Arpad Nagy's blog - Quebec Life Coalition
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Pro-life networking with Christian groups

Last Friday, I took part in a francophone pastors’ meeting in the Ottawa-Gatineau area. This seasonal event brings together over 30 pastors and several faith organizations. The goal of these meetings is to create a better community and collaboration among churches in the area, as well as to address the particular needs and challenges that we face. I was happy to represent the pro-life work that we do at Quebec Life Coalition. It is great to see that despite the particularities of each church, Christians come together to better advance the kingdom of God in our cities. It is great to see that churches are open to the pro-life message and are not remaining silent at the fate of the pre-born in our country. 

Photo: Arpad Nagy

I am looking forward to an increased participation from all faith communities in the upcoming National March for Life in Ottawa (May 9th) and in our own Quebec March for Life in Quebec City (May 31st). To that effect, we would be happy to talk to church leaders about how to get involved in pro-life work as a church, and we’d love to give a pro-life presentation in your community. The March for Life is in around 4 months, and now is the time to start talking about it. Four months will pass quickly, so it would be great to see announcements in church bulletins soon!

May be an image of 2 people and text

Photo: Luc Angers. Luc Angers (director of UVVC and one of the event organizers) with one of the host from the church Le Centre in Orleans)

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7 political actions to take in the next two weeks


Photo : luis molinero/Freepik

Federal elections are fast approaching. Although we do not yet know the exact time of the elections, there are several political actions that we can take to help the fate of pre-born children in our country. Some political actions are easy and costless, and if you’ve never done anything political before, I encourage you to take a small step today!

Here are 7 actionable items, some are bigger, some are smaller, but I challenge you to do at least one of them before the end of January. (If you haven't heard the news yet, you might be very surprised by #4!!!)

1- Sign up to become a candidate

Currently, most people in Quebec will not have a pro-life option on their ballot in the coming election (federal as well as provincial). Perhaps you can be the pro-life option! Currently, there are 2 federal parties that are asking for pro-life candidates: the Christian Heritage Party is actively recruiting candidates (the CHP is a fully pro-life federal party), and the people’s party is looking for candidates in around half of the 343 federal ridings (pro-life candidates for the PPC can run openly as pro-life). If no party inspires you, there is also the option of running as an independent.

2- Support a pro-life candidate.

Pro-life candidates will need help to run a successful campaign. Volunteering for even just a couple hours in your spare time is so appreciated by candidates and has a concrete effect in gaining votes. Campaign Life Coalition runs a website that identifies and compares candidates on their pro-life position - check it out here. (the page will be updated leading up the next election). If you do not find a pro-life candidate in your riding, send us an e-mail to ask about who is the closest to you.

3- Get involved in the CPC local association.

The conservative party of Canada will very likely for the next government. Being involved in your local association is important because members vote for their candidate, vote for policies at conventions and take part in much of the grassroots work of the party. A strong local pro-life presence will help our elected officials make the right decision when it comes to the fate of pre-born children. You can find out information on your local association here.

4- Support a pro-life candidate to become the next leader of the liberal party.

Did you know that the ban on pro-life candidates in the liberal party was a Trudeau policy and not a liberal party policy? Now that Justin Trudeau stepped down, we now have a candidate for the leadership of the party who is pro-life. His name is Michael Clark, and he checks all of the right boxes. Wouldn’t it be great if in the future, we had a pro-life prime minister? If you are not a member of another party, you can sign up to be a member of the liberal party for free to vote for a pro-life leader for the liberals. This is an extremely important and timely action. You can sign up to be a member here(www.liberal.ca/register). After signing up, there is a second timely action: this pro-life liberal candidate needs to collect signatures from liberal members to fully enter the leadership race. Please do so here (www.voteforMichaelClark.ca). Here is the paper nomination form that you can print out, scan and email back. 

5- Attend your municipal council meetings and school board meetings

We often talk about federal or provincial, but there are a lot of things happening closer to home. Municipal meetings can be boring, as a lot of it has to do with permits and by-laws. But we need to have a presence here too and build rapport with our municipal leaders. Library reading hours or cross walks and flags and much more are under municipal jurisdiction. For school boards, we need to watch the meetings to make sure that they don’t bring in policies that are dangerous to our children.   

6- Book us for a presentation or a meeting

We’d love to come talk to you about the pro-life work that we do. Reach out to us to book a meeting or a presentation. I am of the strong opinion that in-person interaction goes a lot further than virtual connection.

