TORONTO – Steven Del Duca, Leader of the Ontario Liberals, made the following statement:
In Ontario, no matter where you came from, who you love, or who you worship – everyone is welcome and given a fair shot at success. This is a place where we reject hate, and embrace community and opportunity.
It’s shocking that Doug Ford is using emergency COVID-19 legislation to sneak through a secret reward for Charles McVety, a Conservative supporter with a long record of hate, homophobia and Islamophobia. It goes against everything the Government of Ontario must stand for.
That a hate-monger could grant new university degrees in Ontario is unacceptable. Despite Doug Ford’s claim that this alt-right college went through the same approvals as other Universities and Colleges, today it’s been revealed that this never happened.
Charles McVety’s power over Doug Ford and his version of the Conservative Party is clear. That Doug Ford would use a pandemic as cover to legitimize McVety’s hateful platform is a gross abuse of power and an endorsement of bigotry.
I stand against homophobia and Islamophobia in all forms. If I am elected Premier, I will repeal this hateful legislation at the earliest opportunity.
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A brief sampling of McVety’s record of hate:
- “Islam is not just a religion, it’s a political and cultural system as well and we know that Christians, Jews and Hindus don’t have the same mandate for a hostile takeover” – National Post May 5, 2011
- “(Same-sex marriage) has never been in the history of man but they’ve decided to stick a dagger in the heart of man and redefine it.” – Canadian Press, Apr 28 2005
- “This is the re-definition of marriage, so of course this bill is an anti-marriage bill…this is not something that the Roman empire engaged in or any of the other barbaric societies engaged in redefining marriage.” – National Post, Feb 8 2005
- “In one instance, McVety argued that ‘it is now a crime to speak against homosexuality,’ and referred to Toronto’s Gay Pride Parade as advertising the city “as a sex tourism destination… with full opportunity for sex with hot boys.” – CTV News, December 11, 2010
- “This is part of a militant homosexual agenda to normalize homosexuality in everyone’s mind and thereby promote homosexuality. If we teach our children these things … guess what? That’s what they’ll practise.” – National Post November 5, 2010
- On the Ontario Sex-ed Curriculum the CBSC found McVety’s “twisting of the purpose of the revisions is wrong-headed, unfair and improper.” McVety had stated that the curriculum intended to “teach homosexuality”. – National Post, December 14, 2010