VANCOUVER, British Columbia, August 2, 2019 (LifeSiteNews) — Liberal Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made international headlines this week for conspicuously dropping in at a “gay” bar in the heart of Vancouver’s homosexual district.
The 15-minute photo-op was heralded by many as historic.
“This is the first time a sitting Canadian PM has visited a gay bar, and may even be the first instance the leader of a country has done this,” tweeted Taran Parmar of 1130 News.
This is the first time a sitting Canadian PM has visited a gay bar, and may even be the first instance the leader of a country has done this. @NEWS1130 pic.twitter.com/Vt5o1g6pum
— Taran Parmar (@Tarankparmar) July 30, 2019
A number of the patrons took selfies with an unflaggingly grinning Trudeau, “gay” website Instinct declared “The King of the North Wins Our Hearts Again Just by Showing Up” and NBC posted a laudatory video of the moment as further evidence of Trudeau’s LGBTQ advocacy.
One Instagram photo elicited this response: “So jealous of your Prime Minister. #Trudeau #Smart #Kind #Empathetic #TrueLeader”
Trudeau was Canada’s first sitting prime minister to march in a homosexual “Pride” parade in 2016. The following year, he delivered a tearful apology in the House of Commons for the government’s alleged past discrimination against homosexual individuals in the military or civil service, and his Liberal government agreed to a $145 million out-of-court settlement of a class-action lawsuit launched on their behalf.
Last June, the Liberals passed a bill to expunge records of individuals convicted under Canada’s past law prohibiting homosexual acts.
This June, the Liberals repealed Section 159 of the Criminal Code, which prohibited anal sex for individuals under age 18 (unless between husband and wife) under Bill C-75.
This has effectively lowered the age of consent for anal sex to 16.
Trudeau showed up at the homosexual haunt in advance of the west coast city’s “Pride” weekend, tweeting: Vancouver is gearing up for #Pride weekend right now, but the spirit of pride and inclusivity is strong here all year long! Thanks to the folks at @fountainheadVAN for the warm welcome today.
Vancouver is gearing up for #Pride weekend right now, but the spirit of pride and inclusivity is strong here all year long! Thanks to the folks at @fountainheadVAN for the warm welcome today. pic.twitter.com/vQWgTUG9xw
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) July 30, 2019
But it would seem there’s more going on than another “Pride” weekend.
With Canada’s federal election just three months away, there has been a notable uptick in the Trudeau government’s abortion and LGBTQ advocacy, even though the House of Commons adjourned at the end of June.
Last week, Liberal Health Minister Ginette Petitpas Taylor sent a letter to all provincial health ministers warning them that not paying for abortions at a private clinics violates the Canada Health Act, and berating them for not providing greater access to the abortion pill.
The letter’s timing was not lost on David Akin, Global News chief political correspondent, who tweeted:
Kinda slow gettin’ to your feet on that “standing up” thing. Only took 4 years — and just weeks before another general election. https://t.co/0dHct1eo3T
— David Akin ���� (@davidakin) July 24, 2019
Travis Kann, spokesman for Ontario’s Conservative health minister Christine Elliott, told the Globe and Mail in a statement that the federal health minister was trying to “play politics with such a sensitive issue.”
“She knows what she is saying is false and we will not dignify her misleading claims by engaging in this debate,” said Kann.
Campaign Life Coalition echoed this, tweeting:
The Canada Health Act does not require provinces to pay for abortion. Each province has the legal right to decide what 'medical services' they will cover. @GinettePT #AbortionIsNotHealthCare https://t.co/tunzqdlTbP
— Campaign Life Coalition (@CampaignLife) July 25, 2019
The health minister’s letter on increasing abortion access came out two weeks after the CBC obtained and reported on Liberal letters to provincial and territorial ministers of health and justice urging them to ban “the shameful practice” of what is known as “conversion” or reparative therapy.
Signed by Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Justice David Lametti, and Alberta MP Randy Boissonnault, Trudeau’s special adviser on LGBTQ issues, the letters refers to conversion therapy, which aims to help people overcome unwanted same-sex attraction or gender confusion, as “a cruel exercise that can lead to life-long trauma.”
It said the Liberals are considering changing the Criminal Code to outlaw the practice.
That letter’s timing and content also provoked questions.
CTV News reported that it “has asked for clarification as to what prompted the government to consider these changes now.”
Moreover, the Trudeau Liberals in March dismissed a petition asking for a federal conversion therapy ban, stating that the “issue primarily implicates the regulation of the health profession, which is a provincial and territorial responsibility,” noted National Post columnist Chris Selley.
“ … it’s completely ridiculous that the Liberals should be trying to make political hay out of the issue, let alone succeeding,” added Selley.
The “Liberals may simply be seeking to discredit Conservative Leader Andrew Scheer on the eve of the federal election campaign,” observed Globe and Mail columnist John Ibbitson.