Harper Gov't Comes Out as (Surprise!) Global Leader in Gay Rights
Canada's voice on this issue was first heard in 2009, in response to the now-infamous Ugandan Anti-Homosexuality Bill. In his first public comments on the bill, Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni told members of his ruling party, "The prime minister of Canada came to see me and what was he talking about? Gays." Largely owing to foreign pressure, the bill is currently shelved.
In March 2011, Immigration Minister Jason Kenney announced a pilot program to assist refugees fleeing persecution for reasons of sexual orientation. In November, when a Nigerian bill sought to expand that country's punitive measures against gays, Foreign Minister John Baird released a statement demanding, "The Government of Nigeria must protect all Nigerians, regardless of sexual orientation."