Immigration Minister Jason Kenney cuts out gay rights mention in citizenship guide

[JBoy]

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/immigration-minister-pulled-gay-rights-from-citizenship-guide-documents-show/article1486935/

Citizenship and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney blocked any reference to gay rights in a new study guide for immigrants applying for Canadian citizenship, The Canadian Press has learned.

Internal documents show an early draft of the guide contained sections noting that homosexuality was decriminalized in 1969; that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation; and that same-sex marriage was legalized nationally in 2005.

But Mr. Kenney, who fought same-sex marriage when it was debated in Parliament, ordered those key sections removed when his office sent its comments to the department last June.

Senior department officials duly cut out the material - but made a last-ditch plea with Mr. Kenney in early August to have it reinstated.

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Yay! GOP-style homophobia.

[HeresyLives]

1. And yet Kenney is gay himself.

I don't understand it.

[daleo]

3. Probably goes for Baird too

Beats me how that works.

[HeresyLives]

4. Yeah Baird was outed by a Con colleague

a couple of weeks ago, but nobody said anything. Most people had figured that out.

There are at least 6 gays in the Con caucus...and if individuals want to stay closeted that's up to them...but when they do things that hurt all gays, I think they should be outted.

[Metric System]

2. This is outrageous, but not surprising. When will Canadians wake up and give a damn about what these

Cons are doing to the country?!?

[Lucy Goosey]

5. Jebus, some of the comments there scare me...

I'm hoping this one is sarcastic:

Listen Up Canada We have a great leader Harper who does not let fashionable human rights make the rule of law. Our leader is an evangelical christian who puts old tested and tried rules and laws to practice - that's right the rules and laws of God's book, this is the same God Harper asks to bless Canada. Finally Bible first human rights for intellectuals GONE ! Go Harper Go Bring the majority Gold

That's someone trying to be funny, right? ...please?

I mean "great leader Harper"? That's comedy gold!

[HeresyLives]

6. No, it's not sarcastic, they mean it.

The Con party is extremely religious, and believe the country should be run by biblical law.

Many of the members were in the CHiP, but of course couldn't get elected so they are travelling on Harp's coat tails. Most of Harp's advisers and staff are evangelical. We are talking tent-revival types.

'Bible first, human rights for intellectuals GONE' is exactly what they intend to do.

[Lucy Goosey]

7. ...sigh. I know, I'm just trying to pretend it doesn't exist up here.

'Bible first, human rights for intellectuals GONE'

First of all, do they not know that Harper is an economist with a Master's degree? Doesn't that sound kind of intellectual?

Secondly, why are they so fucking scared of those of us who are capable of critical thinking?

(I know, I know. One of us "intellectuals" might point out something devastating, like that their bible repeatedly contradicts itself, and if they start to doubt the literal truth of the bible, they might have to *gasp* think for themselves, and that is very very scary.)

[HeresyLives]

8. Intellectuals are teachers, doctors, lawyers,

or basically anybody with 'book-larnin''. In Cambodia it even came down to anyone that wore glasses.

The only saving grace is if they are also devoutly religious. Teachers who teach creationism, lawyers who fight abortion and stem cell use, doctors who refuse anything to do with birth control, that kind of thing.

So Harper is okay as long as he is devout, altho he could easily turn into a modern-day Robespierre if they really got going.

And you're right, anyone capable of critical thinking can point out the holes in their belief, and they don't want that.

Because if their beliefs fall apart, they are left shivering in the cold of reality.

Stockwell Day once participated in a laying on of hands, and prayer, in order to make a tavern fall down. It didn't but that's because the devil is so strong. The party is full of people like this...which is how we ended up with a 'minister of science' who is a creationist.

[JBoy]

9. Update - Minister takes "full responsibility", but has no idea who ordered the removal

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/immigration-minister-takes-full-responsibility-for-citizenship-guide/article1490321/

Canada's immigration minister says he takes “full responsibility” for a citizenship study guide that had all references to gay rights removed.

But Jason Kenney's response to questions in the House of Commons on Thursday shed no light on who ordered the material cut from the document – whether it was the minister himself or an aide in his office.

The Immigration Minister's acknowledgment of “full responsibility” Thursday was again without explanation, though he said the document was far more comprehensive than the previous version published in 1995.

“The guide published under the Liberal government made zero mention of gays or lesbians, women's voting rights, equality of men and women, aboriginal residential schools, the Chinese head tax, wartime internment, the Quiet Revolution, Louis Riel, responsible government, Canadian sports, artists, heroes, Remembrance Day or even the 110,000 Canadians who died in the two wars in the last century,” he said.

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I don't know what's more digusting - trying to drag the previous Liberal government into it, or equating the giving of equal rights to gays with the atrocities in aboriginal schools and WW2 internment camps. He's effectively saying "look - the booklet didn't air our other dirty little secrets".

Fuck you, Kenney. You bigoted little man.

[Spazito]

10. Kenney is such a dirtbag...

He proves yet again the homophobic, racist, fundie Reform party is in power no matter what they call themselves now.