editorial

Rachel MorganGay political candidates are becoming commonplace in Canadian elections.  But it’s still unusual to see two openly gay candidates face off against each other. That will be the situation in the riding of Fort Rouge in Winnipeg on October 4 when Manitobans choose a new provincial government.   

The incumbent is Jennifer Howard, a cabinet minister in the Selinger government. Lawyer Paul Hesse will try to take it for the Liberals. Both have a background in community activism. And both are well-liked and respected.  Just to be clear, being gay is not an issue in this election. The Manitoba election will be fought on other issues – health care, education, the economy, justice – as it should be.

Winnipeggers are certainly accustomed to gay politicians.  Another openly gay cabinet minister – Jim Rondeau, is seeking re-election in October. He was first elected in 1999 and this will be his fourth election.  Glen Murray came out when he was a city councillor in the ’90s.  A majority of Winnipeggers then voted to make him mayor in 1998 and again in 2002.  Former CBC journalist and gay community activist Kaj Hasselriis ran for mayor in 2006 and didn’t keep his sexuality a secret.  

...being gay is not an issue in this election. The manitoba election will be fought on other issues.

Gays have joined political assemblies across Canada but there has been one known gay premier – Richard Hatfield, although he stayed in the closet during his entire time in office in New Brunswick from 1970 to 1987. In Quebec, the Parti Québécois had an openly gay leader – André Boisclair – from 2006 to 2007.

On the federal front, there have been a handful of openly gay MPs – Libby Davies, Svend Robinson, Bill Siksay for the NDP and Scott Brison for the Liberals. In the spring federal election, the NDP fielded 10 openly gay candidates. The Green Party had five. The Liberals had three. The Conservatives have had openly gay candidates in the past but had none this time and have never had an openly gay MP.

Most Canadians seem to welcome gay politicians. According to a 2007 Environics survey, 75 per cent of Canadians agree or strongly agree that gays and lesbians should be able to run for public office. That’s the highest approval level of all countries in the Western Hemisphere.

How far ahead of other nations are we?  Former Ontario provincial cabinet minister George Smitherman kissed his husband, Christopher Peloso, in front of the cameras when he announced his campaign for Toronto’s mayor last year. For a while it looked like there would have two gay candidates when Murray toyed with the idea of returning to civic politics.  

So maybe it isn’t surprising that we are seeing two gay candidates competing for the same job. It’s a sign of the times.  Gays built their political cred fighting for full equality. It’s only natural they should want to continue fighting to create a better society – for everyone. That means it will be just a matter of time before two or more gay candidates fight each other for the right to represent other ridings. It’s only natural.