March 4, 2010

Gays edited out of Canadian citizenship guide

Canada's Immigration Minister Jason Kenney has decided that the newly revised Canadian citizenship guide -- a primer on Canada's history, laws and values -- should not include any information on the country's acceptance of gays and lesbians as equal citizens. He actually nixed sections that had been approved before the guide was ready for publication.

Openly gay Liberal Member of Parliament Scott Brison reacted quickly to the news, saying, "Canada's Charter of Rights has helped make Canada one of the most progressive societies in the world and a magnet for those seeking equality. The Charter is not a buffet. You can't take from it the rights you like and ignore the rest."

"Jason Kenney can't edit gays and lesbians out of Canadian history," New Democrat MP Bill Siksay added. "I think this is an obnoxious attempt to do that. Clearly he has to commit to a revision of this booklet, and the reprinting has to include these references."

The minister was cornered in Parliament and asked about his role in removing the gay and lesbian content. Kenney's reply: "I did not do such a thing. No, no, you are wrong." He then slipped away.

The Canadian Press found that a memo to Kenney from bureaucrats at Citizenship and Immigration last June show that sections referring to gay marriage and Charter of Rights protections for gays and lesbians were removed at the request of the minister's office. A second memo to Kenney in August indicates bureaucrats were rebuffed after trying again to press the issue of including LGBT content.

Kenney's office says the next edition will include "updated material." Will there be room to explain to new Canadians why homophobic conservatives are running the country?

Scott Brison decries 'Conservativerevisionist history of Canada' [Globe and Mail]

Gay rights groups outraged by Kenney's decision [Toronto Sun]

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