OTTAWA — British Columbia MP James Lunney is quitting the Conservative caucus so that he can more freely defend his religious beliefs.
Lunney says he's leaving voluntarily so as not to entangle his Tory colleagues in controversy over his beliefs regarding evolution.
He says he'll sit as an Independent but will continue to vote with the ruling Conservatives.
Lunney says his decision was sparked by reaction to remarks he made earlier this month, which he says were inflated by the media and became part of a firestorm of condemnation surrounding two Ontario politicians who do not believe in the theory of evolution.
He says the reaction showed ignorance and intolerance, cloaked in a defence of science.
In a statement, Lunney maintains there are deliberate attempts to suppress a Christian world view in the senior levels of politics.
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