Close X
Friday, November 1, 2024
ADVT 
National

NDP Candidate Harbaljit Singh Kahlon Apologizes For Former Views On Gay Marriage, Homosexuality

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 08 Oct, 2015 12:01 PM
    An NDP candidate who once told a TV program same-sex marriage could lead to polygamy and public nudity, is offering an apology and says he no longer holds those views.
     
    Harbaljit Singh Kahlon also said during the 2005 OMNI TV show that there is no research that gays are born homosexual.
     
     
    "I do not hold these views and apologize unreservedly for making these comments in 2005," Singh Kahlon said in a statement.
     
    "I want to reaffirm my commitment to protecting human rights for all people in all circumstances without exception."
     
    Singh Kahlon is one of the party's top candidates in the Greater Toronto Area, running in the hotly contested riding of Brampton East. He was the campaign chair to MPP Jagmeet Singh, deputy leader of the provincial NDP.
     
    On Tuesday, in nearby Mississauga-Malton, Jagdish Grewal was dropped as the official candidate for the Conservative Party for comments he made about conversion therapy for gay youth.
     
     
    Grewal stood by his position that parents of gays should have the "right to bring them back to their straight life," and has said he will continue to run.
     
    Singh Kahlon appeared on the Punjabi-Canadian television show Chardi Kalaa in 2005 which was discussing same-sex marriage. Same-sex marriage was made legal in Canada that year.
     
    "If we change for them, what are we going to be doing tomorrow? Are we going to be accepting people actively living in the nude?" Singh Kahlon said in English. He was identified as being with York University, where he was a business student.
     
    "There are other issues that would be classified as scaremongering, but these are obviously real issues that also come along with human rights," he added, using his hands to indicate quotation marks around the phrase human rights.
     
    Another student, identified as Jasdeep Walia, debated Kahlon and argued that Sikhism promoted tolerance of all people.
     
     
    "I think there's no research that says gays are born gay; it's a choice they make upon lust," Singh Kahlon said.
     
    NDP Leader Tom Mulcair told reporters Wednesday he has accepted Singh Kahlon's apology.
     
    "That candidate has apologized unreservedly for those comments and has evolved in his thinking and says it no longer reflects in any way his thinking," Mulcair said.
     
    Last month, the party said it was standing behind its candidate in Scarborough-Rouge Park, Rev. KM Shanthikumar, who opposes abortion and same-sex marriage.
     
     
    Shanthikumar said he stands by the NDP line on the issues, while keeping personal views.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Toronto 18 Terror Plotter Zakaria Amara's Citizenship Revoked By Federal Government

    Toronto 18 Terror Plotter Zakaria Amara's Citizenship Revoked By Federal Government
    A member of the so-called Toronto 18, Zakaria Amara was sentenced in 2010 to life in prison with no chance of parole until 2016 after admitting his role in the plan aimed in part at forcing Canadian soldiers to leave Afghanistan.

    Toronto 18 Terror Plotter Zakaria Amara's Citizenship Revoked By Federal Government

    One Winning Ticket Sold In Brampton, Ont., For $60 Million Lotto Max Jackpot

    One Winning Ticket Sold In Brampton, Ont., For $60 Million Lotto Max Jackpot
    The grand prize is the largest in Lotto Max history and lottery officials say the winning ticket was sold in Brampton, Ont.

    One Winning Ticket Sold In Brampton, Ont., For $60 Million Lotto Max Jackpot

    Why Cheap Pills From Canada Have Become Political Issue In U.S. Again

    Why Cheap Pills From Canada Have Become Political Issue In U.S. Again
    A dermatologist prescribes what used to be a cheap generic drug. Then comes the shock at the pharmacy when it turns out a little tube of Clobetasol cream now costs $300.

    Why Cheap Pills From Canada Have Become Political Issue In U.S. Again

    No Injuries After Buffalo Airways Cargo Plane Crashes In Northwest Territories

    No Injuries After Buffalo Airways Cargo Plane Crashes In Northwest Territories
    No one was injured when a cargo plane made emergency landing northwest of Yellowknife.

    No Injuries After Buffalo Airways Cargo Plane Crashes In Northwest Territories

    Alleged Killer of 3 Ex-Girlfriends Basil Borutski's Refusal To Sign Probation Order Was A 'Message'

    Alleged Killer of 3 Ex-Girlfriends Basil Borutski's Refusal To Sign Probation Order Was A 'Message'
    Amanda Dale, executive director of the Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, said Basil Borutski's decision should have been cause for concern.

    Alleged Killer of 3 Ex-Girlfriends Basil Borutski's Refusal To Sign Probation Order Was A 'Message'

    Liberals Plan For Surplus By End Of First Term Scrutinized By Opponents

    Liberals Plan For Surplus By End Of First Term Scrutinized By Opponents
    The three major federal party leaders were away from the campaign spotlight Saturday, but the election stage was occupied by the Liberals who released a full costing of their campaign promises.

    Liberals Plan For Surplus By End Of First Term Scrutinized By Opponents