[4] Vellacott campaigned in the 1995 Saskatchewan provincial election as a Liberal and lost to New Democratic Party candidate Eric Cline in Saskatoon Mount Royal.
Gens Hellquist of GLHS had argued that homophobic intolerance was responsible for higher levels of depression in the LGBT community in relation to society as a whole, and that community-specific funding would address these and other concerns.
[7] Vellacott called for the removal of video lottery terminals from the city, blaming them for an increase in health costs related to gambling addiction.
In early 1997, Vellacott defeated Sam Dyck and Fred Wesolowski to win the Reform Party's nomination for the new Saskatoon-area electoral district of Wanuskewin.
The Liberal Party of Canada won a second consecutive majority government, and Vellacott served as a member of the Official Opposition.
He argued that "some zealots" were "using our important tax dollars" for dubious ends via the program, and singled out an effort by Saskatoon resident Ailsa Watkinson to prohibit corporal punishment against children.
[11] Vellacott wrote an editorial piece in early 1998 describing Watkinson as a "social engineer" promoting an "extremist agenda", and accusing Canada's "unelected judges" of "judicial imperialism" in their interpretations of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
[12] A supporter of Watkinson responded that Vellacott's piece was a "mixture of invective and innuendo", and argued that his defence of corporal punishment was based on flawed logic.
"[15] He opposed granting spousal benefits for same-sex couples, describing supporters of the initiative as "activist liberal judges and a small but aggressive homosexual lobby.
In January 2001, he argued that Governor General Adrienne Clarkson had abused her office by sending a "best wishes" message to a newly married same-sex couple in Toronto, Ontario.
[26] Supporters of rival candidate Stephen Harper, who would go on to win the contest, criticized Vellacott for mailing out endorsements of Day through his constituency office at public expense.
[28] In the same year, he mailed out a controversial pamphlet opposing the addition of sexual orientation as a protected category under Canada's hate crimes legislation.
Vellacott claimed the policy change "substantially interferes with the right of religious and education leaders to communicate essential matters of faith.
After the election, Vellacott called for the trial of Saskatoon police officers Ken Munson and Dan Hatchen to be reopened.
When Belinda Stronach crossed the floor from the Conservatives to the Liberals in mid-2005, Vellacott suggested that she was prostituting herself for power and had "sold out for a cabinet position.
[41] Vellacott was re-elected over Chris Axworthy a second time in the 2006 federal election, in a contest that was marked by extreme bitterness and controversy.
He added that he was alluding to comments made by McLachlin at a Lord Cooke Lecture, given on December 1, 2005, at the University of Victoria in Wellington, New Zealand.
[52] He then served as a member of the House of Commons Standing Committee on the Environment, and called for the Canadian government to intervene against state-sponsored violence in the Darfur province of Sudan.
[53] During his time in parliament, Vellacott served as deputy critic for health, Human Resources Development Canada, and Indian Affairs.
Vellacott identified Trost as a champion of social conservatism and warned Conservative members against supporting eventual winner Andrew Scheer.
[56] In 2012, Vellacott nominated and awarded Queen's Jubilee medals to Linda Gibbons and Mary Wagner, who had both been convicted of criminal offences related to their anti-abortion activism.
Mary Wagner was serving time in jail for mischief and violating court orders regarding women's health clinics when she received her medal.
[58][59][60] When asked to comment on his decision to recognize these two women, Vellacott released a statement that referred to them as "heroines of humanity", and justified his decision by stating: "It's a pretty upside down world when we honour abortionists like Henry Morgentaler for killing over 5,000 babies and imprison precious women, like Mary Wagner and Linda Gibbons, who try to save babies from such savagery.
"[61] Vellacott's decision to bestow the Queen's Jubilee Medal on Gibbon and Wagner has been praised by pro-life groups such as the Campaign Life Coalition and the Catholic Register.
[61][62] Interim Liberal leader Bob Rae criticized Vellacott's statements as inciting anti-abortion activists to break the law, which is itself a criminal offence in Canada.