This one is pretty obvious, given the recent flap about Brad Trost and his self-congratulatory statements at the Saskatchewan Pro-Life Association convention a couple of weekends ago in Humbolt. By now, you’ve likely already heard about how Trost lauded the assembled crowd for their pro-life petitions, and informed them that it was largely due to these efforts that the argument was made to de-fund International Planned Parenthood. Good for you, Brad! You helped to make it even harder for women in developing countries to get much-needed reproductive health care, effectively refusing them access to HIV screening, pap-smears, and post-natal care. Feels good, doesn’t it?
By the way, wasn’t it a nifty trick the way Trost created a little media frisson about the de-funding of International Planned Parenthood, thereby giving Stephen Harper a plum opportunity to assure everyone that he’s “not interested in opening the law on abortion”? Why, it’s almost as though they had spoken at some point earlier in the week and cooked the whole thing up to target voters on both sides of the debate. No, I don’t think that’s far fetched. These people aren’t as dumb as they look.
Below is a video of Trost* in a debate with NDP candidate Denise Kouri. There isn’t much that’s terribly revelatory in this clip. It’s pretty much the same-old, same-old from Trost, reiterating that he’s a social-conservative (pro-life, anti-same-sex marriage, anti-long gun registry, generally hateful, blah, blah, blah). Still, it’s nice to see him slapped down by Kouri and to have the crowd erupt in applause for her.
God, I hope they don’t get a majority.
*Special thanks to Don Kossick for tipping us off to the video.