Election 2004

Grading the Parties and their Leaders

As in with previous elections, Egale has examined Canada’s political parties for their policies affecting the LGBT community. A letter grade is assigned to each party based on voting patterns, party leadership, and official policies.

New Democratic Party

PARTY LEADER: Jack Layton
Leader Grade: A+

Jack Layton is a longstanding champion of equality for lesbian, gay, bi and trans people. His support dates back to speaking out against the 1981 Toronto bathhouse raids, and Layton has marched in the Toronto Pride parade for many, many years.

Jack Layton unabashedly supports equal marriage. He has stated that he will not allow a free vote. On September 5, 2003, in response to reports that Bev Desjarlais intended to vote against equal marriage, CBC quoted Layton as saying: “We have a party policy and it is to support this legislation and that’s the way it’s going to be.”

PARTY POLICY: The NDP passed a resolution stating: “that an NDP federal government would, within its first mandate, introduce legislation, without a free vote, to make same-sex marriage legal; and that should the issue come before the House, members of the NDP caucus shall vote in favour of same-sex marriage.”

The NDP website says that “Gay and Lesbian Rights are Human Rights.” It goes on to say that “Canadians support lesbian and gay rights, and so do New Democrats. We celebrate families in all their forms and reject absolutely the notion that extending rights to some diminishes rights for all. Canada’s NDP has a proud history of fighting for equality.”

MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT: Egale calculated the percentage of times since the 2000 election that MPs voted in favour of legislation furthering equality for lesbian, gay, bi and trans people, versus those that voted against. During that time there were two votes, one on an Alliance motion against equal marriage and one on adding sexual orientation to hate propaganda laws (Bill C-250). The NDP caucus ranked first at 100%. 100% means all those that voted, voted in favour of equality, but the score does not account for absent MPs. Two of the 14 NDP MPs were absent for the Alliance motion vote: Bev Desjarlais and Peter Stoffer.

Bloc Quebecois

PARTY LEADER: Gilles Duceppe
Leader Grade: A

Gilles Duceppe has been a solid supporter of equality for lesbian, gay, bi and trans people generally. He has voted in favour of equality on every single vote since 1995, including hate crime sentencing, human rights protection, common-law recognition and equal marriage.

PARTY POLICY: There are currently no party policies on LGBT issues, including equal marriage. The Bloc website says the party supports equal marriage, but that this is a moral issue and MPs have a free vote.

MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT: Egale calculated the percentage of times since the 2000 election that MPs voted in favour of legislation furthering equality for lesbian, gay, bi and trans people, versus those that voted against. During that time there were two votes, one on an Alliance motion against equal marriage and one on adding sexual orientation to hate propaganda laws (Bill C-250). The Bloc caucus ranked second at 84%. 100% means all those that voted, voted in favour of equality, but the score does not account for absent MPs.

Liberal Party

PARTY LEADER: Paul Martin
Leader Grade: B

As a Cabinet Minister, Paul Martin has historically supported the Liberal government position on LGBT issues. He voted to add sexual orientation to hate sentencing law and the Canadian Human Rights Act, and to recognize same-sex couples as “common-law partners.” He also voted in favour of Bill C-250, which added “sexual orientation” to hate propaganda legislation.

Paul Martin voted against the Alliance motion to entrench an opposite-sex definition of marriage. He has historically opposed equal marriage, but changed his position following the Ontario Court of Appeal decision on June 10, 2003. Prior to that decision he had publicly stated that the government should not appeal the ruling.

In January, Martin expanded the Supreme Court reference to ask whether the opposite-sex restriction on marriage is unconstitutional. The new question opens the door for a negative Court decision and calls into question the government’s commitment to equal marriage. However, Martin affirmed his support for permitting same-sex couples to marry and his Attorney-General submitted a brief to the Court which argues that excluding same-sex couples from marriage is an unconstitutional violation of equality rights under the Charter.

Martin has ruled out using the notwithstanding clause or creating a “separate but equal” parallel institution.

Martin has struggled with the equal marriage issue, but has recently been strong in his public support. He has also publicly supported including sexual orientation in hate propaganda laws.