7- Engage with us on social media.

Help us to reach more people with our pro-life message! The best way to do so is to get your friends and family to sign up to receive our e-mails. They can do so here. You can also follow us on Facebook and share and like our posts. The social media algorithms might not always work in our favour, but it is a tool we need to better use to get our message out to more people. Also, if you haven't yet signed any of our latest petitions, you can do so here (and please share!)

We are also approachable by phone and e-mail, so don’t hesitate to contact us!          

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Two Years of pro-life in Quebec : How I Keep Fighting

We're nearing the third week of our year-end fundraising campaign, launched early to tackle the challenges posed by the Canada Post strike. Thank you in advance for your generosity—we have a lot of work ahead of us!

It has been two years since I began working for Quebec Life Coalition (QLC). Since you regularly receive emails from my colleagues—but rarely from me—you might be wondering: what does QLC’s Director of Political Operations and Volunteer Coordinator actually do? (These are the two roles I currently fill within our organization.)

Most of my time is not spent writing emails and articles. Instead, my main tasks fall into several categories: outreach to churches, developing a pro-life youth movement, coordinating volunteers, organizing special events, promoting pro-life candidates, and attending political events.

Outreach to Churches: I have the privilege of regularly meeting with pastors and church staff, helping them promote appropriate pro-life activities within their communities and connecting them with the work we are doing at QLC. I’m always available to give pro-life presentations at churches as well.


A QLC conference organized at a parish community in the Quebec City region

Developing a Youth Movement: I’m working to build the youth branch of the pro-life movement here in Quebec. Today’s young people are more pro-life than those just a decade ago, but these beliefs need to be nurtured, developed, and supported—especially in the often-hostile education system.


A QLC Students for Life event, in Montreal.

Volunteer Coordination: There is so much to do for the pro-life cause, particularly here in Quebec. There are many impactful ways for our volunteers to get involved. Some activities include: Vigil 365 with Brian (a daily prayer vigil near the abortion clinic), pamphleting (distributing pro-life materials on the street or directly to mailboxes), helping in the office (with simple but important tasks), event volunteering (setup, registration, security, etc.), becoming a regional contact (to identify pro-life candidates), serving as a church contact (acting as a liaison with your church community), assisting with social media, and much more.

Organizing Special Events: At QLC, we run several events each year. Our biggest one in 2024 was the first-ever Quebec March for Life. We also organize smaller events such as rallies, vigils, and presentations—all of which require significant work and coordination from our entire team.


The 2024 March for Life in Quebec City.

Promoting Pro-Life Candidates: If we want life-respecting officials in office, we need to vote for them, support them with donations, and volunteer for their campaigns. Part of my job is encouraging pro-life candidates to run and informing our volunteers about opportunities to support them in their regions. Let’s remember that abortion and euthanasia became realities in Canada due to bad decisions by elected officials. Whether those decisions could have been avoided or not, one thing is clear: we won’t reverse these trends without greater political involvement from pro-life individuals.

Attending Political Events: I also attend various conferences and conventions where I have the opportunity to engage with elected officials on the topic of pro-life policies. Voting for solid pro-life candidates is crucial, but so is ongoing dialogue with those already in office. Educating them on what it means to be pro-life and why life-respecting policies are essential is an important part of the work we do.


Attending a Christian Heritage Party convention in Hamilton, ON.

All in all, working for QLC is truly rewarding. There is no better time than today and no better place than Quebec to make an impact. If you want to learn more about my work, book a presentation, or get involved as a volunteer, please feel free to send me an email.

As we approach the end of the year, I also want to invite you to contribute to our special end-of-year fundraiser. The recent Canada Post strike has impacted our usual donation streams, and we need your support to ensure QLC can continue its vital pro-life work well into 2025. Every contribution helps us stay strong and keep making a difference in Quebec.

Donate Today >>

For Life,


Arpad Nagy

Director of Political Operations and Volunteer coordinator, Quebec Life Coalition

P.S. None of this important work is possible without your support. So far, we have raised $7,745 towards our goal of $15,000 by December 18. That means we still need $7,255 in just a few weeks. Please consider making a donation today to help us reach our goal and continue our mission.

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10 States voted on abortion last night - here are the results

By Arpad Nagy (Quebec Life Coalition) - Photo: Freepik

I am sure many of us were intently watching the outcome of the election last night, as so much hangs in the balance with who is elected in the USA.

