Many upset over anti-abortion mailout

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This article was published 06/08/2015 (3745 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Flyers containing graphic abortion images juxtaposed with a photo of Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau are being mailed to thousands of Winnipeggers marked as “important election information enclosed.”

It includes a statement that says Trudeau supports abortion until birth and “a vote for Justin Trudeau is a vote for this,” referring to the picture.

The flyers show disturbing images of aborted fetuses next to a photo of Trudeau, and state that Trudeau supports abortion until birth. The colour photo of Trudeau was taken about 10 years ago, perhaps in keeping with the federal Tory theme that Trudeau is too young and “Just Not Ready.”

A group called Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform (CCBR) is behind distributing them to Winnipeggers as well as people in Saskatoon.

Many people are outraged about receiving the flyers.

Winnipegger Lee Robinson received his flyer in a locked mailbox.

“How can Canada Post possibly justify distributing this to mailboxes in Canada without any postage or indication as to who is sending it?” Robinson asked, in an email to the Free Press.

On Twitter, Chris Mulligan posted his reaction. “I opened it, but I didn’t really take a good look at it. and I’m glad I didn’t. I just read ‘abortion’ and ‘Justin Trudeau’ and threw it out.

Donna Sousa wonders about the legality and propriety of the mailings. “I think Canada Post should have a mandate that all mail must have a return address on it, even ad mail. This way things like this can easily be returned to sender with any messages we see fit to send back their way,” she said via Twitter.

Staff from Winnipeg South Liberal candidate Terry Duguid’s campaign said the flyers have also appeared in that riding, which is considered a top Liberal target.

And officials from the Canadian Union of Postal Workers said Thursday it appears the flyers were delivered out of the Wilkes Avenue depot. Canada Post carriers delivered them mostly to condo and apartments, while a private delivery company handled houses. It appears the wave of deliveries, which began earlier this week, is finished.

The organization behind the graphic postcards said it makes no apologies for the campaign or the graphic nature of the images, even if it means young children are seeing them.

“If abortion is merely a choice we should have no problem looking at these images,” said Maaike Rosendal, the campus outreach director for the Canadian Centre for Bio-Ethical Reform.

Rosendal said if people are disturbed by the images they should be equally disturbed by abortion itself.

As for children seeing the pictures Rosendal also made no apologies, saying if there was a way to deliver the postcards without children seeing them they “would do so in a heart beat” but they can’t.

“We have to prioritize the lives of vulnerable pre-born children over the lives of others,” she said.

When asked why they couldn’t at least put a warning or an identifier on the envelope to let people know what they were about to open was about abortion, she said people wouldn’t look at them then.

The organization, based in Calgary, launched the campaign earlier this year with a goal to deliver one million postcards to more than 20 specific ridings in five provinces. Rosendal said the ridings were chosen based on the organization’s ability to deliver into them, with volunteers or staff available.

In Manitoba, Winnipeg South Centre and Winnipeg South were both targeted, and both are ridings where the Liberals are posing a stiff challenge to the Conservatives in this election.

Rosendal said the goal is to expose Trudeau’s “extreme pro-abortion stance” and raise awareness of the issue in general.

Rosendal’s group is finished with the first wave of the No2Trudeau campaign and is working with a legal team currently to decide whether to register as a third party and continue to advertise during the campaign.

Although some of the postcards are still being delivered by Canada Post, she said the contract was signed two weeks ago before the election began which means nothing so far requires them to register.

Elections Canada requires third parties to register once they spent $500 or more on advertising during a campaign.

Winnipeg Local 856 President Glenn Bennett said he’s heard concerns from mail carriers about the graphic nature of the flyer, but no one has refused to deliver it.

“I found it a disturbing ad,” said Bennett. “I think it crossed the line.”

Bennett said he was particularly concerned about the effect the images might have on women who have had an abortion and opened the flyer unwittingly. But Bennett said Canada Post has made it clear the Crown corporation can’t refuse to deliver the flyer.

Canada Post clarified its position, in a written statement to the union representing its employees: “We are responsible for the physical delivery of all mail in Canada. We do not have the legal right to refuse delivery of a mail item because we or other people object to its content. Anyone who has concerns about the content should either contact the publisher or dispose of it.”

— with files from Mary Agnes Welch, The Canadian Press