John Baird outed by Conservative candidate

This week, Ontario provincial Conservative candidate Pamela Taylor did it for him.

It happened on a CBC radio morning show in Toronto.

Host Andy Barrie asked Taylor, who is running in the Toronto-Centre byelection, why there is not a single Conservative, federal or provincial who is openly gay. ”Openly?” she shot back. “John Baird.”

And before Barrie could say anything more, she added “And there are lots of others.”

Barrie was so astounded that he didn’t ask if she could name any.

Baird is a 40-year old bachelor known as “Rusty” who is highly respected in the Ottawa gay and lesbian community. He frequently attends annual “Capital Pride” festivals which Prime Minister Stephen Harper and his other cabinet ministers flee like the plague.

Unlike a majority of his fellow Conservative MPs, Baird has always avoided voting against gay and lesbian equality rights or against same-sex marriage issues.

Curiously though, in his first year as President of the Treasury Board in 2006, Baird abolished the federal Court Challenges Program which had been used by gays and lesbians to fund numerous court cases and achieve equality rights.

The Taylor incident comes at the same time as Americans in Washington are debating recognition of gays and lesbians in the U.S. armed forces.

And in Quebec, provincial justice minister Kathleen Weil is preparing a Quebec government program to fight homophobia.

Taylor herself has had nothing more to say since her radio interview.

And Baird, as usual, does not discuss his private life in public.