But did you know that ten of the fifty states had ballot questions on abortion?

Since the reversal of Roe vs. Wade, the responsibility to legislate on abortion was given back to the individual states. What this means is that it is no longer the federal government of the USA that dictates abortion policy, but each individual state. Since the reversal of Roe vs. Wade, the abortion lobby has been hard at work to enshrine abortion into the legislation or constitution of each individual state. At the midterms in 2022, they succeeded in expanding the right to abortion in many states.

Last night, the abortion question was on the ballot in ten states. Here are the results:

Arizona proposed a piece of legislation to create a fundamental right to abortion up until 24 weeks of pregnancy. Up until now, Arizona permitted abortion up until 15 weeks of pregnancy. The proposition is going to pass, with 61.7% in favour, with 61% of the question ballots counted as of this morning. Pro-life has lost a lot of ground in Arizona.

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Horizons of Hope & Francis Leo on EWTN

Recently, Msgr. Francis Leo appeared on EWTN to speak about assisted suicide in Canada and the importance of promoting palliative care in our churches. Msgr. Leo highlighted a program developed by the CCCB, called Horizons of Hope: A Toolkit for Catholic Parishes on Palliative Care.

In Canada, Euthanasia is going rampant. Eligibility to the MAID program is constantly being expanded, and the number of people requesting to be killed through MAID is greatly increasing every year. Euthanasia is a reality that every priest and pastor need to face, because it is happening in our church family. It is a reality that each of us also needs to face because it can happen in our circles as well.

Is euthanasia being talked about in your church? If yes, is there clear teaching on it? Are people taking the teachings to heart and putting them in action by helping those vulnerable or prone to consider euthanasia? These are questions we need to ask ourselves.

Msgr. Leo expressed that palliative care is the only option. In his diocese, he is encouraging the setting up of parish groups to help people understand the evils of euthanasia and the benefits of palliative care. Horizons of Hope is a program that intends to educate people on the issues surrounding palliative care, death and the process of dying, suffering, accompaniment and bereavement, through quality content and through building community. Thank you to the CCCB and their collaborators for creating this program. I will be looking more into it.

I am always very happy to hear when our spiritual leaders publicly and intently address the social ills of our time, especially when it comes to abortion, euthanasia and the traditional family. I recently wrote a blog on a different topic—Msgr. Leo’s open letter to members of parliament on a pornography bill. In case you missed it, you can read it here. Thank you Msgr. Leo for your public stance, and I wish you good success in your new responsibilities in the Church.

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Our Lady of the Cape 2024

Pilgrimages are not only a testament to personal devotion, but also an embodiment of the spiritual values QLC upholds. In order to build a Christian society that respects faith, family, and life from conception to natural death, I want to bring to you today a little testimony of a journey together in prayer and penance. Our Lady of the Cape, known for her miraculous interventions, helps remind us of the sacredness of life in the simple Quebec society of the 19th century. This to me resonates to many of the challenges we face in society today.

The 100 pilgrims set off early on the Saturday morning. They just attended mass, ate a quick breakfast, took down their tents, and were off with the rising sun. They were following the statues of our Lady and of Saint Joseph, and carrying banners and a light backpack for the day.

Photo: Pilgrims leaving early in the morning. Source: A.N.

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Commentary on Mgr. Leo's open letter

Mgr. Francis Leo, in his open letter to all members of our federal parliament, exhorted them to vote in favour of a bill that would put additional restrictions on sexually explicit materials (pornography) in order to protect minors. This open letter on Bill S-210 is not inconsequential. This can provide a framework on how churches can not only coexist with our current political system but influence it as well.

To read Mgr. Leo's letter, click here.

In this situation, a high prelate of the Catholic Church has voiced his opinion on public policy. He brought his opinion, informed by the teaching of the Catholic Church, and made it clear for all to see in society, and specifically addressing the decision makers of our land. He voiced his opinion on a bill that is going through the House of Commons—and in fact, not only did he share his thoughts, but he clearly endorsed the bill.

In his open letter, there are certain things that Mgr. Leo did do and things that he did not do:

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Christian Heritage Party Convention, August 12-15, 2024

This week, I have the privilege of attending the Christian Heritage Party Convention. This 4-day convention is attended by over 75 delegates and over 110 attendees, coming from all parts of the country. There are eight participants from the province of Quebec, including four candidates and former candidates.

