A lifelong Kitchener resident, Stephen began studies at Wilfrid Laurier University from 1972 to 1974, and returned after fifty years to complete his Masters Degree in Applied Politics in 2022. Between those dates he obtained his Juris Doctor legal degree in 1978 from University of Western Ontario, completed the Ontario Bar Admission Course, and was certified as an Ontario Barrister, Solicitor and Notary Public in 1979. Elected as a Trustee for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board in 1994, he served until 2003. Following a distinguished legal career of almost thirty years, appearing in every Ontario Court, Stephen was elected as Member of Parliament for Kitchener Centre in 2008, serving until 2015.
As a parliamentarian, Stephen became a long-serving Member of the Environment Committee (2007 to 2015). He also served for years on the Justice and Public Accounts Committees, and briefly on the Fisheries and Oceans Committee. In 2012 Stephen led two hours of debate on Motion 312 asking Parliament to study Canada’s false legal definition determining who is not a human being. In 2016, concerned about rising authoritarianism in Canada, he founded the Democracy Defence Initiative. He is the author of “Canada’s Political Structure” and “How to Make Your Voice Count” in “A Citizen’s Guide to Canadian Politics” (Western Standard, 2024).
Stephen and his wife of 49 years, Sharon, a former Justice of the Peace for 25 years, have three children and eight grandchildren. Stephen is an avid outdoorsman with a special interest in British history and legend.
Alexander Raikin is a Visiting Fellow in Bioethics and American Democracy Program at the Ethics and Public Policy Center. His research focuses on the dignity of human life and end-of-life issues, especially on its impact on the field of medicine and broader ethical questions of social belonging.
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His writing has been widely cited in major publications such as The Atlantic and the New York Times and in academic journals in the United States, Canada, UK, and France. He wrote cover stories for National Review and The New Atlantis, while his other bylines include City Journal, Plough, and the Washington Free Beacon. Raikin frequently speaks on national radio and on major podcasts.
Last year, Raikin was an inaugural Richard John Neuhaus Fellow at the Public Interest Fellowship and EPPC. He was a Tikvah Summer Fellow and a Killam scholar with Fulbright at American University. He graduated from Carleton University with a bachelor’s degree in public policy. Raikin is a proud member of Kesher Israel synagogue and lives with his wife in Washington, D.C.
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Since 2016, Dr. Laura Lewis has been the Executive Director of Pregnancy Care Canada. After working as a family physician for 22 years, she saw the need for education, support, and practical options for women and men facing unexpected pregnancies. Dr. Lewis has an HonsBComm from Queen’s University, a Medical Degree from the University of Western Ontario, and a certificate of Family Medicine from McMaster University.
Amanda Achtman went on a life-changing Holocaust study trip to Germany and Poland when she was 18. This trip provoked her to confront life’s deepest questions. Since then, she has become a passionate defender of human rights and human life through her work across journalism, politics, and advocacy. She has been to 38 countries, including for two years of studies in Poland and two years of studies in Rome. For three years, she worked on Parliament Hill in an effort to prevent the expansion of euthanasia/MAID to persons with living with disabilities or mental illness. Amanda is the founder of the Dying to Meet You Project and also works with Canadian Physicians for Life on Ethics Education & Cultural Engagement. Determined to protect human life, her current priority is preventing euthanasia and encouraging hope across Canada and around the world.