Conservative national leader Pierre Poilievre’s cabinet has remained silent over a photo showing one of his MPs with two people wearing T-shirts with slogans against sexual orientation and gender identity policies in schools.
This image, posted to social media, emerged shortly after Mr Poilievre distanced himself from another photo in which he was standing next to a man wearing a t-shirt that referenced “Pride of Right”.
Last photo shows Calgary Forest Lawn Assemblyman Jasraj Singh Hallan, conservative financial critic, along with three other men at a pancake breakfast open to the public to mark the Calgary Stampede last week.
Two of the men are wearing white T-shirts that say “Leave our children alone.” The clothing also features a smaller, stylized image of a family under an umbrella, protecting them from the rainbow associated with LGBTQ pride flags.
Messrs. Poilievre and Hallan’s offices did not respond to requests for comment on this photo or said whether they agreed with the message displayed on the t-shirts.
Activist and Accused
One of the men in the photo, Mahmoud Mourra, protested school policies and activities that recognize students’ sexual orientation and gender identity.
Mr Mourra, who posted this photo on social media, also faces hate stalking charges. Calgary Police say this stems from allegations surrounding numerous online interactions on June 26.
According to police, Mr Mourra was charged on July 3 and his next court date is in August.
In a phone interview on Friday, Mr Mourra called the allegations against him a joke and said they were the result of a dispute with someone he knew.
The man claimed he had no clear opinion about his T-shirt as he posed for a photograph with Mr Hallan, whom he called a friend. Mr Mourra said he and Mr Hallan had not discussed his views on teaching sexual orientation and gender identity in schools and he had not informed the MP of the charges he was facing.
It wasn’t done on purpose. “I never thought about it until I saw what happened to Danielle Smith,” he told The Canadian Press.
He was referring to a recent photo of Alberta’s Prime Minister standing with a man in a shirt that read “Straight Pride.” Ms Smith’s office has since said she does not approve of the post, which Mr Poilievre also disagreed with reporters.
As for the LGBTQ community, Mourra said he’s concerned about teachers forcing what he calls this curriculum on children.
I believe that I have the chance to determine or decide for myself how my children should grow up. “I don’t teach them hate,” he said.
discord and misinformation
A recent incident in Edmonton sparked protests in Alberta against education about sexual orientation and gender identity in schools after a teacher taught a Muslim student to avoid engaging in sexual orientation-related activities. Proud. The teacher told the student that if he didn’t believe in LGBTQ rights, he couldn’t be Canadian and didn’t belong here.
At a recent community event in Calgary, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said much of the division is fueled by misinformation, particularly from the American right, about what’s really in provincial school curricula.
They are weaponizing the LGBTQ+ issue, Trudeau said in a conversation with Muslim parents during the event, which was recorded and shared on social media.
They use these fears to divide people, he added.
The Prime Minister told the small group of parents that the federal government unequivocally defends the rights and freedoms of everyone, including the Muslim community and LGBTQ+ youth.
In addition to his prominent role as an opposition critic, Mr Hallan is also one of the Conservative MPs involved in outreach to immigrant and newcomer communities where the party is hoping to gain support in light of the upcoming elections.
Mr Mourra, a Muslim father of five, said many of his values align with those of Conservatives. Based on Mr. Poilievre’s recent comments on social policy in New Brunswick, he believes the CCP is behind the message he stands for.
New Brunswick’s progressive Conservative Premier Blaine Higgs has sparked controversy by changing a policy to no longer require teachers to use the preferred pronouns of transgender or non-binary students under the age of 16.
Instead, a teacher should seek parental consent to use these pronouns. The Higgs administration says if this is not possible, a student would be referred to a school psychologist or social worker to develop a plan to let their parents know if and when they are ready.
When asked about this initiative, Mr Poilievre denounced Justin Trudeau’s reaction to the matter and assured that it did not concern him.
“Let the provinces run the schools and let the parents raise their children,” Poilievre told reporters last month.