CORNWALL, Ontario – Stormont, Dundas, and South Glengarry MP fired back at Conservative Leadership hopeful Richard Décarie for comments that he recently made in an interview on CTV’s Power and Politics on his stance on LGBTQ issues.
In the interview, Décarie called LGBTQ a “Liberal” term.
“I think LGBTQ is a Liberal term. I don’t talk about people that way,” he said to host Evan Solomon. “I talk about persons, and I think we all need full respect for being a human being simply.”
When pushed by Solomon on the issue,
“I think it is a choice. I think how people are behaving is one thing. I think government has the responsibility to enforce the traditional values we’ve had in past years,” he said.
Emphasizing his “so-con” values, Décarie says “LGBTQ” is a “Liberal” term and that being gay is a “choice.” #cdnpoli #ctvpp
More at https://t.co/uCQmGSHoEL pic.twitter.com/F9Z70Ejsdi
— CTV Power Play (@CTV_PowerPlay) January 22, 2020
Duncan responded to Décarie’s comments on his Twitter account.
Hi Mr. Décarie, I don’t know you at all. But I’m a proud new Conservative MP from rural Eastern Ontario. We should probably chat about my life “choices”. https://t.co/j2c4jCa8hr
— Eric Duncan (@EricDuncanSDSG) January 22, 2020
Duncan was elected as the MP from Stormont, Dundas, and South Glengarry in the 2019 federal election and is the first openly gay Conservative MP.
Other members of the Conservative movement responded to Duncan’s tweet in support, including Ontario Education Minister Stephen Lecce who simply said “Preach”.
Eric, I’m a conservative (fiscal responsibility). I don’t know your personal circumstances and to be honest it’s none of my business…. this remark by this candidate ought to exclude him immediately … incredible to me in the 21st century and ignorant at the same time.
— peter mackeigan (@PeterMackeigan) January 22, 2020
Other Conservative leadership candidates such as Peter McKay also responded to the comments.
Being gay is not a choice and nobody should be running for office on a platform to roll back hard-won rights. https://t.co/EtUm7StRoI
— Peter MacKay (@PeterMacKay) January 23, 2020
Ottawa MP Pierre Poilievre also tweeted condemnation of Décarie.
The comments are as unacceptable as they are ignorant. You do not speak for Conservatives—or for Canadians. Being gay is NOT a choice. Being ignorant is. https://t.co/7zWLwQbQOH
— Pierre Poilievre (@PierrePoilievre) January 23, 2020
While Décarie himself has yet to respond to the backlash, he did retweet the above comment from Poilievre.
