Siksay's Panel Extras - September

Further to this month's edition of Outlooks' Queer Parliamentary Panel, here are NDP MP Bill Siksay's bonus questions.  Mr. Siksay was the one panel member in town when I was working on the piece, which allowed us a sit-down interview.  He was far less optimistic about how things were going in Ottawa at the time.

Q: What were your highlights from the last session?

A: There’s a couple of things around GLBTT issues, certainly with Tom Lukiwski’s comments was a serious incident in the last Parliament, even if it was something that happened seventeen years ago, I don’t think the government really handled it very well. He appropriately apologised and quickly but there needed to be some follow-up to show that those opinions weren’t the basic beliefs of Lukiwski or the Conservative caucus, and to see some GLBT-positive action on their part, and we’ve never seen that. So that was a dramatic moment and that’s still outstanding. I was disappointed that we haven’t had a chance yet to debate the bill to include gender identity and expression in the Human Rights Act, but I did table another private members bill to add provisions for protecting trans folks in the criminal code so it can be into consideration as a hate crime at the time of sentencing, and hopefully we’ll have a chance to debate those. And if we get to a new Parliament, I’ll make it into one bill and deal with it all at once. The whole question around Bill C-10 and the film and video tax credit has implications for the queer community. Certainly Conservatives are wont to complaint about film and video that reflects our community, so I think that whenever you have a provision that’s as broad and open as the personal interpretation and preference of a minister, around approvals of a tax credit, there could easily be problem, so that was a really important one.

Q: In terms of what you’ve been working on generally, what was your highlight?

A: I did some important work around CBC, and certainly changes to CBC Radio Two and the CBC Radio Orchestra which is an important local issue, and for getting that out and they haven’t reversed that policy but it got some attention. I did some ongoing work on security certificates, and issues that I’ve been involved with again wasn’t a victory but we’ve raised profile around concerns of how Canada is using security certificates and some of the fundamental injustices of the process including the new process where they’re appointing these ‘special advocates’ to help represent these people.

Q: Lowest of the session for you?

A: There are so many low points, but I think in a way the low point is that we’re still here. Despite all of the problems that opposition members have identified with the government, in terms of disappointing directions or problematic direction that they’re still in power. And despite the protestations of the Liberal Party that they don’t agree with any number of specific measures, they disagree vehemently with some of them, there were no confidence votes. I think that we could have gone to an election before, so the fact that we’re still here is an overall disappointment.