Candidate's win despite trans-feces comparison not surprising: Pride Lacombe
The head of an LGBTQ group in central Alberta says he wasn't surprised a candidate who compared transgender students in schools to feces in food won her seat in Monday's provincial election, which saw the United Conservative Party win a majority government.
“Jennifer Johnson was going to get in and there wasn't a huge opportunity for that to be changed,” said Jonathan Luscombe, the executive director of the Lacombe Pride Society.
Johnson was the UCP candidate for Lacombe-Ponoka and garnered more than 9,000 more votes than the New Democrats in the constituency. Premier Danielle Smith said during the election campaign that Johnson would not sit in the UCP caucus because of the “vile” remarks, but also said she believes in redemption and second chances.
For more than a decade, the constituency has been held by either the UCP or the Wildrose Party, the more conservative of the two parties that merged in 2017 to form the UCP.
Johnson apologized during the election campaign for the Sept. 1 audio clip that surfaced two weeks before the election.
In it, she is heard telling a group that Alberta's high-ranking education system counts for little against the issue of transgender students, comparing their presence to a batch of cookies laced with feces.
“That little bit of poop is what wrecks it,” Johnson is heard saying on the audio. “It doesn't matter that we're in the top three per cent in the world.”
Luscombe said it was disheartening to see so many in the community vote for Johnson despite the comments.
“So many kids are going to look into this legislature and see this woman, who told them they were literal pieces of poo, being a voice for them,” he said. “I can't imagine how they would feel.”
Luscombe said he reached out to Johnson offering to sit down with her and talk about her comments. He said he could see the messages sent through social media were read, but got no response.
“It's a slap in the face, where you feel like you're trying to make it better and trying to offer these opportunities for them to learn and to understand” but they don't respond, he said.
Johnson said in a social media post on May 18 that she had a productive conversation with the Transgender Equality Society of Alberta, and was “willing to meet with any community group to educate (herself) on their concerns.”
Luscombe said Ponoka Pride, Lacombe Pride and Central Alberta Pride have been working together and Johnson hasn't reached out to any of the local groups.
“It was all talking, no action.”
Luscombe grew up in Lacombe, about 125 kilometres south of Edmonton, and said he doesn't feel safe in the community and has often thought about leaving for a more a progressive city.
“I told myself: 'As much as you're scared, Jon, there's some queer kid that's looking at this right now, and they're even more terrified.”'
He said he would stay in the community and fight for the safety of the LGBTQ people.
“Every kid deserves to grow up feeling safe. They deserve to grow up in their hometown and to be themselves without fear of someone calling them a name or discriminating against them,” he said.
Luscombe said the group's next step would be to reach out to Smith.
“I would like to see her taking a prominent stance and saying, 'No hate and this is not accepted in the legislature.”'
Smith's office and Johnson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Anna Murphy, a Calgary LGBTQ community advocate and trans woman, said she hasn't completely lost hope in Alberta “being a place where all equity-deserving individuals feel an unwavering sense of belonging.”
But, she said, the Lacombe-Ponoka result sends a destructive message to the community.
“It means there's so much more work we need to do, but I think we as Albertans are up to the task.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2023.
This story was produced with the financial assistance of the Meta and Canadian Press News Fellowship.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
BREAKING Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
WATCH LIVE As GC Strategies partner is admonished by MPs, RCMP confirms search warrant executed
The RCMP confirmed Wednesday it had executed a search warrant at an address registered to GC Strategies. This development comes as MPs are enacting an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power, summoning one of its contractors to appear before the House of Commons to be admonished publicly for failing to answer questions related to the ArriveCan app.
Disappointment widespread over budget's proposed $200-month disability benefit funding
Advocacy groups across Canada are expressing widespread disappointment about the amount of funding earmarked in the 2024 federal budget for the long-awaited Canada Disability Benefit.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
Former Sask. massage therapist who sexually assaulted clients has day parole revoked
A former massage therapist who pleaded guilty to a string of sexual assaults has had his day parole revoked.