Alec Saunders SquawkBox

I got a note in email this morning from egale Canada, the organization that promotes equal rights for Gay and Lesbian Canadians.  It read, in part:

Egale is writing to you because the upcoming Census 2006 treats same-sex couples unfairly. We’re hoping you will take a simple action to show your support for same-sex couples across Canada.

The census form instructs same-sex couples who are married to check the ‘Other’ category at the bottom of the list of relationships, rather than checking the top box marked ‘Husband or wife.’

Egale Canada, the national organization which advances equality for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and trans-identified people in Canada, is recommending that same-sex married couples list their relationship as ‘Husband or wife’ rather than ‘Other.’ According to Statistics Canada, either response will be captured correctly as a married same-sex couple. In addition, Egale is calling on all concerned Canadians to add a comment on Page 6 of the questionnaire, such as ‘Same-Sex couples deserve equal treatment.’

Please take further action to make express your support for same-sex couples. Please visit http://www.egale.ca/census2006, and see how easy it is to make your voice heard.

Apparently the folks running the census missed the debate last year where same-sex marriage became the law of the land.

I haven’t commented on the election that’s going on here in Canada for some time.  However, two things have really been gnawing at me for the last couple of days.

The first was Paul Martin’s promise, during the debate, to amend Canada’s Constitution to prohibit the use of the notwithstanding clause.  Liberal party staffers subsequently clarified that to state that he would prohibit the use of the notwithstanding clause federally, but not provincially.  “Prohibit” is the key word here.  Martin is not proposing to amend the Constitution at all, because otherwise he would simply remove the clause.  Amending the Constitution, however, requires the support of 7 of the provinces, representing more than 2/3 of the population of the country.  As Brian Mulroney discovered, that’s not easy to get.

What Martin is really proposing to do is simply pass a bill in parliament tying the Federal Government’s hand.  And, just as any parliamentary bill can be overturned, so could this.  So, ultimately it’s meaningless.  It’s also unbelievably hypocritical.  Just a few months ago, Martin promised Canada’s church leaders that he would use the notwithstanding clause to protect their freedom to choose not to marry gay people, if a Supreme Court decision forced them to do so.  Is he now abandoning that promise?

The second of my beefs has to do with the new Liberal attack ads.  So far, this has been a pretty civil campaign.  Not now.  Harper has made a lot of mistakes in the past, but he’s also a smart guy who appears to have learned from them.  The campaign he has run has been, for the most part, a very centrist campaign.  It’s been full of ideas, policy, and vision.   The Liberals, devoid of any new thought, have turned to propaganda as the means to sway the public.  Goebbels would have been proud, Mr. Martin.

Interestingly enough, the Liberal’s latest antics have finally cemented in my mind how I will vote.  I had been strongly considering a Green vote because of my opposition to the Conservative position on same sex marriage.  However, on Friday I’ll be at the advance poll voting Conservative.  I don’t want to see another Liberal parliament.

I am slack jawed at Stephen Harper’s latest statement.  According to the Globe and Mail, he will re-open the Same Sex Marriage debate, if elected. The Globe writes:

Mr. Harper said he was determined to bring the legislation before a free vote in the House. He told reporters Tuesday he would not rein in cabinet ministers as Prime Minister Paul Martin did last summer when Parliament legalized same-sex weddings.

The Tories would restore the traditional definition of marriage — between one man and one woman — if that’s what MPs decide, Mr. Harper said. But, if MPs voted it down, as they did in June with a clear majority, he said he would consider the matter closed.

There goes Ontario.  Not bad, just one day into the Campaign Stephen.

chi·me·ra also chi·mae·ra  (k-mîr, k-) n.

1. An organism, organ, or part consisting of two or more tissues of different genetic composition, produced as a result of organ transplant, grafting, or genetic engineering.
2. A substance, such as an antibody, created from the proteins or genes or two different species.
3. An individual who has received a transplant of genetically and immunologically different tissue.
4. A fanciful mental illusion or fabrication.

I’ve been ruminating on Belinda Stronach’s defection all day.  Some of the outcomes are pretty clear:

1. The Martin government lives another day.
2. Gomery moves forward.
3. The Conservative "breakthrough" in Ontario loses momentum.

The Conservatives have spun this as simple ambition.  Ms. Stronach will do anything to further her career, and the Conservative Party didn’t have the room for her to fulfill her ambitions.  To be sure,  there’s an element of that to her decision.  Paul Martin is no spring chicken.  A tasty cabinet posting makes a nice launch pad for a run at the leadership of the Liberal Party, and ultimately Prime Minister.

The Liberal’s spin her decision as a repudiation of the Conservative agenda.  There’s something in that as well.  Stronach has clearly come out on the side of the Liberals on many issues, has made no secret of her support for the budget, and has made it clear that the signal to noise ratio in Parliament is way too low.

For now, the real impact is that the Conservatives are back to being painted as a party of angry white guys from the west – Republican Party North.  And that is the biggest tragedy of all. 

The problem is this — parachuting candidates supporting western issues into Ontario ridings doesn’t magically make those same issues into National issues. Scrappy young Pierre Poilievre, who represents my riding, is a great example of one of these drop-in candidates.  I get regular missives in the mail from him in support of dismantling the gun registry, and opposing same sex marriage.  He claims that this is what his constituents want.  What complete and utter bullshit! I live in Manotick, a wealthy, urban, Ontario riding filled with high tech workers.  By and large, people here don’t care about the gun registry, and don’t think it’s an issue that gay people want to get married.  We would like better government, smarter use of our tax dollars, and policies that encourage entrepreneurship.  We would like health care and the military fixed.  We voted Pierre in just to get the Liberals out.  He won’t last long if he can’t figure that out.

It’s a failure of leadership on Stephen Harper’s part.  Moderate Conservatives have left the party, the redneck wing has taken over, and nobody has their feet on the ground, listening to constituents. 

Whichever of the definitions you choose, the renewal of the Conservative Party truly is a chimera.

As for you Belinda, I admire someone with the guts to figure out what they want, and then go get it.  Run for Prime Minister.  I’ll vote for you, no matter what the party.

A report in the Ottawa Citizen this morning claims that gay marriage opponents in the United States are funnelling massive dollars into Canada. It’s illegal for Canadian lobbyists (or any foreign lobbyist, for that matter) to spend money to influence the vote in the US, but it’s not illegal in our country for US lobbyists to spend money to influence our politicians. 

The Citizen’s report is behind their firewall, unfortunately, but according to the paper:

U.S. groups say they will spend whatever it takes to ensure same-sex marriage does not become legal north of the border.

Patrick Korten, vice-president of communications for the Knights of Columbus head office in New Haven, Connecticut, says no limit has been set on the help his organization is prepared to offer. Mr. Korten said the U.S. headquarters of the Catholic men’s group paid $80,782 Cdn to print two million postcards now being distributed in Catholic churches across Canada

Focus on the Family, is also sending support and services worth hundreds of thousands of dollars a year to its Canadian affiliate. Focus on the Family U.S. has channelled $1.6 million in services to its Canadian affiliate between 2000 and 2003, the latest year for which financial reports are available.

To put that in perspective, Egale, the Canadian gay rights lobby group, has so far raised just $46,000.

This is just plain offensive.  We deserve the breathing room to make up our own minds on this issue.   Please go to http://vote4equality.ca and let your member of parliament know that you support equality.