Andrew Scheer has been in the spotlight recently after a video of him opposing same-sex marriage surfaced on social media before the weekend.
The Liberal Party of Canada released footage of Scheer giving an anti-same-sex marriage speech in 2005 in the House of Commons.
His presentation was during a debate regarding the Civil Marriage Act stating that same-sex couple “cannot therefore be married” since they “cannot contribute to the natural procreation of children”.
To be a leader for all Canadians, the Conservative Party leader should now end his lifelong boycott of Pride events and explain whether he would still deny same-sex couples the right to marry, as he said in Parliament. pic.twitter.com/5WEyja6Ov5
— Ralph Goodale (@RalphGoodale) August 22, 2019
Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness Ralph Goodale shared the video on his Twitter account Thursday morning.
He said clarity would help answer questions such as whether he would still deny same-sex couples the right to marry.
“Whether that speech from long ago still applies or not, one would hope not, but it’s not clear one way or the other,” said Goodale.
He followed his initial tweet with another message calling on Scheer to end his lifelong boycott of participating in Pride events by taking part in the Pride celebrations Sunday in his hometown of Ottawa.
When speaking about the decision to show the video to his followers, the minister implied that it’s important for people to have an answer from hopeful leaders of the country.
“It would be a great reassurance to see the complete roster of all of those who seek to be the next Prime Minister of Canada saying we’ve got your back and we’re going to defend your rights.”
When asked why he voted against a bill on the recognition of same-sex spouses back in 1995 and again in 1999, Goodale responded by saying he has “evolved in that period of time”.
