Conservative MP Garnett Genuis is denying claims that comments he made in the House were homophobic.
During Wednesday’s question period, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau accused a Conservative MP of making “casual homophobic comments” during a debate over the government’s controversial purchase of a luxury apartment for its consul general in New York. Trudeau didn’t name Genuis.
While listing off features of the condo, including “a handcrafted copper soaking tub,” Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre asked Trudeau if he visited Consul General Tom Clark at the new residence on his recent trip to the U.S.
The House of Commons transcript suggests that during Trudeau’s response, when the prime minister was arguing Clark’s role is to engage with international leaders on various issues, an unnamed MP yelled: “Does he engage with them in the bathtub?”
Conservative MP Garnett Genuis denies claims that he made a homophobic comment about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau during the previous day’s question period.
The House of Commons’ video showed Genuis, the MP for the Alberta riding of Sherwood Park-Fort Saskatchewan, saying “bathtub.” The microphones didn’t pick up the full comment.
On Thursday, Genuis rose in the House to deny that his comment was homophobic.
“The point of that comment is to illustrate that, of course, meetings don’t take place in the bathtub. A luxurious bathtub has nothing to do with meetings,” he said.
“It had nothing to do with sex. I wasn’t thinking about sex at all.”
Before Genuis defended his comments, NDP MP Heather McPherson (Edmonton-Strathcona) rose to ask Speaker Greg Fergus if he would ask the Conservative MP to apologize.
“We are still waiting for him to withdraw and apologize for his homophobic and disgusting comment,” McPherson said.
Liberal MP Rob Oliphant said he didn’t buy Genuis’s defence.
“If the consul general in New York were a woman, if she was treated that way in this House, this House would be outraged,” he said.
“Every member in this House should be outraged because it was a homophobic slur.”
Oliphant asked Fergus to investigate the matter further. Fergus said he would take it under consideration.