ONTARIO, March 6, 2020 (LifeSiteNews) – Derek Sloan, a pro-life and pro-family Conservative Member of Parliament and a nominee in the running for party leadership, said in a recent interview that he’d “literally go to the wall” to defend freedom of speech and freedom of conscience. On the topic of LGBTQ coercion through legal activism, Sloan had this to say,
“Freedom of speech and freedom of conscience are some of the most important liberties our country is based on, and I will literally go to the wall for those freedoms, and if it came down to it, I would sacrifice my career to stand up for those,” said Sloan in an in a wide-ranging interview with Laura-Lynn Tyler Thompson published March 3.
“And who knows, maybe what I’m doing now is putting myself, is putting my career in harm's way,” he added.
Thompson asked Sloan about his views on a variety of issues, such as abortion, pride parades, “conversion therapy” bans, “climate change,” and the national debt. Thompson serves as co-host for the national daily show, The 700 Club Canada, and was recently muzzled by a British Columbia court for an interview she did with a father in Canada who is trying to stop his daughter’s ‘transition’ to male.
Sloan is known for his pro-life stance, but the devout Seventh Day Adventist nevertheless reasserted his pro-life position, adding that as party leader he would not hold back from discussing the abortion debate.
“So I’m pro-life and I’ve made no secret of that fact. I’ve also said that it’s time to have a discussion about abortion and the laws surrounding it or the lack thereof,” said Sloan.
“As leader, I would encourage individual MPs to bring forward bills addressing this issue and we can let parliamentary democracy do its work and have a discussion, that other countries have had, but Canada has not.”
Thompson asked Sloan about his take on attending pride parades, answering that he will not be partaking in any such events, and touched on the fact that the whole issue has been politicized.
“So I won’t be marching in a pride parade and I’ve said that. It’s funny that that has become the political litmus test of the year, and I won’t be jumping through any hoops that the media is imposing on the conservative party.”
Sloan then affirmed that his position, “won’t change” on the issue of marching in pride parades.
In his interview with Thompson, Sloan said that it was after “careful thinking and prayer” that he decided to run in the conservative leadership race.
He told Thompson that he got into politics due to his concern of the state of religious liberties and freedom of speech and conscience in Canada, mentioning the fact that he worked on the Trinity Western University case, and it was this file that sparked him to enter politics.
Sloan said he is concerned about Bill S-202 now before the Canadian Senate which would criminalize help for people with unwanted same-sex attraction.
Conversion Therapy
In speaking about “conversion therapy” bans, which are increasing in frequency at the municipal level in Canada, Sloan said that they go “overboard” and are an “overreach into personal liberties and freedom of religion.”
He also linked the whole concept of banning help as something that amounts to a type of “medical experiment” that in the future, might involve lawsuits against the government and organizations that “push” this agenda.
“Many kids who identify as trans, end up by the time they reach adulthood identifying as something else. The bulk of them end up being happy with the body that they were born with or identifying with their birth sex,” he said.
He then added that many kids grow out of their trans phase, saying, “this is not something that is controversial. All of the medical associations and psychological associations admit that a bulk of kids, end up being happy with the body they are born in.”
Sloan then said that after his interview with CTV’s Evan Solomon, where he spoke about the “conversion therapy” issue, he received many messages of support from those in the LGBT community.
He gave the example of one person who wrote him saying that, while she is not sure what is going on currently in her life or where she is at, as a child she was given puberty blockers and she felt that was a mistake.
National Debt
When it came time to talk about non-social issues, such as the economy, Sloan noted that Canadian government debt is a problem, and it’s not helped by the fact that the Liberal government sends taxpayer dollars overseas to support abortions, which is something he opposes.
Climate Change
Sloan said that when it comes to “climate change,” he is of the opinion that focus should not be on the alarmist type of thinking, but rather on focusing on taking care of the land, air, and water in a localized way that does not involve a carbon tax.
The next deadline for the conservative candidates is March 25. They must submit an additional 2000 signatures along with $300,000 to stay in the race. The leader will be announced at the June 27 party convention in Toronto.
To be eligible to vote in the Conservative Party leadership election, the deadline to sign up for a membership to vote is April 17th.
One Canadian voter said,
‘“So I won’t be marching in a pride parade and I’ve said that. It’s funny that that has become the political litmus test of the year, and I won’t be jumping through any hoops that the media is imposing on the conservative party.”’ No political correctness here. It's truly a much needed breath of fresh air. Sloan has my vote.” Another said:
“A politician who's not afraid to stand up for what's right regardless of the cost. Sloan has my vote, too!”
MP Derek Sloan said that if it came down to it, he would ‘sacrifice’ his ‘career to stand up for free speech and freedom of conscience.
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“Let your eyes look straight ahead; fix your gaze directly before you. Give careful thought to the paths for your feet and be steadfast in all your ways. Do not turn to the right or the left; keep your foot from evil” (Proverbs 4:25-27).