The Conservative Party is ‘doing a cleanup job’ of its membership as it heads into its policy convention, say social conservatives, who believe the moves could alienate its base..MP Derek Sloan was kicked out of the Conservative Party and told the Western Standard others have reached out to him to report a similar fate..“So anyone who’s kind of sticking their neck out, questioning COVID, being a social conservative, vocally anyways, potentially, I mean we don’t know how far this will go, but that’s what we’re seeing so far,” Sloan said..“There’s a vocal pastor in Ontario who’s been pushing against the lockdown. His name is Henry Hildebrandt. He’s a Mennonite pastor. And I understand that his and his wife’s membership has been revoked.”.Herbert Hildebrandt, the son of Henry said: “The Party revoked both his and my membership, refused to provide reasons beyond referencing the general reasons why they can do so, ie. conduct unbecoming a member, etc. I appealed and the decision was upheld by the executive.”.Sloan said his own parents’ last name of “Sloan” was hidden when they sought election as delegates for Erin O’Toole’s riding of Durham..“Their names were listed as ‘David David’ and ‘Erica Erica.’ And so they contacted the party multiple, multiple times, over a period of several days, and nothing happened. And then finally on, I believe it was the last day of the vote, they got a lawyer involved,” Sloan said..Finally, the Conservative Party responded..“They changed the name back. And then they also started the entire election over again in their riding,” Sloan said, leading to his parents’ election as delegates..Brenda Virtue was also chosen to be a delegate, then had her membership revoked for 60 days without explanation..“Who knows what they’re doing?” Virtue told the Western Standard..“After I had been voted a delegate, now they’re what, going through the delegates, saying oh we don’t want this person voting, because they used to go with the PPC? I don’t know.”.Virtue said she is not returning to the People’s Party because “it’s not going anywhere,” but now she is disillusioned with the Conservatives as well..“It’s like a friend of mine said, ‘Now, why would you want to go to vote in a party for at a convention if what you vote on, they’re not even going to carry through on it because they don’t want conservatives voting?’ They don’t want social conservatives, they just want their progressive ideology and liberal ideology, actually, to be carried forward. So they’re going to do whatever they want to do, just like our Prime Minister, without any legislative oversight… It’s very sad.”.Virtue had put forward policies advocated by Parents Are First Educators and by RightNow, a pro-life organization. RightNow wants the Conservative Party to delete policy 70 which says the party will not support any legislation on abortion. They also want a resolution opposing late-term abortions..RightNow co-founder Scott Hayward from Brandon, Manitoba, told the Western Standard Virtue was one of two former female PPC candidates axed as delegates, though he would not name the other..“The timing of it, of course, is interesting, because they are elected as delegates, and here are supposed to go to convention. So they’re, they’re clearly you know, doing a ‘cleanup job’, so to speak. But as per the rules of the party, as far as I can tell, they’re within their right to do so,” Hayward said..Chilliwack, B.C. school trustee Barry Neufeld told the Western Standard his membership was also revoked without explanation. Neufeld is known for his opposition to the pro-transgender SOGI-123 school resources used in B.C. schools..He was not told the reason he was kicked out of the party, despite asking..“Peter Mackay said that we have to get rid of and discourage the social conservatives. They’re like an albatross around our neck,” Neufeld said..“Somebody’s pulling the strings behind the Conservative Party and they’re determined to rid themselves of all social conservatives and to alienate them.”.Sloan said the sidelining of social conservatives has already caused “disenchantment” with the party..“I’ve heard other MPs in the meeting where I was kicked out as an MP were saying, ‘Listen, some of my biggest supporters, board members and volunteers and stuff are already calling me telling me that they’re through,” Sloan said..“And depending on how things play out from here, the Conservative Party is risking damaging itself significantly. When you throw your base under the bus, that’s a sign that you’re heading into irrelevancy.”.Harding is a reporter for the Western Standard based in Saskatchewan
