Bloc Québécois Leader Gilles Duceppe said today the Conservative candidacy of a former Opus Dei spokeswoman is a sign of the governing party's narrow-minded views and attempts to bring right-wing religious views into Parliament. Mr. Duceppe quickly jumped on a news report that Nicole Charbonneau Barron, a Conservative candidate in a riding south of Montreal, used to be the public face of the powerful conservative group within the Roman Catholic Church.
“My problem is that Opus Dei is a rather secret society,” Mr. Duceppe told reporters in Quebec City.
“Those people certainly share an ideology, a narrow ideology, that doesn't correspond at all to the modern times in Quebec…. That candidate said very openly that self-whipping is a sacrifice they have to do. I question myself on such practices.”
Mr. Duceppe said he doesn't screen the religious views of his candidates. He added the Bloc's positions on abortion and same-sex marriage are clear and likely preclude the religious right from adhering to the party.
Up until last week, the Bloc had an MP who was a Roman Catholic priest. However, Raymond Gravel was from the left-wing of the Church, favouring same-sex marriage and openly criticizing the Church's hierarchy on a number of issues.
Mr. Gravel was recently forced by the Vatican to abandon his seat in the House, after a backlash – mainly in English Canada – over his views. Mr. Gravel said he opposes abortion, but he still called for restraint in the campaign against the awarding of the Order of Canada to Henry Morgentaler.
While he criticized Ms. Charbonneau Barron's views, Mr. Duceppe said that she has every right to run in the election.
At the time of the release of the movie based on the novel The Da Vinci Code, Ms. Charbonneau Barron was quoted in the media defending the Opus Dei and explaining the group's structure and views.
A spokesman for the Conservative Party said all candidates share the Conservative program, pointing out that the Harper government will not reopen the abortion file or the issue of same-sex marriage.
“A political party is a coalition of people of different origins and faiths. What unites them is the party's program, and that is what is offered to voters,” Jean-Luc Benoit told La Presse.
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(Source: globeandmail.com)
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