Andrew Scheer urged to end ‘boycott’ of gay pride events after 2005 speech on same-sex marriage comes to light

OTTAWA—The Liberals are challenging Andrew Scheer to end his “boycott” of gay pride events after unearthing a 2005 speech the Conservative leader made suggesting same-sex marriage cannot be considered marriage at all.

Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale released a video of the speech Thursday that shows Scheer, then 25, explaining why he opposed the Civil Marriage Act, which legalized same-sex unions in Canada.

“How many legs would a dog have if you counted the tail as a leg? The answer is just four,” Scheer said, paraphrasing a quote attributed to Abraham Lincoln.

“Just because a tail is called a leg does not make it a leg. If Bill C-38 passes, governments and individual Canadians will be forced to call a tail a leg, nothing more, but that is not inconsequential, for its effect on marriage, such an integral building block of our society, would have far-reaching effects.”

In the speech, Scheer said the most important thing to society is raising children because society’s “very survival requires it.”

“Homosexual unions are by nature contradictory to this … Two members of the same sex may use their God-given free will to engage in acts, to cohabit and to own property together,” Scheer continued.

“In that sense, they have many of the collateral features of marriage, but they do not have its inherent feature, as they cannot commit to the natural procreation of children. They cannot therefore be married.”

In response, the Conservative campaign accused the Liberals of “desperation” and attempting to distract from their government’s record by dredging up Scheer’s comments from 2005.

Brock Harrison, the campaign’s communications director, said Scheer “supports same-sex marriage as defined in law and as prime minister will, of course, uphold it.”

The Conservatives also released a list of Liberals — including Goodale — who either opposed same-sex marriage or had voted against it in the past.

But the Scheer campaign did not say whether his personal beliefs on same-sex marriage had evolved, nor did they respond to the question of Scheer’s continued refusal to participate in Pride parades.

Earlier this month, a Conservative spokesman told the Canadian Press that the party has a “proud history of fighting for the rights and protection of all Canadians, including those in the LGBTQ community, at home and abroad.”

Scheer voted against the Civil Marriages Act in 2005, as did the vast majority of then-leader Stephen Harper’s Conservative caucus. Harper said at the time a Conservative government would revisit the law if elected, but avoided reigniting the debate in almost a decade as prime minister.

Like his predecessor, Scheer has tried to avoid major social conservative issues like abortion and same-sex marriage. But the Conservative leader — a devout Roman Catholic — has consistently refused to take part in Pride events that are routinely attended by politicians across the country. After the Liberals released the video, Goodale challenged Scheer to march in the Ottawa Pride parade being held this Sunday.

Helen Kennedy, the executive director at LGBTQI2S political advocacy organization Égale Canada, said that instances of discrimination from those in leadership positions is “incredibly harmful to our community” and may even “undo much of the progress that has been made” on equal rights.

“There is still a lifetime and more of work that needed to be done before we will even begin to approach equality for LGBTQI2S people,” Kennedy wrote in a statement to the Star.

“It is absolutely unacceptable to have anyone in a leadership position in Canada’s government who does not support human rights, including sexual orientation and gender identity.”

With files from The Canadian Press

Alex Boutilier is an Ottawa-based reporter covering national politics. Follow him on Twitter: @alexboutilier