Skip to main content

“I am a Canadian, free to speak without fear, free to worship in my own way, free to stand for what I think right, free to oppose what I believe wrong, or free to choose those who shall govern my country. This heritage of freedom I pledge to uphold for myself and all mankind.” ~~ John G. Diefenbaker

FELDSTED -- Ralph Goodale should be ashamed of himself ... what rights the gay community enjoys have been won through determination and costly court actions


GLOBAL NEWS ... Liberals went trolling Thursday for young, progressive-minded voters with 14-year-old video footage of Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer speaking out against same-sex marriage — a tactic that prompted Jagmeet Singh to vow that New Democrats won’t prop up a minority Conservative government.

CBC NEWS ... on an otherwise unremarkable morning in mid-August, video of Scheer speaking in the House of Commons in 2005 appeared on Twitter. After Ralph Goodale (or whoever runs Goodale's Twitter account) posted the clip, a succession of Liberals piled on, reposting it and adding their own comments.


Liberal Minister of Public Safety Ralph Goodale

This is one of the most cynical, hypocritical and useless “attack ads” imaginable.

Ralph Goodale should be ashamed of himself, if any Liberal has the capacity for remorse and shame. When the gay community was fighting for equal rights, the Conservatives, Bloc Quebecois, Greens, Liberals and NDP all sat primly on the sidelines and did nothing to advance gay rights.

What rights the gay community enjoys have been won through determination and costly court actions

Gay marriage was approved by provincial courts, Ontario June 2003, British Columbia July 2003, Quebec March 2004, Yukon July 2004, Manitoba and Nova Scotia September 2004, Saskatchewan November 2004 and New Brunswick June 2005.

When parliament belatedly passed the Civil Marriage Act in July 2005, provinces representing 90% of the population were already performing same-sex marriages.

Political leaders did not attend gay pride parades until after the right to marry had been won. Their appearances now are meaningless glad-handing. They are trolling for votes, not supporting the gay community.

What rights the gay community enjoys have been won through determination and costly court actions. Politicians and their parties can take no credit. They sat with a finger in the air, trying to read public opinion rather than risk a push-back and losing votes for doing the right thing.

Nothing has changed.

No political party has the courage to risk going against public opinion and the courts to rescind gay marriage law. It would be the wrong thing to do and every politician knows it. The attempt to turn this into an election issue is ridiculous.

People attend gay pride parades for a variety of reasons; to gather and celebrate achievements, to support family members and friends, and to dare to be different.

Politicians attend for one reason: “Look at me; aren’t I special for just being here”!

No, you aren’t.


The Way I See It ~~ John Feldsted
Political commentator, Consultant & Strategist
Winnipeg, Manitoba
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

NDP Government Blames Everyone but Themselves

The federal government has announced new measures to support British Columbia's forestry sector, including $65 million in funding for projects across the province. While any support is welcome, it falls far short of the level of assistance other provinces have secured for key industries. Conservative Forests Critic Ward Stamer says the NDP government needs to take responsibility for its mismanagement of B.C.’s forest industry instead of trying to pass on the blame. Despite promising to create more jobs in the forest sector, the NDP government has overseen the loss of thousands of forestry jobs and 21 mill closures which have devastated communities. “If Premier Eby spent more time addressing the regulatory issues impacting the forestry sector than he did complaining about the federal government, we would not be in the position we are now,” said Stamer. “And instead of trying to place the blame for mill closures on Donald Trump, Minister of Forests Ravi Parmar should t...
Post a Comment
Read more

Tourists Rack Up $200M in Unpaid Health Bills While BC Patients Wait Years for Care

While British Columbians wait years for basic medical care, the NDP government has allowed non-residents to rack up $200.6 million in unpaid health bills since 2020-2021. New research from SecondStreet.org, obtained through a freedom of information request, revealed that people from outside Canada are coming to BC, receiving health services, and leaving without paying their bills.  The losses span every health region in the province. "British Columbians are not guaranteed timely access to healthcare, be it treatment or diagnostics, and this situation continues to deteriorate under the NDP," said Anna Kindy, MLA for North Island and Critic for Health. "Taxpayers are footing the bill for tourists' health treatments to the tune of over $200 million, enough to cover over 21,000 hip replacements in this province while British Columbians wait months to years for that surgery.” The research found BC has the worst record of any province in Canada examined so far. Under a dec...
Post a Comment
Read more

NDP Finance Minister Given "F" on Report Card by Canadian Taxpayers Federation

Peter Milobar, MLA for Kamloops Centres and Official Opposition Finance Critic, released the following statement in response to the Canadian Taxpayers Federation's 2026 Finance Minister Report Card, which ranked BC Finance Minister Brenda Bailey dead last among provincial finance ministers in Canada with an overall grade of "F":  "British Columbians didn't need a report card to know things are headed in the wrong direction. They see it every time they pay their bills, try to buy a home, or watch another government deficit pile up. But now an independent national organization has confirmed that NDP Brenda Bailey is the worst-rated finance minister in Canada. "After nearly a decade of decline under this NDP government, British Columbia has become a province where people pay more, government borrows more, and families get less in return. We have some of the highest debt in the country, repeated credit downgrades, and no credible plan to get our finances back on...
Post a Comment
Read more

Labels

Show more