Pubdate: Fri, 09 Dec 2005
Source: Richmond News (CN BC)
Copyright: 2005, Lower Mainland Publishing Group Inc.
Contact:  http://www.richmond-news.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1244
Author: Nelson Bennett
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/find?241 (Methamphetamine - Canada)

CALGARY MP WANTS YOUR THOUGHTS ON HOMOSEXUAL SEX MARRIAGE

What does same sex-marriage have to do with crystal meth and
crime?

That's what some Richmond residents were left wondering earlier this
week when a leaflet from the office of Calgary West Conservative MP
Rob Anders began showing up in their mailboxes.

The survey bears a masked man with a gun on the front, under the
question: "Are you concerned about the impact of the Crystal Meth
epidemic in your community?"

The mailer concludes: "Tell Paul Martin to get tough on crime by
filling out this questionnaire."

There are four survey questions:

- - Do you like the way Paul Martin spends your taxes?

- - Are the Liberals doing enough to fight crime?

- - Do you support homosexual sex marriage?

- - Do you think more should be spent on the military?

"I don't know what 'homosexual sex marriage' is," says Ian MacLeod,
campaign manager for Richmond Liberal MP Raymond Chan.

One thing he is pretty sure about, however, is that homosexuality is
not a crime in Canada, so he wonders why the question would even be
included in a survey on crime.

Anders could not be reached for an explanation, as he was out
campaigning (in Calgary West, not Richmond).

However, his legislative assistant, Dustin van Vugt, agreed the
question on "homosexual sex marriage" - apart from being strangely
worded - was irrelevant to the question of crime.

"I don't think it has anything to do with crime," van Vugt said. "I'm
not actually sure who put that in there. I know it went through a
couple of different edits."

"It's consistent with the concerns that some people have had with the
social conservative agenda," MacLeod said, "coming out and talking
about crime and throwing homosexuality into it."

The survey was not paid for by the Conservative party, but by
taxpayers. Members of Parliament get a budget to provide information
updates to their constituents. These "householders," as they are
called, are usually mailed out to constituents only.

But MPs are allowed to use a portion of their householder budget to
send information to other ridings.

Asked why Anders would have decided to send handouts to Richmond, van
Vugt, said Richmond shares some of the same issues as Anders' riding
of Calgary West.

"Calgary West is an urban riding with a fairly high immigrant
population as well, and a lot of the same interests," he said.

Van Vugt said the mailout's timing had nothing to do with the election.

"This was written and handed in a long time ago," van Vugt said.

MacLeod accepts that assertion, saying that it usually takes several
weeks for a householder to be written and mailed out.

What he doesn't accept is the use of taxpayers' money to blanket a
city one province over with a brochure that he says promotes fear, and
neither does Chan.

"They're resorting to fear-mongering, if you look at the layout of
this brochure," Chan said. "And also they're so outrageous. Sex
orientation is not a crime since the '70s."

Richmond Conservative candidate Darrel Reid could not be reached by
press time.
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MAP posted-by: Larry Seguin