Arnold Viersen (born May 3, 1986) is a Canadian

Conservative Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy and ideology that seeks to promote and preserve traditional institutions, customs, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civiliza ...

politician who was elected to represent the riding of

Peace River—Westlock Peace River—Westlock is a federal electoral district in Alberta, Canada, that has been represented in the House of Commons of Canada since 2015. Peace River—Westlock was created by the 2012 federal electoral boundaries redistribution and ...

in the

2015 Canadian federal election The 2015 Canadian federal election was held on October 19, 2015, to elect the 338 members of the House of Commons of Canada, House of Commons of the 42nd Canadian Parliament, 42nd Parliament of Canada. In accordance with the Fixed election date ...

. He identifies as a

social conservative Social conservatism is a political philosophy and a variety of conservatism which places emphasis on traditional social structures over social pluralism. Social conservatives organize in favor of duty, traditional values and social institu ...

Background

Viersen attended

Covenant Canadian Reformed School Covenant Canadian Reformed School is a K-12 private Christian school in Neerlandia, Alberta Alberta is a Provinces and territories of Canada, province in Canada. It is a part of Western Canada and is one of the three Canadian Prairies, prai ...

in Neerlandia from Grade 1 through Grade 12, and currently resides near his childhood home on an acreage in

Westlock County Westlock County is a municipal district in central Alberta, Canada that is north of Edmonton. The county was formerly known as the Municipal District of Westlock No. 92, and was created in 1943 from the merger of five smaller municipal district ...

. Before entering politics, Viersen worked as a journeyman auto mechanic.

Career

In the

42nd Canadian Parliament The 42nd Canadian Parliament was in session from December 3, 2015, to September 11, 2019, with the membership of its lower chamber, the House of Commons of Canada, having been determined by the results of the 2015 federal election held on Octob ...

, Viersen served on the Indigenous and Northern Affairs Committee, and was named the

Official Opposition Parliamentary opposition is a form of political opposition to a designated government, particularly in a Westminster-based parliamentary system. This article uses the term ''government'' as it is used in Parliamentary systems, i.e. meaning ''t ...

's Deputy Critic of Rural Affairs. On December 8, 2016, Viersen's Private Member's Motion (M-47) received unanimous consent in the House of Commons. The official text of this motion reads: "That the Standing Committee on Health be instructed to examine the public health effects of the ease of access and viewing of online violent and degrading sexually explicit material on children, women and men, recognizing and respecting the provincial and territorial jurisdictions in this regard, and that the said Committee report its findings to the House no later than July 2017." The Health Committee's ensuing study was the first Government of Canada study into the public health effects of pornography since 1985. In June 2022, after the

Supreme Court of the United States The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all Federal tribunals in the United States, U.S. federal court cases, and over Stat ...

decision in ''

Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization ''Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization'', 597 U.S. 215 (2022), is a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States, United States Supreme Court in which the court held ...

'' overturned

abortion rights Abortion-rights movements, also self-styled as pro-choice movements, are movements that advocate for legal access to induced abortion services, including elective abortion. They seek to represent and support women who wish to terminate their p ...

from ''

Roe v. Wade ''Roe v. Wade'', 410 U.S. 113 (1973),. was a List of landmark court decisions in the United States, landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States protected the right to have an ...

'', Viersen celebrated the ruling on

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, calling abortion in Canada the "greatest human rights tragedy of our time." On May 6, 2024, Viersen put forward a petition calling for the government to restrict abortion. In a June 2024 interview on Liberal MP

Nathaniel Erskine-Smith Nathaniel Erskine-Smith (born June 15, 1984) is a Canadian lawyer and politician. A member of the Liberal Party, Erskine-Smith has been the member of Parliament (MP) for Beaches—East York since he was first elected in 2015. Before entering ...

's podcast, Viersen said that he would vote against abortion,

gay marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 billion people (20% ...

, and cannabis legalization. Afterward Viersen, released a statement that those stances were his alone, and party leader

Pierre Poilievre Pierre Marcel Poilievre (born June 3, 1979) is a Canadian politician who has been the Leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, leader of the Conservative Party of Canada, Conservative Party since 2022. He was the Member of Parliament (Canad ...

said that they were not reflective of the party's stance. In addition, Viersen stated that he felt ambushed by Erskine-Smith's questions in which Erskine-Smith disputed by stating Viersen's stances on those issues are well known.

Electoral record

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Viersen, Arnold 1986 births Living people Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Alberta Mechanics (people) Conservative Party of Canada MPs People from Barrhead, Alberta 21st-century members of the House of Commons of Canada Canadian evangelicals Canadian people of Dutch descent