Trudeau to woo Catholics back to Liberals?

Federal Grits look to recapture 'chief pillars of support'

(Justin Trudeau, MP for Papineau. Campaign Life Coalition Parliament Hill lobbyist Johanne Brownrigg says Trudeau “highlights the division within the Church itself” between those who serve the poor and those who serve the pro-life movement. Photo: Liberal Party of Canada.)

Now that the federal Liberals have a new leader, Justin Trudeau, will he be able to convince the faithful to vote for his party? Deborah Gyapong of Canadian Catholic News reports from Ottawa:   

“It’s certainly an opportunity for Liberals to recapture their traditional stronghold,” said University of Ottawa political science professor André Blais. Blais said the reasons why Catholics were one of the chief pillars of support for the Liberal Party during the Chretien years remain a mystery, and so do the reasons behind their defection after 2005.  Though Liberal support for same-sex marriage and abortion may have been factors, the Quebec sponsorship scandal also played a role, he said. The scandal was the biggest reason, Blais said, but “it didn’t explain the large decline among Catholics.”

 Read the full article here.