Here We Go Again

By the time you get this, it is highly likely that we will be in the midst of another federal election. This should not be a surprise as we have endured a minority Parliament for two years and such is the usual lifespan of minorities. Obviously what sets this apart is that Covid 19 will necessitate some substantial changes in voting but it has not proven to be a huge obstacle in the many provincial elections we have had during the pandemic. Strategically speaking, the changes in voting will not be significant.

Many pro-lifers wonder if voting in a federal election is even worthwhile. The federal parties either have pro-death platforms or pro-death leaders. This is a depressing prospect. However, your votes still count and the pro-life voice still needs to be heard. I would like to lay out several points for both your consideration and action.

First – Focus. Sometimes, our Catholic Voters’ Guides are far too complex and with too many issues to weigh. We need to focus! Is this party rabidly pro-abortion or not? As important as other issues are, if a party is for the pro-killing of children, the elderly, and the vulnerable, they must be discounted. No one can make up their mind with fifteen different issues. Either pro-life is central or it gets lost in the shuffle.

Secondly – Don’t waste time. It is often said that people make up their mind at the end of a campaign but in reality that is only the small number of undecided voters. This election is taking place in a time of great tumult due to Covid 19. It means that minds and votes are up for grabs. Be clear about cutting through all of the talk and getting to the basics of how people should vote. You need to ask the candidates specifically where they stand on pro-life issues. The candidates may have been well briefed to not answer questionnaires, but they cannot avoid answering questions in person at public or on-line candidates meetings. Find out where these are. Attend them. Speak up! And use social media to let your people know what these answers are. Don’t forget, you are an influencer too! And don’t forget a “No” is an answer that says I am ashamed of my position and I want to hide it.

Thirdly – Does pro-life have a home in any party nowadays? Prospective leaders have played pro-life and social conservatives so as to get our block votes and then have thrown us over the side. This means that our voice is seen as embarrassing political freight. Well, too bad for them. In this election, as with all elections, we need to play the odds. Will this woman or man be able to stand up against his or her leader or governing council to be a pro-life voice? Is he or she pro-life on any issues, wedge issues or not? Will he or she commit in public to a re-examination of settled positions within the party and our society? No, she may not be 100% but is there any chance on even some certain wedge issues she may be a voice for change? This is a hard-nosed realistic view, but it is how politics is done. In our system, it is hard to hold people to account once they are elected. One of the few ways to do so is social media. Use it!

Lastly, I appeal to all of you, clergy and laity, to do everything you can to get people to vote. The share of active voters keeps dropping and therefore this means that your vote is not worth just one vote; your vote is actually worth 1.3 votes. This isn’t being cute - this is hard vote calculus. In a time of voter cynicism, we are called to be realistic, tenacious, and surprisingly more effective than you might think.

Fr. Tom Lynch (PFLC National President)