The Conservative Party is ‘doing a cleanup job’ of its membership as it heads into its policy convention, say social conservatives, who believe the moves could alienate its base..MP Derek Sloan was kicked out of the Conservative Party and told the Western Standard others have reached out to him to report a similar fate..“So anyone who’s kind of sticking their neck out, questioning COVID, being a social conservative, vocally anyways, potentially, I mean we don’t know how far this will go, but that’s what we’re seeing so far,” Sloan said..“There’s a vocal pastor in Ontario who’s been pushing against the lockdown. His name is Henry Hildebrandt. He’s a Mennonite pastor. And I understand that his and his wife’s membership has been revoked.”.Herbert Hildebrandt, the son of Henry said: “The Party revoked both his and my membership, refused to provide reasons beyond referencing the general reasons why they can do so, ie. conduct unbecoming a member, etc. I appealed and the decision was upheld by the executive.”.Sloan said his own parents’ last name of “Sloan” was hidden when they sought election as delegates for Erin O’Toole’s riding of Durham..“Their names were listed as ‘David David’ and ‘Erica Erica.’ And so they contacted the party multiple, multiple times, over a period of several days, and nothing happened. And then finally on, I believe it was the last day of the vote, they got a lawyer involved,” Sloan said..Finally, the Conservative Party responded..“They changed the name back. And then they also started the entire election over again in their riding,” Sloan said, leading to his parents’ election as delegates..Brenda Virtue was also chosen to be a delegate, then had her membership revoked for 60 days without explanation..“Who knows what they’re doing?” Virtue told the Western Standard..“After I had been voted a delegate, now they’re what, going through the delegates, saying oh we don’t want this person voting, because they used to go with the PPC? I don’t know.”.Virtue said she is not returning to the People’s Party because “it’s not going anywhere,” but now she is disillusioned with the Conservatives as well..“It’s like a friend of mine said, ‘Now, why would you want to go to vote in a party for at a convention if what you vote on, they’re not even going to carry through on it because they don’t want conservatives voting?’ They don’t want social conservatives, they just want their progressive ideology and liberal ideology, actually, to be carried forward. So they’re going to do whatever they want to do, just like our Prime Minister, without any legislative oversight… It’s very sad.”.Virtue had put forward policies advocated by Parents Are First Educators and by RightNow, a pro-life organization. RightNow wants the Conservative Party to delete policy 70 which says the party will not support any legislation on abortion. They also want a resolution opposing late-term abortions..RightNow co-founder Scott Hayward from Brandon, Manitoba, told the Western Standard Virtue was one of two former female PPC candidates axed as delegates, though he would not name the other..“The timing of it, of course, is interesting, because they are elected as delegates, and here are supposed to go to convention. So they’re, they’re clearly you know, doing a ‘cleanup job’, so to speak. But as per the rules of the party, as far as I can tell, they’re within their right to do so,” Hayward said..Chilliwack, B.C. school trustee Barry Neufeld told the Western Standard his membership was also revoked without explanation. Neufeld is known for his opposition to the pro-transgender SOGI-123 school resources used in B.C. schools..He was not told the reason he was kicked out of the party, despite asking..“Peter Mackay said that we have to get rid of and discourage the social conservatives. They’re like an albatross around our neck,” Neufeld said..“Somebody’s pulling the strings behind the Conservative Party and they’re determined to rid themselves of all social conservatives and to alienate them.”.Sloan said the sidelining of social conservatives has already caused “disenchantment” with the party..“I’ve heard other MPs in the meeting where I was kicked out as an MP were saying, ‘Listen, some of my biggest supporters, board members and volunteers and stuff are already calling me telling me that they’re through,” Sloan said..“And depending on how things play out from here, the Conservative Party is risking damaging itself significantly. When you throw your base under the bus, that’s a sign that you’re heading into irrelevancy.”.Harding is a reporter for the Western Standard based in Saskatchewan
