Send this page to someone via email Hundreds of pro-life demonstrators converged at the grounds of the Alberta legislature on Thursday to voice their opinion on an issue that has increasingly come up in Alberta politics of late, whether during the recent election campaign or in legislative debates before that. “We’re having a peaceful demo in support of the sanctity of life,” said Mary Hunt, who helped organize the March for Life rally. “Life is a gift of God and that we should cherish it and protect it.” Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "Life is a gift of God and that we should cherish it and protect it." View image in full screen Hundreds of pro-life demonstrators converged at the grounds of the Alberta legislature on Thursday. Global News Protesters eventually left the legislative grounds to march through parts of downtown Edmonton. Story continues below advertisement Among those in attendance, were the UCP’s MLA-elect for Peace River, who tweeted his gratitude for all the pro-life demonstrators who showed up. Dan Williams said he hoped that the “Alberta media report fairly on the March for Life today.” Let’s hope the Alberta media report fairly on the March for Life today. Thank you to all who came to voice your deeply held beliefs today! pic.twitter.com/xPTXlP6Z60 — Daniel Williams (@DanDWill) May 9, 2019 Dozens of counter-protesters were also in attendance, including Kathy Dawson, who describes herself as an “Alberta Handmaid,” or part of a group of people who speak out against Premier Jason Kenney and his UCP government. “I’m concerned now because the current government has a number of anti-choice MLAs,” she said. “Reproductive choice is critical in empowerment of women. “If we can’t control our bodies and have say over them, then we have no rights.” Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "If we can't control our bodies and have say over them, then we have no rights." View image in full screen The Alberta Handmaids, a group of people who speak out against Premier Jason Kenney and his UCP government, showed up to a counter-protest during the March for Life rally at the Alberta legislature on Thursday. Global News During the recent election campaign, the NDP said it believed a UCP government would put women’s rights, including access to abortion, in jeopardy, citing Kenney’s history of voting pro-life as an MP. Story continues below advertisement READ MORE: UCP candidate in central Alberta under fire over homophobic, anti-abortion comments Watch below: (From April 2019) There are calls for Mark Smith, the UCP candidate Drayton Valley-Devon, to be fired after he gave a sermon in 2013 saying media portrayals of LGBTQ love as “good love” are problematic. Albert Delitala explains. 3:24 Central Alberta UCP candidate Mark Smith comes under fire over homophobic, anti-abortion comments Central Alberta UCP candidate Mark Smith comes under fire over homophobic, anti-abortion comments – Apr 3, 2019 In 2012, Kenney went against then-prime minister Stephen Harper and supported a motion to set up a committee to study whether a fetus is a human being before the moment of birth. The motion was defeated by a vote of 203 to 91. Kenney has said he never spoke about the issue as an MP or proposed a motion or bill about abortion. READ MORE: Alberta Election Fact Check: NDP claims Kenney’s trying to restrict access to abortion Watch below: (From March 14, 2019) The NDP says “a woman’s right to choose is in sudden and real peril in Alberta” thanks to Jason Kenney. Is this true? Would access to abortion be limited under a UCP government? Emily Mertz has our latest Fact Check segment. 1:41 Alberta Election Fact Check: NDP claims Kenney’s trying to restrict access to abortion Alberta Election Fact Check: NDP claims Kenney’s trying to restrict access to abortion – Mar 14, 2019 Sarah Hoffman, the MLA-elect for Edmonton-Glenora, was one of the counter-protesters at Thursday’s rally. Story continues below advertisement “I’m here because I’m unapologetically pro-choice,” she said. “I respect women and their bodily autonomy. “The fact that we have a status of women minister who wouldn’t stand up for those women I think is incredibly troubling.” READ MORE: Alberta government looks to include schools in abortion protest buffer zones Leela Aheer, who was recently named Alberta’s minister of status of women, was part of a UCP caucus that walked out of legislative debates a total of 14 times as the NDP was working to pass its bill creating no-protest zones around abortion clinics. That bill eventually became law. READ MORE: Alberta buffer zone law tested in Calgary as anti-abortion group calls new rules anti-free speech Watch below: (From September 2018) A demonstration outside Calgary’s northwest abortion clinic was held on Saturday. It was one of the first protests since the NDP government created zones to protect staff and clients from harassment. But as Carolyn Kury de Castillo reports, pro-life groups are calling the law redundant and a political stunt. 