OTTAWA — NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says a video of Andrew Scheer opposing same-sex marriage in a 2005 speech is an example of “disgusting prejudice” and why his party won’t “prop up” Conservatives if they win a minority government in the upcoming federal election.

The edited video, shared by Public Safety Minister Ralph Goodale Thursday, was from a Civil Marriage Act debate. It featured two clips of Scheer where he voiced his opposition by reciting a riddle attributed to Abraham Lincoln, and also claimed same-sex couples don’t have the “inherent feature” for marriage, which he described as a committment to the “natural procreation of children.” “The resurfacing of Andrew Scheer’s disgusting prejudice against LGBTQI2S+ people and families is very painful for many Canadians,” Singh said in a statement. “We can’t trust Mr. Scheer or his caucus to champion the fundamental rights of Canadians.”

To be a leader for all Canadians, the Conservative Party leader should now end his lifelong boycott of Pride events and explain whether he would still deny same-sex couples the right to marry, as he said in Parliament. pic.twitter.com/5WEyja6Ov5 — Ralph Goodale (@RalphGoodale) August 22, 2019

Canada legalized same-sex marriage in July 2005, three months after Scheer made his speech in the House of Commons. Scheer’s spokesman called the video “another desperation tactic” from the prime minister to “distract” voters ahead of a federal election, adding Liberal MPs have also opposed marriage equality in the past. “Mr. Scheer supports same-sex marriage as defined in law and as prime minister will of course uphold it,” wrote Daniel Schow in an email. “When this vote took place a decade and a half ago, Mr. Scheer voted the way several Liberals did, including some who currently sit in the Liberal caucus and are running for re-election.” An email sent by the party Thursday afternoon mirrored the same language. It listed the names of 12 current Liberals MPs “who have voted against or opposed same-sex marriage” — including Goodale, who voted to uphold the traditional definition of marriage as between a man and a woman in 1999.

@CPC_HQ has sent out a further response to the @AndrewScheer video. The last point notes that @JustinTrudeau promised he wouldn't engage in wedge politics, as my colleague @ziannlum reported. https://t.co/5M5PzUlNfypic.twitter.com/IWh4KTVk6d — Althia Raj (@althiaraj) August 22, 2019

The email also noted that “many Canadians have had their perspectives changed” since the Civil Marriage Act debate. Goodale did not respond directly to the Conservative’s personal attack nor commented on his previous voting record, but noted that general support for the LGBTQ2+ community has “evolved and grown” in the past 25 years. “A prime minister must defend and protect the human rights of all Canadians,” Goodale said in a statement to HuffPost. He said the Conservative leader’s promise not to reverse equality is “not enough.” “Mr. Scheer needs to help reinforce those gains. Participating in this weekend’s Pride celebration in Ottawa would be a good start,” he said. The use of the old clips of Scheer, posted by a senior Liberal minister, contradicts comments Prime Minister Justin Trudeau made last month. Trudeau told The Intelligence, a podcast from The Economist, that he won’t use divisive issues to win votes and create a “polarized” election environment. “I’m not going to be looking for wedge issues,” he said. Liberals ask Scheer to march in Pride parade Liberal MP Judy Sgro’s name was one of the 12 listed in the Conservative party email. She told HuffPost Canada that she “unreservedly support[s] and celebrate[s] the right of same-sex couples to marry.” Sgro’s views have changed since 2003 when she told the Globe and Mail that she was against same-sex marriage. She said she’s proud to be a member of Trudeau’s Liberal party, led by a leader who “walks the walk” in advocating for LGBTQ2 rights. WATCH: Montreal Pride is the latest no-show for Scheer