PARTY POLICY: No LGBT issues are mentioned on the Liberal Party website. The party does not currently have a policy for or against equal marriage.

MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT: Egale calculated the percentage of times since the 2000 election that MPs voted in favour of legislation furthering equality for lesbian, gay, bi and trans people, versus those that voted against. During that time there were two votes, one on an Alliance motion against equal marriage and one on adding sexual orientation to hate propaganda laws (Bill C-250). The Liberal caucus ranked third at 64%. 100% means all those that voted, voted in favour of equality, but the score does not account for absent MPs.

Conservative Party

PARTY LEADER: Stephen Harper
Leader Grade: F

Harper actively and vigorously opposes equality for LGBT persons. He sent a letter to every church, synagogue, mosque and other house of worship to whip up their opposition to equal marriage. He sent a mailer titled “The future of marriage in Canada” to households across the country claiming the Liberals broke their promise to preserve the traditional definition of marriage. He has done everything in his power to make equal marriage into a wedge issue.

When Parliament resumed after the summer of 2003, the first thing Harper did was bring a motion in support of using the notwithstanding clause to maintain a discriminatory definition of marriage. It read: “That, in the opinion of this House, it is necessary, in light of public debate around recent court decisions, to reaffirm that marriage is and should remain the union of one man and one woman to the exclusion of all others, and that Parliament take all necessary steps within the jurisdiction of the Parliament of Canada to preserve this definition of marriage in Canada.”

Harper maintains that parliamentarians should have the final say on upholding traditional marriage and insists that legislators should refuse “to allow unelected, unaccountable judges to decide major social policies.” He has gone so far as to say that he does not think LGBT people are protected by the Charter.

Harper tries to paint himself as defending the traditional definition of marriage rather than attacking a minority. However, the Alliance / Reform party record belies that claim. Every single Alliance MP voted in favour of the Alliance motion to “take all necessary steps” to maintain an opposite-sex definition of marriage. Taking all necessary steps means using the notwithstanding clause. In addition, all Alliance MPs except James Moore voted against Bill C-250 to include sexual orientation in hate propaganda laws. In 1996 every single Reform MP, including Stephen Harper, voted against protecting gay and lesbian people from being fired because of their sexual orientation.

PARTY POLICY: The only LGBT issue listed on the Conservative Party website is marriage. It says “the Conservative Party will fight to give a greater voice to Parliament. We will ensure that issues like marriage are decided by parliament, not the courts.” The Alliance Party did have a policy against both equal marriage and recognition of same-sex couples as families. It also had a requirement that MPs vote consistently with party policy. The PC Party did not have a policy for or against equal marriage.

MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT: Egale calculated the percentage of times since the 2000 election that MPs voted in favour of legislation furthering equality for lesbian, gay, bi and trans people, versus those that voted against. During that time there were two votes, one on an Alliance motion against equal marriage and one on adding sexual orientation to hate propaganda laws (Bill C-250). The Conservative caucus ranked last at 4%. 100% means all those that voted, voted in favour of equality, but the score does not account for absent MPs.

Not one Conservative MP voted against the Alliance motion to exclude gay and lesbian couples from civil marriage. The four PC’s who voted against that exclusion have all either refused to join the Conservatives or announced they are not running for re-election. The reason the overall score is 4% is that two former PCs voted in favour of C-250: Peter MacKay and Gerald Keddy.

Green Party

PARTY LEADER: Jim Harris
Leader grade: ungraded

Mr. Harris has never been elected, so he has no voting record. Egale recently sent Mr. Harris our election questionnaire and will update this information as soon as we hear from him.

PARTY POLICY: Green Party policy “supports the right of Gay couples who choose to enter a lifelong partnership to achieve the full and equivalent legal status of any married couple. The GPC will respect and uphold the decisions of the British Columbia and Ontario Supreme Courts allowing Gay Marriage.” The Green Party first passed a policy supporting equal marriage in 1996.

Green Party policy also states: “We honour the diversity of life on our planet… All the cultural, sexual and spiritual diversity of the Earth’s people has intrinsic value.”

MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT: There are currently no Green Party MPs.

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