Mark Smith

By rdnewsNOW staff/The Canadian Press

Controversial comments

UCP candidate under fire for “spreading hate” in 2013 sermon

Apr 2, 2019 | 4:11 PM

Alberta’s NDP is calling on United Conservative Leader Jason Kenney to fire former education critic Mark Smith for offensive remarks surrounding abortion, homosexuality and pedophilia — an accusation Smith disputes.

NDP candidate Sarah Hoffman says Kenney must cancel Smith’s candidacy in the April 16 provincial election.

“Jason Kenney must fire him immediately.”

Smith, a former high school teacher who is running for re-election in Drayton Valley-Devon, had served as the caucus education critic.

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Earlier Tuesday, a snippet of audio surfaced on social media from a sermon he delivered in 2013 that was posted on the website of the Calvary Baptist Church in Drayton Valley.

On the recording, Smith is heard questioning how anyone who has an abortion could say it’s done out of love.

“I think there’s a real misguided sense of when we try to understand what love is,” he said.

Smith issued a statement on social media later Tuesday.

In it, he said he doesn’t recall making the remarks, but said, “I did not say that love between same-sex couples was not love. I merely remarked on media commentary.

“That said, I regret how my commentary was framed at the time,” wrote Smith.

“Of course I do not believe that homosexuality is akin to pedophilia. I unequivocally apologize if anyone was offended or hurt. Obviously that would never be my intention.

“Our leader and party have been clear. It doesn’t matter who you love or how you worship. All are welcome in our party and I am fully supportive of that.”

The recording was posted Tuesday on Twitter by Gaywire, a show that airs on Edmonton radio station CJSR.

The UCP has already seen two of its Calgary candidates — Caylan Ford and Eva Kiryakos — resign over intolerant remarks on social media.

The issue of LGBTQ rights and protections for minorities have become an issue in the Alberta election, with critics of Kenney saying he cannot be trusted to enforce them.

But Kenney, a Catholic, has promised that if he becomes premier he would not legislate on divisive social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage that have already been settled by courts and lawmakers.

However he has been criticized for promising to roll back some legislated protections for children who join gay-straight alliance clubs at schools.

“I have been clear that ours is a party that respects human dignity of all people regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity, people’s faith, or their background,” the statement reads. “The United Conservative Party supports the human dignity of all, and the protection of everyone’s rights.

“The comments in question were made before Mr. Smith was a legislator. In Mr. Smith’s time as an MLA over the past four years, he has not, to my knowledge, made similarly offensive comments. Mr. Smith’s comments made prior to his election and the establishment of the United Conservative Party are not reflective of our party.

However, the NDP said Wednesday morning that Smith advocated that gay teachers could be fired in a policy paper sent around to staff and fellow MLAs following the 2015 election.

In the document, titled, “Should Christian public schools be able to fire a homosexual teacher,” Smith wrote, “Do I believe that LGBTQ teachers should have equality before the law? Yes, all Canadians have and should have this right. Does the right to equality before the law have limits? Yes, it would appear that at least one reasonable limit upheld by the constitution is the right to hire and fire for denominational cause.”

The NDP says the authenticity of the policy paper has been verified by staff who worked with Smith at the time it was written and shared.