Members of the LGBTQ+ community have long faced discrimination and prejudice in Canada and beyond, having to fight for job protection, access to services and basic human rights.
Canada legalized same-sex marriage nearly two decades ago and the Canadian Human Rights Act has for years prohibited discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or expression.
But this year brought a heated debate over LGBTQ+ rights when it comes to transgender and other gender non-conforming children. Both New Brunswick and Saskatchewan brought in policies that require parental permission before using a student害羞草研究所檚 preferred name or pronouns at school.
And Egale Canada, an advocacy organization for LGBTQ+ people and issues, reported more than 6,400 anti-LGBTQ+ protests and instances of online hate in the first three months of 2023 alone.
The Canadian Press reached out to members of the multi-partisan Canadian Pride Caucus on Parliament Hill about the past year of LGBTQ+ rights and discourse. Two Liberal cabinet ministers, a New Democrat MP and a senator spoke about what they are seeing and hearing in Ottawa and elsewhere, how it makes them feel and what they are doing about it.
Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault
When he was growing up, Liberal MP Randy Boissonnault (Edmonton Centre) said he did not think he would ever have a job, be loved by an 害羞草研究所渁mazing partner害羞草研究所� or work in politics let alone be named as special adviser on LGBTQ+ issues to the prime minister, as he was in 2016.
Despite those personal realities, he said 2023 was a hard year.
害羞草研究所淚t was a step backward in the march toward rights for LGBTQ people,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淲e had to have a $1.5-million emergency fund just to keep Pride (events) protected.害羞草研究所�
The very issue of identity has been weaponized, he said, including through 害羞草研究所淎merican-style politics by Canadian politicians to try to divide the community and prey on the most vulnerable trans kids.害羞草研究所� He called that 害羞草研究所渙bjectionable,害羞草研究所� adding: 害羞草研究所淔or some of these kids, going to school is the only place they can actually feel like they害羞草研究所檙e themselves.害羞草研究所�
In 2024, there should be a conversation about how 害羞草研究所渂eing an ally is no longer enough,害羞草研究所� Boissonnault said.
害羞草研究所淭hese kids need people to be champions,害羞草研究所� he added. 害羞草研究所淎n ally is somebody who has your back when you害羞草研究所檙e in the room. A champion is somebody who has your back when you害羞草研究所檙e not.害羞草研究所�
New Brunswick Sen. Ren茅 Cormier, co-chair of the Canadian Pride Caucus
害羞草研究所淭he Senate is the safest place for me to be as a queer person because we deal with rights. And I was not aware before becoming a senator how important rights are, which sounds ridiculous in a way,害羞草研究所� said Sen. Ren茅 Cormier, who sits with the Independent Senators Group.
害羞草研究所淚害羞草研究所檝e never really had to be out in public talking about my life because I thought the life of others is more important than mine. But I consider now that it害羞草研究所檚 important for younger generations to see you can be from the LGBTQ community, you can be a senator, you can be whatever you want,害羞草研究所� said Cormier, who was appointed on the advice of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in 2016.
害羞草研究所淚n Canada we害羞草研究所檙e really privileged, although there害羞草研究所檚 still a lot of issues 害羞草研究所� there害羞草研究所檚 still a lot of misconceptions about what it means to be from this community. People think we害羞草研究所檙e too loud. We害羞草研究所檙e out too much,害羞草研究所� he said.
害羞草研究所淏ut I think it害羞草研究所檚 important to stand up and speak. Silence is not a solution.害羞草研究所�
Cormier described the current time as polarizing and lacking in nuance, with a need for better education about what it means to be transgender. He said excluding those discussions from the sexual education curriculum in schools will not solve the problem.
害羞草研究所淚 find it really troubling that as a country we put kids in the middle of political games,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淭here害羞草研究所檚 a lot of work to be done there.害羞草研究所�
That work should happen together across all generations and identities, he said.
害羞草研究所淏ecause at the end, we害羞草研究所檙e all human beings and we want to be happy.害羞草研究所�
New Democrat MP Randall Garrison
Early in his career as the member of Parliament for the riding of Esquimalt-Saanich-Sooke, B.C., Randall Garrison sat beside someone in the House of Commons who brought a picture of his family and a Bible to his desk every day.
One day, the New Democrat MP brought a photo of his husband, and the other MP asked if Garrison was mocking him.
害羞草研究所淚 said, 害羞草研究所楴o. You bring what害羞草研究所檚 important to you to the House. It comes every day, and I bring what害羞草研究所檚 important to me.害羞草研究所� Then we became friends, despite the initial gulf between us.害羞草研究所�
In June, Garrison released a report on the status of transgender and gender-diverse people in Canada alongside researcher Dylana Thompson. Its 29 recommendations include ways to strengthen the LGBTQ+ community so it can respond to hate.
害羞草研究所淚n the face of hate, we, as a community, can害羞草研究所檛 always depend on everyone else to come to our defence. But if you害羞草研究所檙e poor, unemployed, or sick, or have all these things to cope with, you don害羞草研究所檛 have much resilience to deal with hate on top of that,害羞草研究所� said Garrison, who is retiring as an MP.
害羞草研究所淚f you害羞草研究所檙e suffering with all the other disadvantages of being trans or non binary, it害羞草研究所檚 difficult to even form an organization that could get a public voice because you害羞草研究所檙e too busy trying to survive,害羞草研究所� he added.
There has been a resurgence in hate toward LGBTQ+ people online and in person, he said. He said a family in his riding had their Pride flag torn down and set on fire against their house. But he also noted the police and the local mayor acted swiftly.
害羞草研究所淪o, while I害羞草研究所檝e seen the rise in hate, I害羞草研究所檝e also seen an improvement in the response to hate from public institutions,害羞草研究所� he said.
Labour Minister Seamus O害羞草研究所橰egan
Seamus O害羞草研究所橰egan wrote a deeply personal speech during his flight to Geneva for a meeting of the International Labour Organization earlier this year. At the time, some countries in Africa and the Middle East had called on the United Nations body to remove language from its budget about the protection of workers on the grounds of sexual orientation and gender identity.
害羞草研究所淚 am a vulnerable worker. I am Canada害羞草研究所檚 labour minister, but I am gay and I am married. I would not be able to work, or I would be jailed, or I would be condemned to death, if I happened to have been born in some of the member states before me,害羞草研究所� O害羞草研究所橰egan told the assembly.
害羞草研究所淚 was looking into the eyes of the people who would persecute me, or kill me for who I am,害羞草研究所� O害羞草研究所橰egan said in an interview this month. 害羞草研究所淚t was both hugely public and international. At the same time, it felt very intimate and very personal.害羞草研究所�
O害羞草研究所橰egan, the Liberal MP for St. John害羞草研究所檚 South-Mount Pearl, N.L., said he has always spoken about how LGBTQ+ rights can feel tenuous at times, given these rights were obtained in his lifetime.
He also said that being openly gay on Parliament Hill forces people to acknowledge he is there.
害羞草研究所淚 exist, I害羞草研究所檓 not theoretical. If you害羞草研究所檙e going to take away or diminish the rights of gay people in this country, then you get to look me in the eye to do it.害羞草研究所�
He noted that as a cabinet minister, he can make legislative or regulatory changes that he think might help when it comes to federal jurisdiction.
害羞草研究所淏ut in provincial and territorial spheres 害羞草研究所� and even international spheres 害羞草研究所� I have to sometimes rely on the moral case,害羞草研究所� he said. 害羞草研究所淚 will do that, and I have done that, without hesitation.害羞草研究所�
Alessia Passafiume, The Canadian Press
