OTTAWA 鈥� A Conservative MP is accusing the Liberals and NDP of 鈥渁nti-Catholic bigotry鈥� in their questioning of his leader Andrew Scheer鈥檚 position on same-sex marriage.
In a panel interview on CTV鈥檚 Question Period airing on Sunday, Alberta MP Garnett Genuis was asked if he thinks that Scheer needs to recalibrate his position on social issues like same-sex marriage before the party鈥檚 leadership review in April.
His response was that 鈥渋f anything,鈥� the party needs to make sure that Scheer鈥檚 鈥渧ery clear鈥� position 鈥渋s heard by everyone.鈥�
鈥淯nfortunately we see this kind of muddying of the waters and frankly anti-Catholic bigotry from the other parties but we鈥檙e going to push back against it,鈥� Genuis said. 鈥淲hat we鈥檙e seeing with Andrew Scheer鈥� is someone having questions posed to him based on, I think often a misunderstanding or presumptions about Catholics,鈥� said Genuis about the questions posed to Scheer on whether or not he views homosexuality as a sin.
鈥淎ndrew Scheer has been very clear about equality and what I think we need to be sensitive of is some of this anti-Catholic message in particular,鈥� Genuis said, holding up an editorial cartoon from the 1960 John F. Kennedy U.S. presidential election, as an example.
鈥淚 think we need to be really careful about not going down this road in Canada,鈥� he said.
In response to Genuis鈥� allegation the NDP and Liberal MPs who were on the panel with him asserted that it鈥檚 not a question of religion.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 believe it鈥檚 that, I mean, I鈥檓 a Catholic,鈥� said Liberal MP Mona Fortier who also noted that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is Catholic, but has been vocal in his support for LGBTQ Canadians.
鈥淚 just find they're trying to find a way to get out of the conversation which is the one we're having right now,鈥� Fortier said.
NDP MP Jack Harris, who was raised Catholic, said it鈥檚 not a question of whether the questions to Scheer are fair game, but rather 鈥渋t鈥檚 a question of do you think people are immoral or bad because they鈥檙e homosexual?鈥�
Similarly he defended his Leader Jagmeet Singh, who is Sikh, saying that unlike with the Conservative party, he鈥檚 not heard any concerns with the NDP鈥檚 position on upholding and celebrating LGBTQ people.
鈥淚f you can鈥榯 allay that fear by saying legitimately, 鈥楴o, I'm prepared to recognize them and support them and march in a Pride parade to show that I support their efforts for equality,鈥� well then, that gives rise to legitimate fear,鈥� Harris said. 鈥淚t has nothing to do with religion. You can have your personal beliefs all you want but if you're not showing it to the point that people can have confidence that that's not part of the agenda of either you or your party, then you鈥檝e got a problem.鈥�
Several prominent Conservatives have come out in the weeks since the election to call on Scheer to be more clear on his personal stance on same-sex marriage or risk losing the chance to lead the party into the next election.
On last week鈥檚 episode former prime minister Stephen Harper鈥檚 then-director of communications said that Scheer鈥檚 position on same-sex marriage 鈥渃ould be fatal鈥� to his future as leader because not supporting same-sex marriage is 鈥渧iewed increasingly as bigotry.鈥�
At the time CTV News had asked his office to clarify whether or not his personal view was that same-sex marriage was a sin, and did not receive a response.
Then, after Wednesday鈥檚 caucus meeting -- where some Conservative MPs went in wondering whether or not Scheer could be the leader of a party that does more to be a voice for LGBTQ Canadians -- Scheer was asked in a scrum whether he thought personally that being gay was a sin.
His response was similar to those he has offered before, saying: 鈥淢y personal opinion is that I respect the rights of every single Canadian and my personal commitment to Canadians is to always fight for the rights of all Canadians including LGBTQ Canadians.鈥�
In a separate segment on Sunday鈥檚 episode, Manitoba鈥檚 Conservative Premier Brian Pallister said that the balancing act in terms of public sentiment and your own personal views is a challenge every leader faces.
鈥淭he beauty of the situation that Andrew now faces, and the double-edged dichotomy of it, is that the grassroots members of the Conservative Party across Canada are going to determine who their leader is, they're going to ask themselves some of the questions you've just asked me, and in the Conservative Party, that's how we run,鈥� he told host Evan Solomon.
