Skip to content

Langley City Liberal candidate held car wash fundraiser in support of 2SLGBTQIA+

John Aldag said event was in response to MP Tamara Jansen’s ‘lengthy battle against Bill C-6’

Cloverdale-Langley City Liberal candidate John Aldag hosted a car wash fundraiser in support of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.

The event was in response to what Aldag called, Cloverdale-Langley City MP Tamara Jansen’s “lengthy battle against Bill C-6.”

READ MORE: John Aldag announces he’ll run again in the riding of Cloverdale-Langley City

The House of Commons passed Bill C-6 during a third reading on June 22, but Jansen, alongside 62 other Conservative MPs, opposed. The bill seeks to amend the Criminal Code on conversion therapy.

The House of Commons defines conversion therapy in the bill as “a practice that seeks to change an individual’s sexual orientation to heterosexual, to repress or reduce non-heterosexual attraction or sexual behaviours, or to change an individual’s gender identity to match the sex they were assigned at birth.”

READ MORE: VIDEO: Despite the heat and COVID restrictions, turnout was up for second annual Pride Walk in Langley

On Saturday, Aldag held a car wash at St. Andrew’s Anglican Church in Langley City to raise funds for Langley Pride, One TWU, and Youth for a Change.

The single-day event brought in $1,230 distributed among the three organizations.

“Volunteers from the recipient organizations all helped at the car wash, as well as from the Cloverdale-Langley City federal Liberal riding association,” Aldag noted.

“Actions speak louder than words, and I wanted my positive actions to counter the negative narrative that the MP created nationally over C-6, including quoting scripture to refer to the LGBTQ+ community as unclean,” he continued.

In April, Jansen came under criticism after she used a Bible quote that included the word “unclean” while opposing the conversion therapy ban.

In response to Ontario Liberal MP Robert Oliphant, Jansen quoted the Apostle Matthew, saying “‘Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean.’”

Jansen later called Oliphant and apologized, and offered a public apology and clarification in the House, she said in a statement.

“I think it is unfortunate that in the discussion around this event, my criticism of Bill C-6 has been entirely overlooked and misrepresented,” Jansen said at the time.

READ MORE: Cloverdale-Langley City MP draws criticism over conversion therapy debate comments

After the June 22 vote Jansen took to social media to note, “while I support the principle of a conversion therapy ban, I can’t support this ban, because Bill C-6 bans far more than conversion therapy.”

“The problem with Bill C-6 is the poorly worded, imprecise definition the bill uses. It will cause this bill to ban a lot more than just conversion therapy,” Jansen explained.

“This definition will ban types of counselling that many Canadians have sought out and benefited from. It will prevent parents from being able to protect and guide their children from the confusion they may experience as they live through the challenges of growing up. Professional counsellors and faith leaders will not be able to offer the support people desire.”


Have a story tip? Email: joti.grewal@blackpress.ca
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.