Faith Across Border

Last June, Liberal leader Justin Trudeau announced that all Liberal candidates in the next federal election were required to take a pro-choice stance on abortion rights. Trudeau originally fudged on whether sitting pro-life members of Parliament would be exempt, suggesting the policy was not completely thought out. That confusion in turn raises questions about his underlying motivations. Did Trudeau do this out of deep, principled conviction for women’s reproductive rights? Or was it more an impulsive move to undercut the NDP? Perhaps Trudeau was indeed driven solely by principle, not opportunism. But this is the Liberal Party of Canada we are talking about.

The one certain outcome of Trudeau’s move is to deepen even further the social conservative divide between the Liberal and Conservative parties. When Parliament last saw a government bill on abortion 25 years ago, it was a strikingly cross-party issue; both parties had large clumps of pro-life supporters. Now...