[Jun 7, 2004 10:53 AM]
Another Conservative candidate has spoken her mind – undermining leader Stephen Harper’s strategy to present their party as “moderate”. Flaming homophobe Cheryl Gallant, MP for Renfrew-Nipissing-Pembroke, said June 5 that she believes the Conservative caucus wants to repeal recent protections afforded gays, lesbians and others under Canada’s hate crimes legislation.
Further, Gallant told CTV’s Question Period that having sexual orientation included in Canada’s hate crimes legislation would extend protection to “pedophiles”.
She objected… “to having sexual orientation just listed, that encompasses, for example, pedophiles. I believe that the caucus as a whole would like to see it repealed,” she told the national news show.
Gallant introduced a petition calling for removing sexual orientation from hate crimes legislation on May 14, 2004. Sexual orientation was included in Canada’s hate crimes legislation in March of this year after being introduced by NDP MP Svend Robinson, after years of struggle to combat bashing and other crimes against Canada’s millions who are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender. At a rally on May 14, Gallant went so far as to say that Robinson’s legislation demonstrated “the moral decay of our democratic institutions”.
Gallant was in the media barely two weeks ago, comparing the beheading of an American hostage in Iraq to abortion.
Equating pedophilia with diverse sexual orientation is gross and homophobic, and should deter anyone considering voting Conservative out of frustration with the Liberals.