and was one of 17 Liberal MPs to vote against legislation expanding the benefits of same-sex couples in 2000. Iftody said that he did not support discrimination and denied being part of a parliamentary "God squad", but nonetheless expressed a personal view that homosexuality was "spiritually unhealthy". He also opposed the Chrétien government's plan to create a national firearms registry, and voted against the bill enabling the registry on its final reading. Some believed that he would be barred from sitting on a Commons standing committee for this decision, but he escaped punishment. Iftody's opposition to the gun registry was popular in his mostly rural riding. International relations Iftody was of Romanian background, and was chairman of the Canada-Romanian Parliamentary Group in the 1990s. In 1997, he helped convince the Romanian government to support an international treaty banning land mines. He also criticized Shell Oil for its human rights record in Nigeria, claiming that the company had violated "the elementary standards of the international code of conduct for business" by failing to intervene against government abuses. He supported increased trade between Canada and the Republic of China (Taiwan). Nuclear energy Iftody supported nuclear energy, and actively campaigned to prevent the Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd. research station in Pinawa from closing. Other In late 1997, Iftody intervened to rescue a woman from a potential sexual assault in an Ottawa boarding house. Hearing a struggle in a room near his own, he discovered an intruder holding the female owner of the establishment against a wall. He stopped the attack, and detained the attacker until the police arrived. Death Iftody died unexpectedly on February 5, 2001, after suffering internal bleeding in his liver following a snowmobile accident. The House of Commons paid tribute to him the following day. In 2003, Providence College and Theological Seminary in Otterburne began an annual series called the David Iftody Memorial Lectures. Electoral record All electoral information is taken from Elections Canada. Footnotes External links Edited Hansard, 6 February 2001 (includes tributes to Iftody) 1956 births 2001 deaths Canadian people of Romanian descent Canadian Roman Catholics Liberal Party of Canada MPs Members of the House of Commons of Canada from Manitoba Politicians from Winnipeg University of Manitoba alumni