Lynne Scime is a veteran social conservative

Social conservatism

Social Conservatism is primarily a political, and usually morally influenced, ideology that focuses on the preservation of what are seen as traditional values. Social conservatism is a form of authoritarianism often associated with the position that the federal government should have a greater role...

 activist in Canada and a perennial candidate

Perennial candidate

A perennial candidate is one who frequently runs for public office with a record of success that is infrequent, if existent at all. Perennial candidates are often either members of minority political parties or have political opinions that are not mainstream. They may run without any serious hope...

 for the Family Coalition Party of Ontario

Family Coalition Party of Ontario

The Family Coalition Party is a small political party in Ontario, Canada that promotes a socially conservative ideology. It was formed in 1987 by members of the pro-life organization Campaign Life Coalition, and has fielded candidates in every provincial election since then...

.

She was chosen as national president of REAL Women in 1987, and was quoted as being opposed to divorce

Divorce

Divorce is the final termination of a marital union, canceling the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage and dissolving the bonds of matrimony between the parties...

, abortion

Abortion

Abortion is defined as the termination of pregnancy by the removal or expulsion from the uterus of a fetus or embryo prior to viability. An abortion can occur spontaneously, in which case it is usually called a miscarriage, or it can be purposely induced...

 and homosexuality

Homosexuality

Homosexuality is romantic or sexual attraction or behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality refers to "an enduring pattern of or disposition to experience sexual, affectional, or romantic attractions" primarily or exclusively to people of the same...

. Scime supported free marriage counselling to prevent divorce, and encouraged tax breaks for single-income families to encourage stay-at-home parenting. She also expressed conservative views on foreign policy, supporting nuclear missile testing in western Canada and opposing "biased" accounts of conflicts in South Africa

South Africa

The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...

, El Salvador

El Salvador

El Salvador or simply Salvador is the smallest and the most densely populated country in Central America. The country's capital city and largest city is San Salvador; Santa Ana and San Miguel are also important cultural and commercial centers in the country and in all of Central America...

 and Nicaragua

Nicaragua

Nicaragua is the largest country in the Central American American isthmus, bordered by Honduras to the north and Costa Rica to the south. The country is situated between 11 and 14 degrees north of the Equator in the Northern Hemisphere, which places it entirely within the tropics. The Pacific Ocean...

.

Scime opposed affirmative action

Affirmative action

Affirmative action refers to policies that take factors including "race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation or national origin" into consideration in order to benefit an underrepresented group, usually as a means to counter the effects of a history of discrimination.-Origins:The term...

 programs, arguing that "getting jobs is not for everyone". She claimed that her organization would instead address issues such as "how a woman can pick a husband to fulfil all her needs". Scime herself was a stay-at-home mother for many years, and managed her husband's medical practice.

Her leadership of REAL Women proved controversial, and she was opposed by members who wanted to broaden the group's support base by moderating its conservative and Christian elements. One of Scime's opponents accused her of trying to turn the group into a "biblically based" movement aligned with the Christian Heritage Party

Christian Heritage Party of Canada

The Christian Heritage Party of Canada, also referred to as CHP Canada, is a federal political party that advocates that Canada be governed according to Biblical principles...

, rather than a broad coalition involving other religious groups. There were also accusations that funds had been mismanaged under her leadership. Scime was narrowly re-elected leader of REAL Women in 1988, but immediately resigned to form a right-wing splinter group called Family Forum. Unlike REAL Women, Scime's new organization opposed government funding for pressure groups.

Scime later became involved with Canadians For Positive Community Standards, and spoke in opposition to pornography

Pornography

Pornography or porn is the explicit portrayal of sexual subject matter for the purposes of sexual arousal and erotic satisfaction.Pornography may use any of a variety of media, ranging from books, magazines, postcards, photos, sculpture, drawing, painting, animation, sound recording, film, video,...

. She served as president of the Family Coalition Party in the 1990s, and was elected to the position again in 2005.

She represents the Hamilton-Wentworth Family Action Council on the Hamilton-Wentworth Sexual Health Network, promoting socially-conservative views Scime is also a member of People for Alternative Christian Education, supporting public funding for Christian education in the public school system.

Electoral record

Electoral record

Election	Division	Party	Votes	%	Place	Winner
1990 provincial Ontario general election, 1990 The Ontario general election of 1990 was held on September 6, 1990, to elect members of the 35th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada....	Hamilton West	FCP	2,324		4/5	Richard Allen, New Democratic Party
1995 provincial Ontario general election, 1995 The Ontario general election of 1995 was held on June 8, 1995, to elect members of the 36th Legislative Assembly of the province of Ontario, Canada...	Hamilton West	FCP	880		4/6	Lillian Ross Lillian Ross (politician) Lillian Ross is a former politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a Progressive Conservative member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1995 to 1999.... , Progressive Conservative Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario The Progressive Conservative Party of Ontario , is a right-of-centre political party in Ontario, Canada. The party was known for many years as "Ontario's natural governing party." It has ruled the province for 80 of the years since Confederation, including an uninterrupted run from 1943 to 1985...
1999 provincial Ontario general election, 1999 An Ontario general election was held on June 3, 1999, to elect members of the 37th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....	Hamilton West	FCP	403	0.98	5/7	David Christopherson David Christopherson David Christopherson is a Canadian politician. Since 2004, he has represented the riding of Hamilton Centre in the Canadian House of Commons. He previously served in the Legislative Assembly of Ontario from 1990 to 2003, and was a cabinet minister in the provincial government of Bob Rae... , New Democratic Party
2003 provincial Ontario general election, 2003 The Ontario general election of 2003 was held on October 2, 2003, to elect the 103 members of the 38th Legislative Assembly of the Province of Ontario, Canada....	Hamilton West	FCP	750		4/6	Judy Marsales Judy Marsales Judy Marsales is a businessperson and politician in Ontario, Canada. She was a member of the Legislative Assembly of Ontario, representing the former riding of Hamilton West as a member of the Ontario Liberal Party .... , Liberal Ontario Liberal Party The Ontario Liberal Party is a provincial political party in the province of Ontario, Canada. It has formed the Government of Ontario since the provincial election of 2003. The party is ideologically aligned with the Liberal Party of Canada but the two parties are organizationally independent and...