The federal government was criticized when its recently overhauled study guide for new immigrants failed to make mention of gay rights or same-sex marriage.
At the time, Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney dismissed queries about the omission, suggesting it was not possible to include “every policy of the government of Canada” in the manual.
And when Egale Canada, a prominent gay-rights group, raised the issue with Kenney last year, he said the issue had been “overlooked” when the new guide was being prepared.
Unfortunately for Kenney, an access to information request made by The Canadian Press has uncovered documents that show Kenney himself — or somebody in his office — ordered references to gay rights stripped from the document, despite pleas to do the opposite by well-intentioned bureaucrats.
Remember, Canada has been at the forefront of the recognition of gay and lesbian rights for years. Homosexuality was decriminalized 40 years ago and same-sex marriage was legalized in 2005. But none of this appears to have fazed Kenney — an outspoken critic of gay and lesbian rights — whose office ordered the sections removed after it had been sent a draft of the new guide, which was released in November.
While Kenney has denied direct responsibility for the short-sighted bit of editing that threatens to give immigrants a politically skewed impression of the inclusive, compassionate nation we love to call home, there’s no doubt that those who work under him reflect the stridently anti-gay bias that has been and continues to be shown by their boss.
Sadly, while most of us have come a long way toward understanding homosexuality as something that should be embraced rather than feared, some of our elected representatives have failed to keep step with societal change, refusing to accept gay and lesbian Canadians as equal partners in the great democratic enterprise that is Canada.
Kenney is entitled to his own opinions, but as an agent of the Crown he must abide by Canada’s laws and not let personal beliefs or political dogma stand in the way of celebrating — and protecting — the rights of all Canadians, be they new or old, male or female, gay or straight, black or white.
Canadians expect nothing less.
We Say editorials represent the position of The Daily News and are unsigned. The editorial board of the newspaper includes publisher Tim Shoults, editor Mel Rothenburger, city editor Tracy Gilchrist, news editor Mike Cornell, sports editor Gregg Drinnan, and associate news editors Mark Rogers, Stewart Duncan, Catherine Litt and Dan Spark.
