The divisive debate about abortion rights in Canada is poised to erupt once again as Henry Morgentaler, the country's best-known abortion-rights crusader, is expected to be named to the Order of Canada.
Even before the official announcement, Dr. Morgentaler's name attached to the highest honour in the land ignited a firestorm of controversy yesterday, with online blogs, people opposed to abortion and pro-choice supporters wading into the Order of Canada committee's decision.
A spokeswoman for Dr. Morgentaler declined to comment on the award. "I just can't be the one to say anything," Shayna Hodgson said yesterday.
A government source told The Globe and Mail last night Dr. Morgentaler would be appointed to prestigious national order, which is announced by the Governor-General on the recommendation of an advisory panel. The award had been expected to be unveiled yesterday, however, so it was not clear whether the delay signalled second thoughts.
The Conservatives sent out talking points to MPs on Friday that did not name Dr. Morgentaler, but were clearly in preparation for a controversial appointment. They emphasized that Order of Canada recipients are not chosen by the cabinet, but rather a panel whose nine members include only two government appointees.
Maurice Vellacott, a Conservative MP from Saskatchewan who has been a long-time opponent of abortion, said the honour normally goes to someone who is the unanimous choice of the advisory council. Mr. Vellacott said he has heard this was not the case with the selection of Dr. Morgentaler.
"You would think it should be, as it has been in the past, a consensus," he said. "This is a pretty divisive issue. I think we can all agree on that. So why would we have the highest honour in the country being issued when there is obviously strong difference of opinion about it?"
There are so many deserving Canadians, there was no need to choose somebody like Dr. Morgentaler, he said.
Dr. Morgentaler's supporters have made at least three large, organized attempts to nominate the man who has changed the face of the health-care system.
The list of appointments, which could come as early as today, recognizes their lifetime of outstanding achievement, dedication to the community and service to the country.
For decades, Dr. Morgentaler led the fight to legalize abortion in Canada and he now operates six clinics across the country. But while the Supreme Court of Canada struck down the country's abortion law in 1988, the debate over whether it should be legal, and in what circumstances, has not abated.
Supporters say it's about time Dr. Morgentaler was so honoured. "Dr. Morgentaler is a hero to millions of women in the country. He has risked his life to struggle for women's rights. ... And he's a huge figure in Canadian history. And the fact that he hasn't got it till now is a scandal," said author and feminist Judy Rebick. "If it's true, I will be delighted."
But Joanne McGarry, executive director of the Catholic Civil Rights League, said that if Dr. Morgentaler is named to the order, "it would be a most unfortunate choice."
"As Canadians we would like to see the Order of Canada given to people whose contributions to such initiatives as charity, education, culture, the environment, things of that kind that are uniformly viewed as positive and tend to unite people," she said. "With this choice, the one thing that everybody really agrees on about Morgentaler is that he is a very divisive figure."
Appointments to the Order of Canada are made independently of government. They are the responsibility of Governor-General Michaëlle Jean, who accepts the recommendations of an independent advisory council that is chaired by Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin.
Kevin Lynch, the Clerk of the Privy Council - the government department that reports to the Prime Minister - is a member of the council. It is not clear whether Mr. Lynch would have advised Prime Minister Stephen Harper about the appointment. But Mr. Harper would have had no veto power.
Liberal MP Dan McTeague said Dr. Morgentaler is a very controversial person and if he is admitted to the order, it will polarize Canadians.
The Governor-General and the committee advising on appointments to the Order of Canada have always been careful in the past not to choose people who were controversial or who would not be unanimously celebrated by all Canadians, Mr. McTeague said. "It's more of a social statement rather than the usual apolitical decisions," he said. "There will be people who cheer what he has done. There will be others who fundamentally disagree with what he represents."
Joanne Byfield, president of Life Canada, said many people will be offended and appalled if Dr. Morgentaler is honoured.