The federal government unveiled what it described as a historic breakthrough on Sunday when it announced a five-year, $100 million plan to support 2SLGBT communities across the country.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled the strategy, dubbed “Canada’s first federal 2SLGBTQI+ action plan,” at a press conference Sunday ahead of the Pride parade in Ottawa, the first in-person march since ‘a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19.
Trudeau touted the plan as the first federal initiative of its kind and said it demonstrates the government’s commitment to fighting discrimination and supporting diversity.
“This will guide our ongoing work to fight discrimination, break down barriers, advance rights and build a future where everyone in Canada is truly free to be who they are and love who they love,” Trudeau said Sunday.
People march in Montreal’s Pride parade in 2021. The announcement of the federal action plan came on the same day as the Pride parade scheduled in Ottawa. (Peter McCabe/The Canadian Press)
Trudeau said 75 percent of the funding will go to community organizations focused on diversity and inclusion because “that’s where the real support work comes from.”
“The strength and resilience of your communities should inspire everyone,” he said.
The federal government announced earlier in this year’s budget that it would allocate $100 million to benefit 2SLGBT people. The action plan included details of where the money would go.
More than $5 million of the funding will go toward launching a public awareness campaign, while $7.7 million has gone toward community-led data collection and policy research to support federal action on 2SLGBT issues.
More action on conversion therapy possible
Debbie Owusu-Akyeeah, executive director of the Canadian Center for Sexual and Gender Diversity, said the strategy was “long-awaited and expected,” adding that more supports are needed, including in schools.
He said Canada has lagged behind many other countries, such as the United Kingdom, Ireland and the Netherlands, which already have government action plans.
He said Statistics Canada figures have shown a sharp increase in hate crimes against people in the 2SLGBT communities.
Justice Minister David Lametti, Tourism Minister Randy Boissonnault and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau cross the floor to shake hands with then-Conservative leader Erin O’Toole after a vote on legislation banning the practice of conversion therapy in canada. (Adrian Wyld/The Canadian Press)
Trudeau indicated the government would seek “more protections and support” for people who survived conversion therapy, which he called a “cruel and dangerous practice” and which was criminalized earlier this year in Canada.
The federal government is facing calls to tighten the ban to cover practices designed to try to change someone’s sexual orientation or gender identity offered online from abroad, including the United States.
Wisdom2Action chief executive Fae Johnstone, who attended the launch, said there was a need to invest in mental health counseling for people traumatized by the discredited practice.
“Tens of thousands of people were subjected to this and it’s still happening today,” Johnstone said.
The federal government also said it will consider further legislative changes as part of its action plan. It plans to launch a public consultation on whether to make it illegal to carry out cosmetic surgery on the genitals of intersex children until they are old enough to give consent.
The strategy proposes adopting and encouraging the use of the 2SLGBTQI+ acronym, “which is more inclusive and places the experiences of Indigenous 2SLGBTQI+ communities at the fore as the first 2SLGBTQI+ peoples of North America.”
The acronym stands for Two Spirits, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex and other sexual and gender diverse people.
More direct support is needed, the groups told the government
Marci Ien, Minister of Women and Gender Equality, welcomed the action plan along with Trudeau, saying the funds are for “all those people who are struggling to be heard and accepted.”
“This is for the people who were rejected by their family and friends after coming out, for everyone trying to live their truth in rural communities where they feel isolated. This is for queer black people who fight every day to justify their place in this country, and trans women who are sometimes afraid to walk home alone in the dark, this is for you,” said Ien.
He said the strategy was created after several years of consultation and research with members of the 2SLGBT communities.
Ottawa received more than 25,000 responses in 2020-2021 to a national online survey on how to best serve diverse communities, Ien said.
“The resounding response was that they needed more direct support … to provide programs to continue to educate the general public because, again, we can’t legislate kindness,” Ien said.
Efforts to obtain military records continue
The plan commits to investing up to $10 million annually in 2SLGBT projects abroad.
Trudeau said Canada had taken in thousands of people from 2SLGBT communities fleeing discrimination abroad and warned that “rights are rolling back in many parts of the world, some closer than we’d like to admit.”
Michelle Douglas, who won a landmark legal challenge against the Canadian Armed Forces over discrimination against 2SLGBTQ service members, said there was still a lot of work to do to eliminate these practices.
Douglas, a former member of the military police who was honorably discharged in 1989 as part of a “purge” of members of the 2SLGBT community, said he also wanted all policy-related records released towards 2SLGBT staff.
“We have about 10,000 pages and we know there are more,” he said.