PC PARTY SUCCESSFUL IN RETAINING THE LORD’S PRAYER: ELLIOT
(Queen’s Park) – Progressive Conservative MPP Christine Elliott (Whitby-Oshawa) today applauded the PC Caucus on their efforts to retain the recital of the Lord’s Prayer in the Ontario Legislature after a motion similar to a PC proposal was passed today.
“I am proud of the strong and principled stand our Party took on ensuring that the Lord’s Prayer maintain its place in the Ontario Legislature,” said Elliott (Whitby-Oshawa). “We were unwavering in our belief that while we must move forward and recognize the modern day reality in Ontario, it is vital that we keep the traditions that this province has been built upon.”
In early March, Dalton McGuinty established an all-party committee to study the idea of getting rid of the Lord’s Prayer. Instead of eliminating the prayer, the PC Party put forward a proposal to read prayers from other faiths in addition to the Lord’s Prayer. Today, a very similar proposal passed with unanimous consent from the PC Caucus.
Ontarians’ response to the McGuinty Liberal suggestion of “moving beyond” the Lord’s Prayer hit the Ontario Legislature like a tidal wave. A website created for people to voice their opinions on the issue crashed when almost 6,000 emails poured in from concerned Ontarians. PC Caucus members brought forth over 150 petitions representing thousands of constituents worried about losing a vital tradition in the Legislature.
“This is a huge victory for every Ontarian who believes that while it’s important to move forward, it is equally important to remember the historic traditions that shape the Ontario we live in today,” said Ontario PC party leader John Tory, “From the very beginning of this debate, our Party made it clear that we were open to the recitation of other prayers in the Legislature but not at the expense of the Lord’s Prayer. I am pleased to see that the other members of the Legislature agree.”
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For more information:
Christine Elliott, MPP
(905) 430-1141