One thing that you may not know is that the Christian Heritage Party is one of the older federal parties in Canada, established in 1986. Since the very beginning, the CHP has been 100% pro-life. On top of their perfect pro-life position, the CHP has a well-developed policy book, addressing all aspects of governance. During this convention, the delegates are voting on over 50 new or amended policies.

Of particular note, the delegates will be voting on:

  • Numerous environmental policies that intend to lay a strong foundation to securing a bright future for future generations,
  • Several educational policies that intend to provide a framework to the rights of parents and students without encroaching of provincial jurisdiction,
  • Several healthcare policies to better protect the rights of patients and healthcare workers, also with respect to provincial jurisdiction,
  • Policies on Artificial Intelligence, euthanasia, justice, omnibus bill, United Nations membership and many more.

The theme of this convention is based on Nehemiah 2:18-20. After the Babylonian exile and the return of the Jews to Jerusalem, Nehemiah, a cupbearer to the Persian king, also returns. Upon his return, he assesses the desolate state of the walls of Jerusalem and rallies the people to rebuild the walls. As such, the speakers of this convention have been encouraging the attendees to also get up and build, given the pitiful state of Canada today.

The spirit of the convention is joyful and hopeful. The plenary sessions have been very productive, and most resolutions thus far have been passed with overwhelming support.

I will be here until the closing of the convention on Thursday. If you want to tune in to the convention, you are in luck. For the first time, most sessions are being live-streamed. You can tune it by visiting: https://chpconvention.ca/live.The leader's address will be on Wednesday evening at 7pm.

More to come next week!

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Stuck - a complete guide to answering tough questions about abortion, by Justina Van Manen

Stuck is a one-stop shop when it comes to pro-life apologetics based on the human rights argument. It does not bring anything new to the table, but draws from already developed pro-life arguments by people such as Scott Klussendorf, Randy Alcorn and Stephanie Gray. The Canadian Centre for Bio-ethical Reform, or CCBR for short, has tested all of the arguments in this volume on the street in one-on-one conversations, and has found great success in swaying people’s mind on abortion. 

In this volume, the main argument presented is the human rights argument against abortion. Everything falls back to the simple idea that all members of the human family should have the same inherent dignity and basic rights. The importance of the human rights argument is that in our ever-increasing secular world, faith-based arguments are much less accepted by people than human right based arguments. Whatever your faith background, it is good to be able to reason with people with little understanding or skepticism about a spiritual reality.

Stuck is broken down into chapters that address the main topics in abortion apologetics:

—In the circumstances chapter, you’ll learn how to respond to the argument that the child is not wanted or that the mother is not ready.
—In the personhood chapter, you’ll examine why a pre-born child is as much a person as a born child. 
—It’s my body chapter will examine bodily autonomy, totally debunking the catchy slogan. 
—The hard cases chapters will look at how to respond to cases of incest, rape, and where the life of the mother is in danger.
The abortion procedure chapter gives thorough explanations on the different abortion is being practised today.
—The perspectives chapter talks about being considerate to people’s situation and bringing the right approach. One method doesn’t fit all. 

A proven methodology presented in this book is the common ground, analogy, question method, and all apologetics arguments can fall back on this easy three-step method. 

Stuck will also suggest extra resources, give examples of dialogues, and prompt you to do activities. 

About the Author: Justina Van Manen started doing pro-life outreach at the age of 14 and then joined CCBR as a volunteer, and then as an intern. As a graduate from Redeemer University with a Bachelor in English, she has continued her work with CCBR as well as continued to work on her second university degree. She works for CCBR as a speaker and as communications director. Stuck came out in 2019, and can be found for sale on the CCBR website or on amazon (for a Kindle version). Justina’s 2nd book on embryo adoption came out in 2022.

 

 

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Voting: What the Church Actually Teaches - Explaining the Faith

Voting: What the Church Actually Teaches—Explaining the Faith (youtube.com)

By Fr. Chris Alar, MIC.

 

In this presentation, Fr. Chris Alar explains how church teaching informs Catholics when voting.

I believe that the principles presented in this video are also of great value for people of other denominations or faith background. But especially for Catholics, it is important to know that the Catholic Church has something to say about informing our conscience and in voting.

