Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - June 27, 2004, Winnipeg, Manitoba Winnipeg free press sunday june 27, 2004 perspective b3 by Dan Lett i t has been a Good news bad news Federal election Campaign for Canadas Gay and lesbian Community. The Good news is that for perhaps the first time Ever a Gay and lesbian cause ? Equality rights for same sex couples ? has emerged As a significant Issue in a Federal election. The bad news is that efforts by Gay and lesbian lobby groups to encourage strategic voting could ironically give them what they least want a conservative government. Gay and lesbian lobby groups Are urging members to vote against individual politicians who oppose or Only mildly support same sex marriage. There is an acknowledgement this would Likely result in a Stampede of Gay and lesbian support to the new democratic party the Only one of the three major parties to get a nearly unanimous endorsement by the major lobby groups for their nearly unanimous support for same sex marriage. But As Liberal Leader Paul Martin warned this past week a Rush of sup port for the nip would Drain votes away from the grits and Likely leave the conservatives with a minority government. This is something the Community is definitely split on said Brad Tyler West a Winnipeg Gay activist and spokesman for canadians for equal marriage Ceman umbrella group representing a wide array of organizations that support same sex marriage. Do we Park our votes with the liberals to Stop the conservatives or do we support the candidates that support equal Access to marriage people Are really same sex marriage became a water shed Issue in parliament last year when the Liberal government following Sev eral lower court decisions that ruled Gays and lesbians have the constitutional right to legally marry introduced a Law to legalize same sex marriage who did not respond to a Cem ques without forcing any religion to marry Tion Naire get a 5 rating by default in same sex couples. The Bill was recognition of party policy. Referred to the supreme court of Cana liberals who did not respond to the a to ensure it was consistent with questionnaire or who did not receive it Equality rights in the Constitution. Generally get a not rated. Conserva conservative Leader Stephen Harp Tives who did not respond or who were or has said he would withdraw the not contacted get a minus-10 rating by court reference and pass a Law that default Given party policy. Defined marriage As the Legal Union of Egale Canadas principal Gay and a Man and a woman. In doing so Harp lesbian lobby group uses a similar or has theorized the supreme court approach by providing report card would defer to parliaments will. Or if grades from a plus to of along with necessary Harp voting histories or has suggested of incumbent do we Park our votes he would use the maps. Charter of rights with the liberals these Are and freedoms tried and True notwithstanding to Stop the conserva tactics used by clause which special interest allows Parlia Tives or do we support groups who Hope ment to pass Laws to influence the the candidates that contrary to con outcome of institutional protect election. The support equal Access tons. Major difference Tyler West said to marriage is that right Wing most Gays and or religious Spe lesbians realize ? Gay activist Brad Tyler West Cial interest that even without groups Are Gen a majority government Harper could really More focused on who they think potentially draw enough support from should be elected rather than who Liberal dissidents to pass such a Law. Should be Defeated. Even so Cem has chosen a non Par single Issue lobby groups opposed to Titan approach to advising Gays and same sex marriage also offer voting lesbians on strategic voting Tyler West records of sitting maps on motions and said. Instead of urging support for any Bills related to the Issue. However one party the coalition has provided a these groups typically do not water wealth of information about individual Down their campaigns and almost uni candidates including voting records verbally endorse the conservative of incumbent maps on key Bills and party even though some conservatives motions in the House of commons. Support same sex marriage and some Cem rates every candidate running liberals do not. In the 308 Federal Ridings on a five and within the coalition and Egale Point system with 10 being the High campaigns Are splinters that put Pun est rating actively in support of Ishing the liberals ahead of stopping a same sex unions and a minus-10 rat conservative government. A group ing earning a candidate a must called liberals for Layton has a link defeat recommendation. Off the coalition website calling on in Manitoba All nip candidates get Ontario Gays and lesbians to target anti Between a 5 and a 10 except for Gay Cabinet ministers and maps include Churchill my Bev Desjarlais who has ing More than 40 Federal liberals. Broken with party policy and opposed in Manitoba the conundrum is like same sex marriage. Nip candidates by to play a