Canadians for Equal Marriage

Press Release

June 6, 2004

Harper Can Run But He Can’t Hide

He’s got to Come Clean on Trampling Charter Rights

Toronto—At a platform lunch at the Toronto Congress Centre yesterday, representatives of Canadians for Equal Marriage once again asked Mr. Harper whether he would use the notwithstanding clause to take away the Charter rights of lesbian and gay Canadians. For the third time in three days, he did not answer.

“It’s difficult for ordinary Canadians to ask Mr. Harper a question, and even more difficult to get a straight answer,” said Laurie Arron, Political Coordinator for Canadians for Equal Marriage. “He is keeping himself in a bubble, doing his best to avoid the public and to avoid any responsibility for giving Canadians clear answers to their questions. Despite tight security, we managed to gain access to his platform lunch and once again question him on his use of the notwithstanding clause to deny Charter protection to gay and lesbian Canadians.”

“Canadians for Equal Marriage and others who care about the Charter will continue to seek answers from him,” added Cicely McWilliam, Outreach Coordinator for Canadians for Equal Marriage. “Up until yesterday the Conservative website had listed upcoming public events where Mr. Harper would appear. Now the space showing upcoming events is blank. Mr. Harper is doing everything in his power to keep his distance from the Canadian public and from anyone who would question his intentions. He’s not exactly a man of the people.”

“Mr. Harper has said that the Notwithstanding Clause is a legitimate tool to be used by a Canadian government, even though no federal government of any stripe has ever used it,” said Alex Munter, Co-chair of Canadians for Equal Marriage. “It’s hard to imagine that a political party that tolerates hitting gay people would think very hard before taking away our protection under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.”

At a Conservative rally in Guelph Thursday, representatives of Canadians for Equal Marriage Laurie Arron and Bob Smyth were physically attacked when they tried to ask Mr. Harper about using the Notwithstanding Clause. Mr. Harper’s response was to make jokes about his supporters’ use of violence. In London Friday, Harper simply ignored questions from Canadians for Equal Marriage representatives Pat Shanahan and David Heaton.

“Canadian courts have been clear in saying that discrimination against lesbian and gay Canadians violates the Charter, and that excluding same-sex couples from civil marriage is discrimination,” said Mr. Arron. “The only way to take away same-sex couples’ access to civil marriage is to exclude us from Charter protection. Why is Mr. Harper pretending otherwise?”

For more info:
Alex Munter, Canadians for Equal Marriage, (613) 236-5492
Laurie Arron, Canadians for Equal Marriage, 416-928-1238 (o), 416-839-7178 (c)
Cicely McWilliam, Canadians for Equal Marriage, 416-928-1238 (o)

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