Fr. Chris Alar gave this presentation leading up to the 2020 American federal election. As we are in Quebec, Canada, our system of government is different than that of our neighbors to the south, and certain things in the presentation must be adapted for our Canadian reality. For example, in the USA, electors will vote directly for their president, whereas in Canada, we vote for the member of parliament who will represent us in federal parliament. We will not be voting for Trudeau or Poilievre or Singh—their names will not be seen on the ballot unless you live in their riding. Also, this presentation presents the material as if there were two main options. Here in the Canadian political realm, there are several major and minor political parties to consider when voting. Apart from differences as such, I find this talk very pertinent to our Canadian reality. 

Fr. Alar opens his talk by explaining that although the Church does not endorse political parties or candidates, “It is a part of the Church's mission "to pass moral judgments even in matters related to politics, whenever the fundamental rights of man or the salvation of souls requires it. The means, the only means, she may use are those which are in accord with the Gospel and the welfare of all men according to the diversity of times and circumstances.” — CCC2246. Priests have an obligation to promote the common good in society and also have a duty to the faithful in equipping them with tools to properly form their conscience in all aspects of life.

Forming one’s conscience is one of the important points of this presentation. Not only is it of importance for our own salvation, but it should also lay a path as a guide in public decision making. Catholics are to change the thinking of political leaders with the tools of our faith. It is the job of priests to give us those tools. A properly formed conscience should also guide our choice of affiliation and implication in a political party, as well as voting choice.

One important fact that is emphasized throughout the video is that Catholics are not to be single-issue voters. We do need to consider every policy of a candidate, since many things make up the common good, not only abortion. For example, the economy, healthcare and immigration all play a role in creating a stable society and promote the common good. Fr. Alar quotes Pope Francis in Evangelium Gaudium, that “personal moral character is not unimportant, but it is the stated commitment to public policy in keeping with the common good which is the most significant factor.”

What it is important to note here is that not all issues are equal in importance. Many things are good for some bad for others. These are open to debate. We can call these “negotiables.” A certain tax may be good for some but bad for others. A certain immigration policy may be good for some, but bad for others. Other things are always bad. Things that are intrinsic evils are always bad. Thus, when intrinsic evils influence public policy, these things are considered non-negotiable. It is important to note that while a candidate may commit mortal sins in his or her private life, it is the three non-negotiables according to the Catholic Church that are related to public policy that make that candidate worthy or unworthy of public office.

According to the Catholic Church, these are the three non-negotiables a Catholic must consider when voting for a candidate. They are:

  1. Protection of life at all stages, from conception to natural death (abortion, euthanasia, embryonic stem cell research, human cloning)
  2. Sanctity of marriage between a man and a woman
  3. Preservation of religious liberty

All other policies would be considered negotiable. And since we are not to be single-issue voters, we do need to consider all as important, but some as more important. Since non-negotiables are never acceptable, how a candidate stands on these three non-negotiables is the test of whether they are worthy to stand in public office. A perfect candidate must align with the three non-negotiables. The important thing to note here is that we cannot mix apples and oranges. We must make a deliberate analysis based on non-negotiables first, and only after consider the negotiables. Fr. Alar recommends that we should take these steps to vote for each office:

1-determine how each candidate stands on the non-negotiables.

2-rank candidates on non-negotiables

3-give preference to candidates that don’t oppose these principles

4-where every candidate endorses positions contrary to non-negotiables, choose the one that is the least harmful

5- if these issues are equal, then evaluate on negotiables.

If there is a viable option, we have an obligation to vote. Fr. Alar explains well in his talk of what we should do to compare candidates that agree with one of the non-negotiables, but not all three. He also expands on the obligation of voting and the rare circumstances where not voting may be an option.

Throughout this presentation, Fr. Alar often clarifies that he is not sharing his personal opinions, but the teaching of the Catholic Church. He draws from numerous resources, including (but not limited to):

Moral duties of voting, What is intrinsic Evil by George Jay, Catechism of the Catholic Church, Voters guide for serious Catholics, Vote pro-life by Tom Hoopes, Catholic and Civil Witness, Election year issues NCR, “Catholics in Political Life” (General Secretary, USCCB), Forming Consciences for Faithful Citizenship: the US bishops’ reflection on Catholic teaching and political life 2015, 2019.

I encourage every Catholic to intently listen through this presentation found here on YouTube. In this blog entry, I have only skimmed through the major points of the presentation, and as people of faith, it is crucial to understand how our faith intertwines with our political implication. If we are to be faithful Catholics, it is an obligation to be a faithful Catholic in all departments of life. Fr. Alar has provided us with a clear guide based in the teachings of the Catholic Church in terms of voting.

 

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