role in determining the out come of a handful of Winnipeg Ridings where the nip and liberals Are com Peting directly for votes. In Winnipeg Centre which has per haps the largest and Best established Gay Community in the City nip incumbent Pat Martin gets a 10 rating from the coalition for equal marriage because of his unqualified support for same sex marriage. On the other hand Liberal challenger David Northcott gets a 5 for telling voters he believes marriage is Between a Man and a woman but he respects Equality rights. This has created a dilemma for Gay and lesbian advocates in Winnipeg Cen tre. I am aware of the risks but i just Don to think i can vote for someone who is going to be sort of there for us on Only one Issue said Winnipeg Centre resident Karen Busby a University of Manitoba Law professor and National director of Egale. Of course our main focus is any body but the conservatives. Stephen harpers not so hidden social Agenda would be very bad for us. Equal Access to marriage is a Touchstone Issue for us and i a terrified about a conservative government. But i Don to know if its enough for a lot of us to vote Busby who specializes in constitutional Law said Many informed Gays and lesbians also believe strongly harpers plan to legally define marriage As a Union of a Man and a woman would not withstand a supreme court Challenge. So while a conservative government would set the cause of same sex marriage Back years it would Likely not change the outcome she said. I also Don to think that Stephen Harper would be Able to keep a lid on his socially conservative Agenda for two to three years or Long enough to get the Bill passed she said. Estimates of the size of the Gay and lesbian Community in Canada have ranged from one to 10 per cent of the total population. premiers vision of health care clouded eral parties is that even if there was by Dan Lett Campaign promises fall Short of meeting needs additional capacity in a for profit facility most provinces could to afford to buy Canadas premiers have formed a pow government but they Are increasingly it appears More and More Likely that the service. The shortage of doctors Erful lobby to convince Ottawa to important. Medicare May be the first real casualty nurses and technicians is the real Bot increase its share of medicare funding to thus the premiers have a much High of Canadas first minority government Oleneck in the system not the shortage of 25 per cent of All health care expend or calculation of total health care costs. In a Quarter Century. Operating rooms. Tures As recommended by former when the liberals or conservatives offer As voters prepare to go to the polls talk to your provincial leaders and Saskatchewan Premier Roy Romanow a $9 billion and $13 billion respectively they will Tell you that in general you Canada a pre 2002 Royal commission report. Over five years they Are falling Well can build All the private surgical Clini Smiers Are gearing the election started with some Evi Short of the estimated $18 billion Annu and Fri suites you want and it wont up to attend a Dence the premiers have been Success ally the premiers want from Ottawa. Shrink the waiting lists because we Don to watershed health Ful All three major parties expressed and even when the Federal parties do have the personnel. Care Summit later support for closing the so called offer Money for Pha Macare or Home and yet the Federal parties plod on this summer. The Romanow Gap. Care the amounts Are ridiculously Low. With their pledges. Liberal Leader Pau meeting was however a Quick look at the Campaign conservative Leader Stephen Harper Martin wants a program to help Speed expected to pro platforms shows Federal politicians con for example has proposed $800 million the licensing of foreign trained doctors Duce a new fund Tine to suffer from a shallow under for Pha Macare Relief. By modern Stan seemingly unaware that Ontario Mani ing agreement standing of How health care is delivered Dards that in to enough to cover the Toba and British Columbia among other with Ottawa that in Canada and of what needs to be done band Aid budget in Ontario let alone provinces Are already dealing with the would Settle Long to improve Access. Offset the costs of catastrophic drug problem head on. Standing grief every party has pledged increased regimes across Canada. Ances about shrinking Federal this summer Canadas premiers funding but they All fall Well Short of the and then there is the debate Over so contributions to health care. Expected to get a renewed commitment target set by the provinces. In Large part called privatized health. As the Conser however a fractured parliament and to funding and a system to increase fed this is because Federal parties for the natives in particular talk about the animosity that has been cultivated eral transfers that will keep up with the most part Are sticking to an antiquated increasing private delivery of Public on the Campaign Trail make it unlikely health care inflation rate. Thanks to the definition of publicly insured