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The 20th edition of this country’s largest annual anti-abortion gathering had a particularly political bent, given the ongoing leadership race in the Conservative Party of Canada.

Two of the 13 candidates running to be the next Tory leader were at the Thursday’s March for Life on Parliament Hill, while a third sent in a written statement. The event drew an estimated 6,000 people, according to the RCMP.

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The rally also kicked off a controversy after the March for Life flag was raised at Ottawa City Hall before getting taken down after councillors protested.

As it does every year, the city put out a proclamation recognizing “Respect for Life Day,” which was triumphantly read out by organizers as the rally kicked off just after noon on a chilly, cloudy day. Hundreds of yellow smiley-face signs that said “I am pro-life” were distributed among the crowd.

Photo by Fred Chartrand / THE CANADIAN PRESS

About 15 Conservative MPs and senators were on hand to briefly address the rally, along with Campaign Life Coalition president Jim Hughes and a few religious leaders, but it was the two leadership candidates Brad Trost and Pierre Lemieux who drew the most attention.