TAXPAYERS FOOT THE BILL FOR GAY SURVEY

OTTAWA, May 8 (LSN) – A prominent gay activist group, Equality for Gays and Lesbians Everywhere (EGALE), announced yesterday the commencement of a government-funded survey of Canada’s “gays,  lesbians and bisexuals,” in order to find evidence of “discrimination.” The survey will be sent to 40,000 people of EGALE’s choosing, and is expected to cost Canadian taxpayers almost $400,000.  At a press conference to launch the project, Secretary of State for Multiculturalism and the Status of Women Hedy Fry explained the government’s interest in the study. “If we’re going to look where there are barriers to equality, where there is discrimination, where there is hate or any of those issues, we need to have good demographics,” she said. Ms Fry also said that the study “will give [the government] the kind of information we needed to form good public policy or amend legislation or to do whatever is necessary to create…equity.”  The Reform Party has criticized the Liberal government’s choice of EGALE to carry out the survey.  “Why is this government allowing EGALE, an interest group that has a direct stake in the outcome of the census, to conduct the survey?” asked Reform MP Deepak Obhrai.  Ms Fry’s comments and the study’s bias have led some observers to wonder whether the results of the survey will be used to silence opposition to homosexual activity.