EDMONTON–A United Conservative Party candidate touted as a potential future education minister once pushed for Christian schools to be able to fire gay teachers, Star Edmonton has learned.

Drayton Valley-Devon candidate Mark Smith served as the UCP’s education critic and previously in the same role with the Wildrose Party, which he was a member of when he was elected in 2015.

Smith wrote a six-page policy paper when he was with the Wildrose in which he states his belief that schools should have the right to fire teachers based on their sexuality, going against the position of then-party leader Danielle Smith.

The document, which a former party insider said was sent to party staff and caucus members, a right-wing lobby group, and members of the candidate’s church, is dated Sept. 30, 2015 and was obtained by Star Edmonton on Tuesday afternoon.

Smith writes in the paper that Alberta has a “long history” of recognizing that religious institutions “have the right to set morality clauses on it’s (sic) employees.”

In response to the document, UCP spokesperson Matt Solberg provided an emailed statement saying it appears to have been authored before Smith was an MLA, because he refers to himself in the document as a “Wildrose candidate.”

That statement says the UCP does not believe independent schools have the right to terminate a worker’s employment due to their sexual orientation or gender identity.

In the paper, Smith goes on to say he believes LGBTQ teachers should have equality before the law, but that equality before the law has “limits … it would appear that at least one reasonable limit upheld by the Constitution is the right to hire and fire for denominational cause.”

“When it comes to denominational, separate or dissenient (sic) schools, there is a right to hire and fire based on the teachings of the religious faith and the morality clauses that outline their faith positions,” the document reads.

“Canadian charter law clearly allows equality rights to be restricted when hiring and firing in a religious institution. This freedom given to denominational, separate and dissentient schools is a recognition that the path to social peace in a pluralistic society is to recognize the religious diversity of our society and provide a legal basis for it to reasonably function.”

The UCP’s statement says this is not the party’s position.

“The UCP supports longstanding law on these matters, both statute and case law. We believe that when issues of competing constitutional rights arise, they are better resolved by the judiciary than by politicians,” he wrote.

According to the UCP website, Smith was a social studies teacher for 30 years at Frank Maddock High School in Drayton Valley.

The document was leaked hours after Smith faced criticism for disparaging remarks he made about homosexuality that surfaced online.

CJSR campus radio program Gaywire posted a clip on Twitter on Tuesday attributed to Smith in which a comparison is drawn between homosexuality and pedophilia.

“You don’t have to watch any TV for any length of time today where you don’t see on the TV programs them trying to tell you that homosexuality and homosexual love is good love,” a man says in the clip attributed to Smith.

“Heck, there are even people out there, I could take you to places on the website I’m sure, where you could find out that there’s — where pedophilia is love.”

In the 2013 clip, taken from a 46-minute sermon posted on the Calvary Baptist Church website, the man also talks about recently attending an anti-abortion conference and makes anti-abortion comments.

“It’s loving to abort your child, to kill your child, rather than to have it born and maybe not have a perfect life?” he said.

The comments drew swift condemnation on social media, and NDP candidate Sarah Hoffman issued a statement calling on UCP Leader Jason Kenney to fire Smith.

Smith issued a statement Tuesday afternoon saying he does not recall making the comments.

Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading... Loading...

“While I don’t specifically recall the comments in question, I believe they are from many years ago from before I was elected. I did not say that love between same-sex couples was not love, I merely remarked on media commentary. That said, I regret how my commentary was framed at the time,” he wrote.

“Of course I do not believe that homosexuality is akin to pedophilia. I unequivocally apologize if anyone was offended or hurt. Obviously that would never be my intention.”

Smith went on to say the UCP is a welcoming party and that Albertans are “tired of revisiting old, divisive debates from many years prior.”

Solberg provided an email statement saying the UCP does not endorse Smith’s 2013 comments and the party was not aware of his views on LGBTQ people.

“The comments were made before Mr. Smith was elected, and do not reflect his record as a legislator,” the email reads.

Gaywire producer and host Alexa DeGagne said the sermon clip was sent in by a listener, and she chose to post it online because Smith could have a major influence on education policy should the UCP form government in the April 16 election.

“The reaction (from the queer community) seems to be that this is incredibly scary, given what’s at stake in terms of GSAs (gay-straight alliances) and education and sex-ed and all those sorts of things,” DeGagne said.

She called Smith’s response a “classic non-apology.”

Kenney said last week that two other candidates who recently resigned after expressing hateful views will not be removed as party members.

Eva Kiryakos stepped down from the Calgary-South East race on March 24 after claiming she learned someone was planning to expose posts she made that promoted Islamophobic and transphobic conspiracy theories.

Days earlier, Caylan Ford resigned in Calgary-Mountain View after Facebook messages she sent promoting racist white supremacist talking points were made public by a former party member.

Both have been replaced as candidates.

Read more:

Another Calgary UCP candidate steps down after hateful social media comments surface

Jason Kenney’s misdirection on candidate woes would make David Copperfield proud

Candidates who stepped down over racist views will not be removed from United Conservative Party, Kenney says

Read more about: