DID SOMEONE SAY REFORM?

I see your true colours, shining through
~Cindy Lauper

Another day, another scandal for Stephen Harper and the Conservatives.

This time it was Saskatchewan MP Tom Lukiwski who stepped in it.

In a video taped moment captured 16 years ago, Lukiwiski spewed forth a line of garbage that has raised more than a few eyebrows.

Lukiwski was caught saying (knowing full well he was being taped), "Let me put it to you this way -- there's As and Bs. The As are guys like me. The Bs are homosexual faggots with dirt under their fingernails that transmit diseases.''

How the tape became public is as hilarious as Lukiwski’s comments were distasteful.

Saskatchewan provincial New Democrats say they found the tape after they were forced to move into Opposition offices after their defeat in the provinces fall general election. The new Premier of Saskatchewan, Brad Wall, was also caught on tape making crude comments about Saskatcewan NDP leader Roy Romanow in a horrible Eastern European accent (Romanow is of Ukrainian descent).

The tape was simply left behind when the new government moved into the executive suite.

Lukiwski walked out of the Commons today to be greeted by a media horde that had gathered and quickly made an apology. He said "I have the utmost respect, I have no prejudice against gay people whatsoever," adding "those comments do not reflect the type of person I am and I'm very, very sorry."

You’ll excuse me if I take his act of contrition with a grain or two of salt.

Lukiwski is on record voting twice against allowing same sex marriage in this country. He told the House of Commons before the first vote in 2005 that “marriage is a religious act” and “what we have here is a situation where we have to determine what is right and reasonable, legally, constitutionally and morally.”

Morally!

It sounds to me (and I don’t believe I am taking a giant leap of faith) that as late as 2005 Mr. Lukiwski questioned the morality of same sex marriage. He also called the actions of the government of the day on the issue of same sex marriage “reprehensible”.

The sad thing is the Conservatives are condoning this type of behaviour. After the tape was made public and Lukiwski gave his obligatory apology, Conservative Government House Leader Peter Van Loan attempted to sweep the whole thing under the rug saying an apology was good enough for him.

I have a message for Mr. Van Loan.

The apology wasn’t meant for you. It was meant for the hundreds of thousands Gay and Lesbian people across this country and they don’t accept it.

Many groups, including Egale Canada, one of the country's largest gay rights lobby groups has asked that Lukiwski resign. They say the reason for Lukiwski’s mea culpa is not because he is genuinely sorry. They feel the only reason he apologized was because he was caught.

As things stand, at the time of this posting, Lukiwski will not only stay in the Commons, but will also retain his title of Parliamentary Secretary to the Government House Leader and will remain in the Conservative caucus.

Coincidentally, on the same day the tape was released, David Ahenakew released a statement saying he was refusing an invitation from the Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations to return as a Senator in that organization.

You may remember Ahenakew as the Aboriginal leader who told a reporter that Jews were a disease and that Hitler was trying to "clean up the world" when he "fried six million of those guys." He also later apologized saying the utterance did not represent his beliefs and that he was "…caught up in the heat of the moment.” He later blamed the outburst on a mixture of diabetes, alcohol, and a change in medication.

On March 28th the FSIN legislative assembly voted to reinstate Ahenakew. FSIN Chief Lawrence Joseph said while the federation strongly condemns the racist comments they think Ahenakew deserves a second chance.

Earlier this week the Saskatchewan government (led by Brad Wall) and the federal Conservative government (of which Lukiwski is a member of) both said they would consider withholding funds from the FSIN if Ahenakew was reinstated by the group. Wall went as far to issue "clear instructions" to his staff to avoid any meetings with the group in which Ahenakew was involved.

I am not defending, and will never defend, Ahenakew’s grotesque statements. I just think the irony is too rich to ignore.