NDP statement on the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia

NDP LGBT critic Randall Garrison (Esquimalt – Juan de Fuca) made the following statement today on the International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia:

“On the 12th International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia, there is much to celebrate when we think about the progress that has been made in this country.

From 1979, when Svend Robinson became the first MP to come out as gay, to Bill Siksay, the former MP for Burnaby-Douglas, who introduced the first bill to prohibit discrimination on the basis of gender identity or expression.

Today we pay tribute to the hard work of countless Canadians who risked and sacrificed so much to fight these import battles and continue to do so today.

This tireless advocacy comes to fruition today, as we applaud the proposed inclusion of gender identity to the Canadian Human Rights Code, and to the hate crimes section of the Criminal Code. This legislation was proposed most recently in the last Parliament by my colleague MP Randall Garrison and we are pleased that the Government has chosen to introduce it today.

And yet, there is still so much to do here in Canada and abroad. There are still too many places where discrimination, persecution and violence against members of the LGBTQ community are practiced with impunity.

Today, let us pledge to continue to work towards a world where everyone is equal, no matter their race, colour, gender identity or gender expression.”