersen's statements and positions "do not represent the positions of the Conservative Party, or myself as leader."
"As our party's policy book, adopted by party members, has said for years, 'a Conservative Government will not support any legislation to regulate abortion.' When I am prime minister, no laws or rules will be passed that restrict women's reproductive choices. Period," Poilievre added.
As for same-sex marriage, Poilievre said "Canadians are free to love and marry who they choose. Same sex marriage is legal and it will remain legal when I am prime minister, full stop.
"I will lead a small government that minds its own business, letting people make their own decisions about their love lives, their families, their bodies, their speech, their beliefs and their money. We will put people back in charge of their lives in the freest country in the world."
Viersen is a well-known social conservative and his stances on these issues are no surprise.
For years, he has presented petitions on strengthening legal protections for fetuses as part of a campaign to recognize the "humanity of the preborn."
"We want our country to be in a position where nobody needs to have an abortion. We have solid families that want to have children — that's a pipe dream for sure, we live in a fallen world, but that is the dream and the hope," Viersen told Erskine-Smith.
Pressed to say whether he favours a total ban on abortion or limits with some exceptions, Viersen said he and other social conservatives "want it to be illegal. We want the humanity of the pre-born to be recognized."
Viersen said Canada's legal vacuum on abortion is untenable.
While there are medical guidelines from physicians' groups and others on the procedure, there's no federal law governing the specifics of getting an abortion.
"We are the only country in the world with no pre-born protective rights," Viersen said.
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