Homophobia alleged

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 11/04/2016 (3535 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

NDP Leader Greg Selinger has accused Tory Leader Brian Pallister of being homophobic.

The latest attack on Pallister, who has high poll numbers heading into the April 19 election, came a day after Selinger tried to force him to release his tax return, suggesting he’s hiding something from voters.

At a campaign stop Monday, Selinger accused Pallister of having “extreme views on sexual orientation.”

When pressed to explain, Selinger said: “I think he’s homophobic. He has to answer for himself with his view on that matter,” Selinger said.

In response, Pallister didn’t directly address the accusation, but told reporters, “My record speaks for itself, loud and clear.”

Pallister said he “was advocating for same-sex property rights in the ’80s.”

Selinger cited the Tory party’s decision to vote against anti-bullying legislation in 2013 as evidence Pallister is homophobic.

Bill 18 (The Public Schools Amendment Act) was passed in 2013 amid protest from religious leaders, who argued it violates the religious freedom of schools by forcing them to accept gay-straight alliances. The Tories at the time proposed changes to the bill, including a tighter definition of bullying and voted against it.

Pallister said Monday the NDP used Bill 18 for political ends, rather than to protect children.

“They were playing politics with a bill that should have been beyond politics,” Pallister said.

The Tory leader’s staff prevented reporters from asking more questions and hustled him away to another event.

When Pallister’s campaign was asked to provide examples of his record advocating for same-sex property rights, the Progressive Conservative party offered the following: “Mr. Pallister has repeatedly stated on the record that not only does he support the process by which decisions on matters of such importance as same-sex marriage are debated in Canadian Parliament, but he accepts and welcomes the decision made by the House of Commons.”

When asked to give further evidence to back up Selinger’s claim, NDP spokesman Andrew Tod provided several examples of comments Pallister made during a debate on same-sex marriage in 2005 when he was the Conservative member of Parliament for Portage-Lisgar.

Pallister talked about a local pastor who said it was, “good that homosexual people were coming out of the closets because those closets would be needed very soon for Christians. That is a fear that many, not solely Christians, in Canadian society have.”

In the same debate, Pallister said: “Those who support the bill, however well-intentioned, are advocating a significant social experiment.”

When asked by The Canadian Press about same-sex marriage in 2015, Pallister said his views had “evolved.”

“Over time, sure it has. And, I mean, the fact is the decision’s been made. The fact is what we all want to see is loving relationships supporting — when desired — children, and we want to see strong families,” he said.

Asked for her comment on the NDP accusations against Pallister, Liberal Leader Rana Bokhari said there’s been “a lot of hearsay” about what Pallister has said or done in the past.

“Mr. Pallister had made comments in the past that would lead some of us to believe that he has issues with… I’ll leave it at that,” she said.

Bokhari said Pallister should have supported the NDP’s 2013 anti-bullying law that requires schools to accommodate students who wish to establish anti-bullying clubs, including gay-straight alliances.

She was critical of Selinger for defending NDP candidate Wab Kinew — who is running against her in Fort Rouge — despite homophobic tweets and hip-hop lyrics made in the past.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

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“…I think for Greg Selinger to stand by a candidate who has said openly very homophobic things, I think I would be more questioning Greg Selinger’s ability to stand by that candidate.”

— files from Nick Martin, Larry Kusch

kristin.annable@freepress.mb.ca