by PATRICK LEJTENYI

Federal Liberal party members are going to have a crowded field of candidates to choose from when they pick their new leader in December at their convention in Montreal. One candidate who stands out is Scott Brison. The 39-year-old Nova Scotian and former Progressive Conservative—he crossed the floor to join Liberal ranks in December 2003 just days prior to the creation of the new Conservative Party—became the first openly gay Liberal MP, and later, as Minister of Public Works and Government Services in the Paul Martin government, the first openly gay cabinet member.

Brison is no stranger to controversy: last March, he got into some hot water when the media got wind of an e-mail he sent in November to a CIBC banker the day prior to the government’s announcement that it would not tax income trusts—evidence to some that he deliberately leaked the announcement. Brison denied the charge and later said he regretted sending the e-mail, but that he did not disclose any privileged information. He’s also been engaged to long-time partner Maxime St. Pierre for a year, although there are no immediate plans to marry (“We’re being traditional,” he says).

Brison was in town last week to present an award at the Outgames, and to sit down with the Mirror in his campaign’s Old Montreal office.

Mirror: How are you enjoying the Outgames?

Scott Brison: I think the Outgames are a tremendous celebration of our diversity as a country. And not simply tolerating diversity, but celebrating it, is a remarkable step forward. I’m tremendously proud of and fond of Montreal—Montreal represents an example for Canada and for the world in terms of its diversity, and the Outgames are only part of that. On an ongoing basis, this is a culturally diverse and exciting city. The Outgames celebrate the fact that you can be a world-class athlete and be open and honest about being gay, in the same way that I’ve been able to be a politician who happens to be gay.

M: That leads into my next question—you’re not a “gay politician,” but a “politician who happens to be gay.” What’s the difference?

SB: I think it’s not really a difference of me, it’s a difference of society compared to 20 years ago. I think 20 years ago, for the politicians who came out, the environment they faced was very different than the environment I faced, and face.

But being gay is only part of what I represent to Canadians. The fact that I can be known for my ideas and known for my perspectives on foreign policy and economic and environmental policy issues, and not automatically typecast based on my sexual orientation as a public figure, I think speaks volumes as to the progress we’ve made.

Community appeal

M: Has your sexuality ever been counted against you as a negative?

SB: No, I don’t believe so. I’m a politician who happens to be gay, but I’m also a politician who believes in tax reform aimed at growth and productivity and prosperity and fairness.

I did not set out, when I entered public life, to be an activist. But just by being who I am, and persevering and refusing to be held back, you do make a difference.

M: What do you think is the biggest issue facing gay voters today, now that gay marriage seems to be more or less resolved?

SB: Well first of all, Stephen Harper wants to turn back the clock. He wants to bring the vote back to the House because he wants to be the first prime minister in the history of Canada to rescind a Charter-granted right. I think we have to be diligent for the rights of gays and lesbians and bisexual and transgendered Canadians. And I think that as the rights for gays and lesbians become more accepted and entrenched, the gay and lesbian community has a remarkable opportunity and a responsibility to become more active in defending the rights of others.

No thank you, Mr. Harper

M: What made you say [in December 2003], “Maybe I’d be more comfortable among Liberals?”

SB: I could not have run for a Conservative Party that I secretly hoped didn’t form a government because I’d be afraid of what it’d do to my country. I met with Stephen Harper weeks before the merger and… asked him very specifically what his intention was for the next election on issues like same-sex marriage. And he made it very clear—to his credit, he didn’t fib—that he intended on same-sex marriage being a major ballot-question issue in the next election. He told me, “Our party has a constituency for this.”

Now, there were social conservatives in, I suspect, every party, including the NDP. The difference between the social conservatives in other parties and the social conservatives in Mr. Harper’s Conservative Party is, in the other parties, the social conservatives are on the bus; in Mr. Harper’s party, the social conservatives are driving the bus. And I just don’t want to be on that bus.

M: How difficult was it for you to make that decision?

SB: It was very tough, very tough. But my whole family went with me, except for one uncle. I guess out of 17 aunts and uncles, that’s pretty good.

M: People still remember the Gomery inquiry and the sponsorship scandal. How would you recover that public trust that seemed to have been lost in the last election?

SB: My party has [acquired] a reputation in recent years of being a political windsock, of blowing in whatever direction the wind blows in terms of public opinion. And while you may gain a few votes with that sort of positioning, you tend to lose the trust of people. I think one of the best ways to regain the trust of Canadians is by being clear about what we stand for, developing bold ideas based on clear thinking and Liberal values of being socially progressive, economically innovative and environmentally responsible—those are three core values that I think the Liberal Party has to stand for and I believe in fundamentally myself. It’s not going to be enough to attack Stephen Harper; we’ve got to do more than that. I think Canadians are tired of negativity and they’re looking for a positive message.