The Justice Department's Private Consultations with Homosexuals

The Department of Justice appears to be the engine pushing same-sex legislation (Bill C-23) onto the Canadian public. It was recently revealed that the Ottawa-based homosexual lobby group, Equality for Gays and Lesbians Everywhere (EGALE), had in its possession a copy of Bill C-23 (Same-sex Benefits), before it was tabled in the House of Commons on February 11.

The bill was tabled by Justice Minister Anne McLellan at noon on February 11, but John Fisher, Executive Director of EGALE, had a detailed analysis of the bill on his e-mail by 10:56 a.m., that morning. Mr. Fisher, improbably claims, however, that his e-mail sent from Ottawa was, in fact, on Pacific Standard Time.

His comments on the terminology used in the bill, and on sections that were included or omitted from the bill, indicate, at least, that he had carried out an extensive in-depth review of the bill in a remarkably short period of time. For example, Mr. Fisher noted in his e-mail message that the issue of immigration was of crucial importance to the homosexual community. However, he stated that the one-year co-habitation requirement in Bill C-23 was "unworkable," i.e., would not provide ready access for homosexuals to enter the country "since [homosexual] couples who live in different countries would be unable to meet the cohabitation requirement."

However, Mr. Fisher stated that EGALE and another homosexual organization, the "Lesbian and Immigration Task Force," have discussed this problem, and are in agreement that it was preferable that the Immigration Act, as it refers to homosexual couples, be addressed later in separate legislation which "can be better tailored to the unique needs of the immigration context."

Not surprisingly, Bill C-23 did not include an amendment to the Immigration Act, and government officials announced that such amendments will be postponed until later this year. That is, the government has obviously agreed to postpone the amendments to the Immigration Act as it affects homosexuals until such time as homosexual organizations have decided on the approach that they wish the government to take.

On February 17, in the House of Commons, MP Eric Lowther, Reform Party Critic on the Family, raised the issue of EGALE having prior knowledge of a government bill, calling this prior release of information to the homosexual special interest group a "mockery of Parliament."

Mr. Lowther then requested permission to table in the House, the EGALE e-mail analyzing Bill C-23. However, since this required the unanimous consent of the MPs, his request was refused. (The Liberals certainly didn't want this unscrupulous behaviour by the Justice Department to form part of the public record.)

More Consultations with Homosexual Activists

This incident, unfortunately, is not the only example of a special relationship between the Liberal government's Ministers of Justice, and homosexual special interest groups.

For example, in the April 19, 1996, issue of the homosexual newspaper, Capital Xtra, it was reported that John Fisher, Executive Director of EGALE, held a strategy meeting with the then Minister of Justice, Allan Rock, to "map out details of the introduction of legislation that would amend the Canadian Human Rights Act (CHRA) to include sexual orientation."

The article went on to state that Mr. Fisher had raised his objection to a free vote on the proposed amendment, on the grounds that "a free vote is just an open invitation for caucus infighting and a very bitter, divisive drawn-out battle, as each side scrambles to try and persuade their colleagues to adopt a particular point of view." In other words, a free vote may lead to a defeat of the bill.

Mr. Fisher was worried, according to this article, that a defeat of the vote would also destroy the possibility of future legislation "to recognize gay and lesbian partnership," which he predicted would likely be their next goal, (which it was, as evidenced by the introduction of Bill C-23).

Another example of the close arrangement between the Justice Department and homosexual activists occurred when feminist pro-homosexual activist Judge Rosalie Abella of the Ontario Court of Appeal handed down her decision in 1998 in the Rosenberg case, which interpreted homosexual couples as "spouses" for the purposes of the Income Tax Act. Justice Minister McLellan refused to appeal this highly questionable decision, notwithstanding her sworn duty to uphold the law which defined "spouse" as a man and a woman.

Instead, according to a confidential briefing note prepared for Ms. McLellan, written on the date the Rosenberg decision was handed down, it was acknowledged that she had "already agreed with EGALE to consult them before deciding whether or not to seek leave to appeal."

Since EGALE was one of the homosexual intervenors in that case, one has to wonder why she allowed it to influence her department's legal strategy. She certainly did not consult with REAL Women about the appeal, even though we, too, were intervenors in that case!

As stated in an editorial in the National Post, (March 1, 2000), the behaviour of Ms. McLellan and her predecessor, Allan Rock, in connection with EGALE, "raises more than just political questions; it raises questions of ministerial ethics as well."

In making its decisions, one would hope that the Department of Justice would objectively and impartially uphold the law, not consult privately and receive instructions from a special interest group of homosexuals, who are hardly impartial.

The word "Justice" in the Department of Justice is a misnomer - it is a department dispensing not "justice" but bias and prejudice.

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