"Liberals Support Equality When it Suits Them"

August 27, 2003

‘Equality’ has become a mere term for the federal government to recite when it serves its purposes … and to be cast aside when it doesn’t.  The Liberals advocate their interpretation of equality so long as it’s applied … unequally.               

Last week, the federal government announced it will appeal a B.C. court ruling that said the province’s native-only commercial fishery is discriminatory.  In July, Provincial Court Judge William Kitchen stayed charges of unlawfully catching salmon against more than 100 non-native fishermen.  The fishermen admitted they’d caught the salmon, but argued the federal native fishery program violated their constitutional rights because it allowed natives, but not them, to fish. 

Justice Kitchen not only agreed, in his 49-page judgment, he called the native fishery government-sponsored discrimination.  “I have concluded the …fishery is offensive as being analogous to racial discrimination,” said the judge who went on to compare the native-only commercial fishery to previous “legislated racial discrimination”, such as the internment of Japanese-Canadians during World War II. 

 The ruling was the second B.C. court decision to label the native-only fishery as discriminatory.  Non-native fishermen who had seen their livelihoods crumble as a result of the native fishery were at first encouraged when the federal government announced it was canceling the program.  However, they knew that celebration would have been pre-mature. 

In defending the use of tax dollars to appeal the ruling, the Federal Fisheries Minister Robert Thibault conveniently made no mention of equality.  He argued that an appeal is necessary to defend the program in the interests of conservation, safety and economic benefit to First Nations. 

Too bad Mr. Thibault has such a short memory.  Interesting how his government couldn’t summon similar courage to stand up to the B.C. and Ontario courts that ruled the traditional definition of marriage is discriminatory.  This is the same government that refused to appeal those rulings.  The same government that claims to have no alternative but to capitulate to the courts and to the viewpoints of unelected judges.  The same government that defends its proposed legislation to legalize same-sex marriage as a fundamental matter of equality. 

The federal Liberals appear willing to ensure absolute equality for same-sex couples, but not for non-native fishermen in B.C.  This demonstration of hypocrisy is easily understood when you recognize that this is not truly a matter of equality.  It’s about appeasing special interest groups and advancing other government initiatives. 

Upholding Parliament’s1999 commitment to preserve the traditional definition of marriage is of little use to the Liberal agenda.  The native fishery however, is valuable leverage for the federal government in negotiating outstanding land claims with First Nations bands.  The native commercial fishery is the “trump card” used by the Liberals to “buy” settlements with First Nations. 

It astounds me that despite such blatant demonstrations of hypocrisy and misplaced priorities, polls indicate that the federal Liberals continue to enjoy popular support in vote-rich Ontario and Eastern Canada.  However, at the risk of being labeled an eternal optimist, I hold out hope that this will change prior to next spring's election.