Posted on 12/06/2002 10:30:06 AM PST by Loyalist
OTTAWA -- As a politician, Scott Brison has not shied away from a camera or a microphone. But there is one topic the Tory MP from Nova Scotia has not spoken about publicly -- until now.
He is gay. He is also considering a bid for the leadership of the Progressive Conservative Party.
And when life intersects with ambition, things can get tricky.
Unlike the NDP's Svend Robinson, who in 1988 declared his sexual orientation on national TV and has since been known as the "openly gay MP," Mr. Brison, 35, does not believe his sexual orientation defines him or his politics.
However, he does not want to be dishonest about who is. Nor does he want his sexual orientation to overshadow a leadership bid, especially now, as he appears poised to announce his candidacy in the new year.
And so this is how Mr. Brison found himself sitting down with a reporter yesterday for a two-hour chat about his political views, his ideas for tax reform, his plans to help the country's youth and to reinvigorate Atlantic Canada and his sexuality.
He said there is an expectation among Canadians for politicians to be open. He spoke of his partner of four years, a Halifax banker.
"I've never tried to hide who I am. I've lived my life honestly and openly and, perhaps, not flamboyantly. I view sexual orientation a lot like eye colour. I have no insecurities about it, but I don't view it as a completely defining feature about who I am or what I represent."
Still, the MP for Kings-Hants, a rural riding in Nova Scotia's Annapolis Valley, said there is a part of him that "feels very strongly that the personal lives of politicians are not really as relevant as the public positions on issues.
"I think in a country with the military in shambles, the health-care system in crisis, a government out of touch with the real needs of Canadians and a country searching for vision and searching for ideas to build a better country, the sexual orientation of a politician . . . should be the last thing on people's minds."
Some of Mr. Brison's own ideas for a better country draw on his background as an entrepreneur -- allowing young Canadians to earn their first $250,000 tax free, using other tax incentives to encourage investment and creating alternatives to regional development agencies.
He was first elected in 1997, and in a September, 2000, by-election stepped aside to allow his leader, Joe Clark, to run. He regained the seat in November of that year in the general election, when Mr. Clark moved on to Calgary Centre.
The sacrifice was not entirely surprising, given that Mr. Brison comes from a long line of Tories. His Uncle George was the riding association president when Pat Nowlan was the MP. In 1976, Mr. Nowlan made an unsuccessful bid for the leadership against Mr. Clark.
Mr. Brison also comes from a long line of entrepreneurs. His parents, Clifford and Verna, owned a general store in Cheverie, on Minas Basin. Later, his father became a stockbroker.
Several years ago, Mr. Brison built a home on the shores of Minas Basin, where at low tide he can see the remains of the wharf from which his grandfather, Fred, exported pulpwood.
Mr. Brison caught the entrepreneurial bug early, putting himself through Dalhousie University by operating a compact-fridge rental business. At one point, his business, University Rentals Ltd., operated on 12 campuses.
Later, Mr. Brison moved to New York, where he was North American sales manager for a paint company. In addition to being an MP, he is vice-president of investment banking at Toronto's Yorkton Securities.
This is a man who is hard to characterize, something that at times he finds comical. Blessed with a thick skin, Mr. Brison said there are people who are surprised to meet this right-wing politician from rural Nova Scotia who has been successful in business in Canada and the United States, is a partner in a Bay Street investment bank and "who happens to be gay."
However, as a politician it has not been an issue, nor does he expect it to be if he seeks the leadership. Mr. Brison said he has not felt "limited" by his sexuality.
He believes, too, that his experiences as a gay man can enhance his leadership.
"Life would be a lot easier to be born straight," he said. "There are barriers and obstacles you face your whole life. . . . But when you overcome them and move beyond them and learn how to succeed without allowing yourself to be held back, it makes you stronger."
Isn't "Progressive Conservative" an oxymoron? Is this someone that wants to conserve the progressive movement?
Maybe it's a Canadian thing.
Oddly enough, its original name was the Liberal Conservative Party.
The PC party is nominally centre-right, but there are many liberal "Red Tories" within the party. Of course, Canada being Canada, the Tories are no more likely to tamper with the money pits we call social programs any more than the Liberals.
I'm glad I live in the US, and that Boy Scouts USA has the courage to keep homosexual men away from our sons in close quarters. Sending homosexual men out with other people's sons on camping trips is bad news.
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