Pro-life Canadians descended onto Parliament Hill Thursday for the annual March for Life, demanding an end to abortion in Canada.
Canada is currently one of the few countries in the world that has no abortion laws. This means that late-term abortions and sex-selective abortions remain legal.
The March for Life has been taking place every year since 1998 and is organized by the Campaign Life Coalition.
True North spoke with individuals who were at the march.
“Every abortion destroys the life of that baby,” said pro-life advocate Janet Morana, who noted that she has also “seen the devastation that abortion does to the mother and the father, as well as the grandparents and future siblings.”
Speakers at this year’s march included former Planned Parenthood clinic director and author Abby Johnson and 40 Days for Life co-founder Shawn Carney. In her speech, Johnson called the Trudeau government an “oppressive regime” and urged attendees to resist censorship when voicing pro-life views.
Conservative MPs Cathay Wagantall and Arnold Viersen also appeared on stage.
“We don’t have a protest here today, we have a rally of people who love life and want to represent life and fight on behalf of life,” said Wagantall, who added that she “fully supports” the march.
Wagantall also slammed the Liberals and the NDP for politicizing the abortion issue and for smearing her proposed legislation to protect pregnant women as “anti-abortion.”
“The House of Commons does not reflect Canada,” said Wagantall. “When you only have one party that allows people to vote their conscience on these types of issues and the others whip and present a whole lot of lies.”
RightNow co-founder Scott Hayward told True North he believes it’s important for pro-lifers to gather on the hill to show the abortion debate isn’t closed.
“It’s really important to gather on the hill and in the various provincial capitals to show the media and other Canadians that the issue has never been closed and never was closed,” he said.
Hayward however also wants pro-lifers to get involved politically. “You have to get involved in changing hearts and minds,” he said.
A small group of pro-abortion counter protesters were also present at the rally. They were joined by NDP leader Jagmeet Singh. Police ensured the two sides were properly split up.
The theme for this year’s march was “I will never forget you.”
“This theme is a call for each one of us to witness the dignity of each human person,” said Campaign Life Coalition national president Jeff Gunnarson. “This theme is a call to action, a declaration of unwavering commitment to defending the most vulnerable among us.”
Campaign Life Coalition communications director Pete Baklinski told True North police estimated between 3000 and 4000 people attended the march.
As many as 1 in 5 pregnancies in Canada are terminated via abortion. In 2022, over 97,000 fetuses were aborted in Canada, a high not seen since 2016.