services. Health care services they seem unaware the major parties will be Able to agree Federal election Campaign they have the provinces want Ottawa to cover a most provinces already contract with on much of anything. Been treated to a wealth of pledges that share of All health care services include the private sector for additional Capaci this has sparked serious questions demonstrate How far behind Ottawa is ing Pha Macare and Home care. These to and Are spending As much As they can about which Leader will be left standing when it comes to understanding last two areas Are not covered in the afford on surgeries diagnostic tests and and what kind of mandate he will have to medicare. Canada health act which defines med radiation treatments. Forge a new Era of health care funding. Voters Are speaking minority rules o Ottawa ? think Back to the stretch run of the 1997 Federal Campaign. In those Heady Days of june the lib eral rallying cry was the need for a majority government As Jean Chretien criss crossed the country with his warnings on the dangers of reducing his party to minority status. You la hear no such cries this time from Paul Martin who will consider himself truly blessed even if his Liber als win a minority by the hair of his Chinny Chin Chin tomorrow night. And for Good reason. Minority governments Are suddenly fashionable after the excesses of three straight Liberal majorities. They have even More Cache if you throw in the two whacking big majorities that Brian Mulroney stories won in 1984 and 1988. In fact polls at the Start of the Campaign showed a majority of voters favoured a minority As 60 per cent believed it would make for a better parliament. Which brings me dear Reader to the Central Point of this column if not this election if you believe in the collective Wisdom of the Canadian voter ? and you must if you have any respect for democracy ? then the mandate about to be delivered is that less is More. From the get go a surly electorate has been in the mood for a minority As a Way to set things right in Ottawa. Long before Martin started talking about the democratic deficit voters concluded something was foul with the state of their democracy. They recoiled at the unchecked spending of the gun registry. They re angry that the views of their maps mattered Little when up against the Power of the prime ministers office. They wondered Why it was up to the auditor general to keep telling right from wrong. They tired of elections being called Long before they were needed simply to suit those in Power. But they have Little time for Martins prescription built upon reforms to the Way committees operate and when votes would be free and when they would be subject to the government whip. Instead the Public is set to whip parliament into shape by making sure no one has As much Power As they be had in the past. And when Stephen Harper ill advis edly started talking about the possibility of a conservative majority win following the televised debates they immediately sent him a message by trimming his party a support in the polls. My sense is that both the liberals and the conservatives have misread the current that takes us to voting Day with the two front running parties in a dead heat. Team Martin wrongly calculated that its Challenge was to be seen As a new government instead of the fourth grit administration. Harper and company incorrectly prayed that the mood for change would carry them to Power and push the liberals into opposition. Instead what the Public wanted was not a change from Liberal to conserva Tive but rather a shift in the Way Ottawa operated. And the simplest and most efficient Way to achieve to use Martins phrase trans formative change was to hedge their votes in Hopes that it would keep All of the scoundrels honest. With a minority looming already the talk has turned to How Long before canadians Are again forced to head to the polls with some experts suggest ing we could All be Back at this within a matter of months. But to do so would ignore what the Public is saying and the not so Small matter that it would Cost taxpayers More than $200 million to have an elec toral rematch. They decided the liberals need to be humbled. They a determined that the new conservatives Are either not ready yet or still too scary to be handed the keys to a majority. They figured the nip deserves a bigger voice but still not enough clout to actually Call the shots in a minority. Consider it a pox on All their houses As a Way to improve the Peoples House the House of commons. As the returns from the 1972 election poured in and prime minister Pierre Trudeau realized his liberals were about to become a minority he echoed the words from the poem desiderata whether or not it is Clear to you no doubt the universe is unfolding As it our next Batch of maps would be Wise to ensure they make the universe the electorate has handed them work. And woe be to any party that seeks to unfold the minority for their own Polit ical gain. Paul Samyn is the free press National reporter. His email is ;