A Saskatchewan MP who has announced his intention to seek the leadership of the Conservative Party of Canada is facing criticism for a recent ad that circulated on Facebook.
The advertisement, which said it is sponsored by Saskatoon-University MP Brad Trost, shows a picture of two fingers side-by-side, to the right of a message “Marriage is the union of one man, one woman.”
People spoke out against the advertisement on Twitter, but despite the criticism, the campaign is standing behind the advertisement.
“When it comes to issues like marriage, he believes it’s very important for candidates to be clear where they stand,” campaign spokesperson Mike Patton said.
“He doesn’t expect everyone to agree with him but he thinks it’s only fair to know where he stands on these issues so they can make an informed decision.”
Patton said the ad targets members of the Conservative Party. and people who might be members of the Conservative Party.
“The reality is Brad’s not incredibly well-known and his stance on particular issues are not particular well known. He really wants to speak to Canadians as a group and to potential members of the Conservative Party and let them know what he stands on,” Patton said.
“Social issues like same-sex marriage and abortion certainly, but also on the broader policy issues. “
Patton said the advertisement was one of many that were being tested out across Facebook. Others included energy with a focus on oil, natural gas and coal.
Joe Wickenhauser, executive director of Moose Jaw Pride and one of the co-ordinators for the Saskatchewan Pride Network, called the ad a “bit ridiculous” and “irrelevant.”
“I mean it’s ridiculous in the sense that it’s two fingers in the ad, that the fingers don’t even have a gender,” Wickenhauser said.
“I think it’s also playing ‘Trump-style’ politics, trying to be controversial to get his name out there and get some name recognition in advance of the leadership race.”
Wickenhauser said the ad may remind people in the province how Trost’s views do not match Canadian society.
“This is an issue that was settled more than 10 years ago and even the Conservative Party has changed their official stance on same-sex marriage. It seems really bizarre for this to be happening.”
Trost has only declared his intention to run for the leadership and has not yet registered. He was first elected in 2004 and has been vocal on a number of socially conservative issues, including arguing unsuccessfully at the 2016 Conservative policy convention to retain the party’s definition of marriage as “the union of one man and one woman.”
Trost voted against amending the Marriage Act of Canada to recognize same-sex marriage in 2005, as did Deepak Obhai, and Andrew Scheer, who is expected to announce his candidacy soon.
Patton said Trost is seeking reaction to his advertisements, such as the one on Facebook.
“He’s fine with the bulk of that because he’s a big believer that the debate itself is important, on all sorts of important issues that we should have an open and honest debate,” Patton said.
“And there’s nothing wrong with taking different positions as long as you did it respectfully and civilly.”