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O’Toole to vote against Conservative MP’s private bill on “sex-selective abortion”

Apr 12, 2021 | 8:57 AM

OTTAWA — Conservative Leader Erin O’Toole says he will vote against a bill brought forward by a member of his caucus that aims to ban so-called “sex-selective abortions.”

O’Toole says he support a woman’s right to choose and will personally vote against the private member’s bill from Saskatchewan MP Cathay Wagantall.

She says the bill, which is up for debate on Wednesday, is about gender equality and believes many Canadians think pregnancies should not be terminated on the basis of sex. 

Abortion is among the delicate issues O’Toole must navigate as he hopes to grow the party with more Canadians ahead of the next general election.

Wagantall says she believes Conservative MPs will have a free vote, but O’Toole did not answer a question about whether he would instruct his opposition critics to vote against the bill.

She says O’Toole is entitled to his stance and she feels at home in the Conservative party. 

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2021

The Canadian Press