2025 Speakers
Malcolm Roddis – Master of Ceremonies
Involved in the pro-life movement since 1976 when he helped to found Coalition for Life in BC to bring the cause of life into the political arena. The organization was to eventually become Campaign Life Coalition in BC. He served as its President for 5 years.
In 1980, he helped to found Abbotsford Right to Life Society which was later to become Advokate Life & Education Services Society, serving as its President for 12 years.
In 1998, he was appointed Chair of the Focus on Life Media Campaign which was a joint venture of the Christian Advocacy Society of BC, the Archdiocese of Vancouver, and the Pro-Life Society of BC. He held this position for 10 years during which time through an annual Gala Dinner, the financial resources were raised to place woman-centred, life-affirming television ads on all major television stations throughout BC.
In 2010, he was recognized by Pope Benedict XVI for his years of service to the family and to the pro-life cause and awarded the Medal Benemerenti.
Father Larry Lynn
Father Larry Lynn is the Pro-life Chaplain for the Archdiocese of Vancouver and Pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Coquitlam. He was married and has three children and five grandchildren who all live in Montreal. Father Larry is a very late vocation, being ordained to the priesthood by Archbishop Miller December 3, 2008, at sixty-six years of age. He considers himself blessed beyond measure to have received his calling and for having had the sense to submit to it.
Having enjoyed a long career as an award-winning cinematographer, Father Larry also directed several documentary films, including “Kids In Jail” for the National Film Board and “In the Spirit of Reconciliation” about the Residential Schools in the Northwest Territories.
Being extremely grateful for his own life, Father Larry promotes the dignity of the human person and the awesomeness of God’s creation wherever he finds himself.
Troy Van Vliet
Troy Van Vliet is a Catholic husband, father, and entrepreneur. Inspired by the love of his two daughters—Tayla and Annika, who has Down syndrome—Troy led the creation of St. John Paul II Academy, a new Catholic high school in South Surrey/White Rock.
A former UBC football player and BC Lions draft pick, Troy now runs a successful real estate development firm and lives out his pro-life commitment through Catholic education and support for families.
Dr. Cynthia Barco
A family doctor since 2005. I completed my MD at McMaster University in Hamilton, ON in 2002 and my family medicine residency right here in Victoria through UBC in 2004. I provide full-service, longitudinal family medicine care to attached patients at the Esquimalt Medical Clinic. I am blessed to work and also live in Esquimalt with my husband and 5 children ranging in ages from 7 to 16 years old. In 2020, I petitioned my then NDP MLA of Esquimalt, Randall Garrison, who was also on the Standing Committee on Justice and Human Rights that was reviewing this Bill, to not allow MAiD for individuals whose natural death is not reasonably foreseeable as this would have dire effects on vulnerable Canadians. My petitions and those of many other people, groups and institutions of course fell on deaf ears.
Bronwyn Gray
Bronwyn Gray is a deeply-loved daughter of God, very precious in His sight. This is the most important thing about her. She has also taught the Bible and English for five years, two of which were in Cambodia. She is blessed to be a certified biblical counselor and hold a master’s degree in English. Her master’s thesis was focused on a biblical understanding of human value, which motivated her to direct a short pro-life film called “Worth More” about euthanasia in Canada. Bronwyn loves hiking, reading, and sharing her faith. Currently, she is teaching English to high school students and engaging in writing projects.
Gabrielle Raymond
Gabrielle is a missionary with Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO) currently serving at the University of Victoria. With five years of experience in campus ministry, she has spent countless hours engaging in deep, life-changing conversations about faith, purpose, and some of today’s most pressing social issues, including abortion. She is committed to forming young adults who are not only passionate about their pro-life convictions but also articulate and ethically consistent in how they live and share them.
Through clear, simple dialogue and trust built through personal relationships, Gabrielle equips the next generation of leaders to think critically, communicate with confidence, and stand for life in a way that is both compelling and rooted in truth and love. She is honoured to share insights from the front lines of one of Canada’s most secular university campuses, where she witnesses firsthand the power of conviction, clarity, and compassion in transforming hearts and minds.
Rev. Aaron Van Der Heiden
Aaron van der Heiden is a husband, a father, and a Reformed pastor in Abbotsford, BC. In 2013, he completed a BA in Religion & Theology from Redeemer University College (Ancaster, Ontario) and in 2021, he completed an MDiv from Mid-America Reformed Seminary (Dyer, Indiana). He loves preaching the Word of God, teaching the foundational truths of Scripture, and seeing hearts and lives changed by the grace and power of God. He also enjoys coffee, soccer, baseball, golf, and spending time with his lovely wife and his five beautiful children.
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