1:58 Alberta buffer zone law tested in Calgary as anti-abortion group calls new rules anti-free speech Alberta buffer zone law tested in Calgary as anti-abortion group calls new rules anti-free speech – Sep 22, 2018 Kenney has said he will not legislate on abortion even though UCP members passed a resolution at a party convention last year that some people on both sides of the debate said could do just that. Story continues below advertisement Abortion became legal across Canada in 1988, when the Supreme Court struck down abortion prohibition as unconstitutional. Christine Myatt, a spokesperson with the premier’s office, issued a statement about the event. “Albertans have a right to express their views, which is what happened at the legislature today,” the statement read. “Albertans also have a diversity of views on this issue and each is entitled to his or her own opinion, but the premier has been clear that he will not revisit the matter.” –With files from Global News’ Emily Mertz and The Canadian Press’ Dean Bennett<doc-sep>Article content Commuters should expect traffic disruptions in the downtown core Thursday between 12 p.m. and 5 p.m. as the annual March for Life takes place. The anti-abortion demonstration is set to start at noon on Parliament Hill. Protesters will march from 1:30 p.m. until 4 p.m. Ottawa police will shut down affected roads starting at 1 p.m. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or March for Life protest expected to disrupt downtown traffic Thursday afternoon Back to video Neither police nor the March For Life website specified exactly where the demonstration route through downtown would be. After the march is over, commuters should still expect some traffic delays on Wellington Street, police said. Protestors are scheduled to remain on the Hill until 5 p.m., and an influx of buses may interfere with public transit and traffic. Police advise drivers use alternative routes for their afternoon commute. ALSO IN THE NEWS: Breaking his silence, Mark Norman says assumption of guilt took financial and emotional toll — and he wants his job back Woman with intellectual disability sexually assaulted in store bathroom, police say Councillor almost convinces council to block builder adding units to Westboro triplexes<doc-sep>
“I’m just here to support people who hold the same views as me,” Williams said, adding the UCP caucus is diverse. “I’m just one voice.” The rally — which drew an estimated 800 to 1,000 people and included students bused in from some faith-based schools — is the annual March for Life that snakes through downtown Edmonton, starting at the Alberta legislature and ending at Winston Churchill Square. There were similar events organized in cities across Canada. We apologize, but this video has failed to load. “I’m pro-life. It’s been a position of value of mine, a deeply held belief for a long time,” said UCP Peace River MLA Dan Williams, wearing the blue and pink ribbon linked to the anti-abortion movement. An anti-abortion rally at the Alberta legislature Thursday highlighted a potential political divide between MLAs on the heels of a contentious election. This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Article content Let’s hope the Alberta media report fairly on the March for Life today. Thank you to all who came to voice your deeply held beliefs today! pic.twitter.com/xPTXlP6Z60 — Daniel Williams (@DanDWill) May 9, 2019 Meanwhile NDP MLAs took a different stance, bolstering support for a smaller 100-strong pro-choice counterprotest that included women dressed as handmaids, referencing Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale about a misogynistic society. “I have a track record for standing up for women and their reproductive health and that’s not going to change,” said NDP MLA-elect Sarah Hoffman, a former health minister. “Rachel Notley and her team respect women … and their bodily autonomy.” Hoffman (Edmonton-Glenora) was joined by fellow MLA-elects Janis Irwin (Edmonton-Highlands-Norwood) and Thomas Dang (Edmonton-South), as well as St. Albert MLA-elect Marie Renaud, who has advocated for healthcare access and opened up about her own abortion. When asked if he would vote in the legislature according to his anti-abortion values, Williams said he can’t speak to hypotheticals. “On any issue that comes in front of me, I’m going to consult my conscience and my constituents,” he said. The issue of access to abortion was a tense topic in the legislature under then-premier Rachel Notley’s government. The NDP passed Bill 9, which created protest-free bubble zones around abortion clinics. Last year the UCP refused to debate or vote on the bill. Under the NDP, the province also moved to make the drug Mifegymiso available to women for free in July 2017. The pill is used for early-stage abortions. Premier Jason Kenney has said the UCP won’t debate abortion access or make changes to legislation. “I’ve been clear about that for two and a half years,” he said in February. “A United Conservative government will not address this issue, will not engage in this debate, will not initiate legislation.” The issue was raised again earlier this year when anti-abortion advocacy group the Wilberforce Project lauded the UCP nominations as offering the chance for the “most pro-life legislature in decades.” The group advocates for anti-abortion policies, which they argue could range from promoting adoption services to repealing Bill 9. Photo by Ed Kaiser / Postmedia cclancy@postmedia.com twitter.com/clareclancy