Conservatives Optimistic in Upcoming Canadian Election
by Chad Groening
June 17, 2004
(AgapePress) - A conservative Canadian advocacy organization is encouraged by a recent poll that shows the Conservatives have become the frontrunner for the first time in more than a decade.Brian Rushfeldt is co-founder and executive director of the Canada Family Action Coalition (CFAC), which he says is somewhat equivalent to the Christian Coalition in the U.S. Rushfeldt says a recent poll shows that Conservative Party leader Stephen Harper, a candidate for prime minister, appears headed toward victory on June 28.
"The Conservatives are at 32 percent support; the Liberals are down to 31 [percent] now," Rushfeldt notes. "So the Liberals have dropped consistently in the last three weeks [and] the Conservatives are gradually rising. It's a slow process, but it's certainly a positive trend."
Rushfeldt believes Harper will be the new prime minister, even if he has to form a minority government. He points out that while incumbent Prime Minister Paul Martin is more pro-U.S. than his predecessor Jean Chretien, he has opposed the conservative policy issues the CFAC has put forth.
"I think it was felt that he was more pro-U.S. and certainly more of a fiscal conservative, but as this election is moving on I think we're finding out Paul Martin as a Liberal is a liberal," the CFAC spokesman says.
CFAC has worked to mobilize awareness and large-scale public response on issues such as child pornography, same-sex marriage, pedophilia, and government-funded abortion. The group has launched a campaign aimed at getting pro-family members of Parliament elected this year.
