
Having voted in favour of Motion 312, Alberta MP Rona Ambrose, Minister for the Status of Women, is now the target of a petition to have her removed from her post and is on the receiving end of a pointed public opinion backlash.
The Conservative MP, who repressents Edmonton-Spruce Grove, is the minister responsible for furthering Canadian women’s rights and promoting their place within Canadian society, a role many are now saying she is unfit to fulfill.
Even the YWCA Canada, through its Twitter account on Thursday, questioned whether Ambrose was fit for her ministerial role.
Rona Ambrose voted in favour of #M-312. Can she represent the interests of Canadian women? bit.ly/TH0kmM#prochoice#cdnpoli
— YWCA Canada (@YWCA_Canada) September 27, 2012
Other detractors were more visual and demanded action.
Only in Stephen Harper's Canada does the status of women minister vote to re-open the abortion debate #M312twitter.com/ylc_jlc/status…
— YLC - JLC (@ylc_jlc) September 26, 2012
The NDP is also calling for Ambrose's head, reports 660 News.
NDP critic Niki Ashton is reported by 660 News as being 'shocked' the Status of Women Minister, could support a bill that could roll back a woman's right to choose.
Social media reaction to how Ambrose voted was scathing and severe, with a petition being passed around asking for the minister’s removal.
Motion 312, Stephen Woodworth's private member's motion sought to have Parliament appoint a 12-member committee to study the definition of human being. The Criminal Code currently considers a child a human being when it emerges alive from the mother's womb.
Opponents feared the motion could potentially lead to a re-setting of the definitions and legalities surrounding pregnancies and abortions and eventually lead to the criminalization of abortions.
Apart from whatever fallout Ambrose may face professionally or personally, the Motion 312 vote also proved a caucus-splitting affair for Conservative MPs across the country but in Alberta, it was clear where the CPC MPs idiological allegiances lie, and it was not with Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
Only seven Alberta MPs voted against the motion, one of them being the province’s only NDP MP, another being the prime minister.
Five other Conservative MPs voted with Harper and against the motion but an overwhelming number of members of the Alberta Conservative caucus – 18 of them – voted in favour of the motion.
Look below and see how your MP voted and tell us in the comments how you feel about the outcome.
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