A Pride flag flies on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on June 8, 2023.
(Sean Kilpatrick / THE CANADIAN PRESS)
Stephanie Taylor
The Canadian Press
Updated June 8, 2023
OTTAWA -
Children who do not see a Pride flag at their schools should know one is flying for them on Parliament Hill, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday, as he condemned the sharp rise in laws curtailing the rights of transgender people across the United States.
Trudeau hoisted the flag that celebrates the LGBTQ2S+ community at an event where he was joined by MPs from all political parties, marking the eighth time he has done so since being elected to power in 2015.
"We all thought it would get easier after that moment," he said, referring to the first time the flag was raised on the Hill in Ottawa.
Stephanie Taylor
The Canadian Press
Updated June 8, 2023
OTTAWA -
Children who do not see a Pride flag at their schools should know one is flying for them on Parliament Hill, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said Thursday, as he condemned the sharp rise in laws curtailing the rights of transgender people across the United States.
Trudeau hoisted the flag that celebrates the LGBTQ2S+ community at an event where he was joined by MPs from all political parties, marking the eighth time he has done so since being elected to power in 2015.
"We all thought it would get easier after that moment," he said, referring to the first time the flag was raised on the Hill in Ottawa.
“But we've been reminded by a rise in anger, hatred and ignorance and intolerance, that things getting easier is not automatic.”
The prime minister echoed other speakers who warned of the discrimination faced by members of the LGBTQ2S+ community, both online and in their daily lives.
It has grown worse in recent years as conservative groups, particularly in the U.S., protest drag queen performances and fight to take away gender-affirming care for transgender people, especially minors.
The speakers underscored that Canada is not immune to such sentiments, given such protests are also happening in the country,with Trudeau saying “transphobia, biphobia, homophobia are all on the rise.”
Among the issues speakers pointed to were proposed changes by New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs' government that seek to change some school rules around LGBTQ2S+ students. One such change would mean that students younger than 16 who identify as transgender and non-binary would not be allowed to officially change their names or pronouns without parental consent.
Higgs's Progressive Conservative government has defended the move as fulfilling the wishes of parents, but it has been met with backlash.
NDP MP Blake Desjarlais, a co-chair of the recently-founded parliamentary Pride caucus comprised of federal lawmakers from the LGBTQ2S+ community, said Thursday that Canada was witnessing extremism pushed by individuals who are trying to take away others' rights.
“We will not accept going backwards,” said Desjarlais, who is two-spirit.
“We are not here to make kids queer. We are here to make sure queer kids are not made into dead kids. That is why the raising of this flag today is not only a symbol of our love for community, it is also a symbol that we will be unrelenting in our discovery of who we are.”
During his address, the prime minister saidattempts have been made to stop Pride celebrations and noted that over the past few weeks, Canadians have watched as people try to remove books about gender and sexuality from schools.
That is cruel to children who struggle with questions about their identities or live in homes where such questions are not met with love, said Trudeau.
The Brandon School Division in southern Manitoba recently voted against a call to remove books with LGBTQ2S+ content from its libraries.
Trudeau also said students are often the ones fighting for the Pride flag to be hoisted at their schools, and in some places, those efforts have been denied.
Such was the case for the York Catholic District School Board, which voted last week against flying the flag outside its main office.
Addressing students who are without a Pride flag, the prime minister said: “I'm here to say even though the flag may not fly at your school, know that it proudly flies here, in your seat of government.”
NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh and Green Party Leader Elizabeth May both attended the ceremony. Melissa Lantsman, who serves as deputy leader for the Conservatives and is lesbian, also attended.
At a separate news conference on Parliament Hill, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre said he was up late filibustering the Liberals' budget in the House of Commons the previous night when asked why he didn't attend.
“I believe every Canadian, regardless of who they are, regardless of their race, sexuality, gender, deserves to be safe,” he said Thursday, adding that if a Canadian commits violence against another, “they should be thrown in the slammer.”
Poilievre characterizes his job as Conservative leader as to promote freedom for all Canadians. Speaking in Winnipeg last week, he wished Canadians “a happy Pride month,” saying “our freedom is something in which all of us can take pride.”
He did not answer, however, when asked whether he plans to attend an event, with festivities spanning the country until the end of the month.
On Twitter, Sport Minister Pascale St-Onge accused Poilievre of being “all talk and no action” for being “nowhere to be seen” during the morning's event.
“A leader's greatness is measured by their ability to rally everyone around them. His absence today speaks volumes. Now, more than ever, we must fight against the rising hate towards 2SLGBTQI+ people.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 8, 2023.
LGBTQ Canadians facing a rising tide of hatred, Trudeau says
Trudeau warns of increase in anti-LGBTQ activity at Pride flag-raising ceremony on Parliament Hill
In a speech at a Pride flag-raising ceremony on Parliament Hill Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said that hatred of LGBTQ people is on the rise in Canada.
The rainbow-coloured flag is now flying in front of the Parliament Buildings to mark Pride Month. The Liberal government started the annual tradition in 2016. In his speech, Trudeau warned that the climate for LGBTQ people has worsened since then.
"When we first raised the Pride flag on Parliament Hill seven years ago, I think we all thought it would get easier from that moment," Trudeau said.
"Transphobia, biphobia, homophobia, they're all on the rise. It's been difficult to watch people and institutions still continue to reject who you are, to try to deny members of our communities the rights to be seen and heard and celebrated."
The federal government announced $1.7 million in funding for six LGBTQ rights groups in conjunction with the ceremony. Women, Gender Equality and Youth Minister Marci Ien announced emergency funding earlier this week to help cover rising security and insurance costs for Pride festivals.
The number of police-reported hate crimes related to sexual orientation rose 64 per cent in 2021 over the previous year, says Statistics Canada.
Trudeau said anti-LGBTQ hatred is spreading from the United States into Canada. He cited several recent controversies, including attempts to disrupt Pride celebrations and remove books on sexual orientation and identity from school libraries, and some schools refusing to raise the Pride flag.
"In too many places, it's kids who have to fight to have the Pride flag raised, and in some places it's been denied," Trudeau said.
"And to those kids I'm here to say, even though the Pride flag may not fly at your school, know that it proudly flies here in your seat of government."
Trudeau added that most Canadians support the LGBTQ community.
"We are reminded all too often … whether it's online or celebrating Pride or [in] our daily lives, that hatred still has a very loud voice," he said.
"But I think we also need to be reminded that those loud voices do not represent the vast, vast majority of Canadians.
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Trudeau condemns 'rising hate' against LGBTQ+ people as Pride flag raised on Parliament Hill
"In the last year, we've seen too many people — including some politicians — showing that they're willing to target vulnerable trans youth, to deny them the freedom to seek life-saving gender-affirming care, all for narrow political gain."
Author of the article:
The Canadian Press
Published Jun 03, 2024 •
OTTAWA — As the Pride flag was raised over Parliament Hill Monday morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned what he called “rising hate” against LGBTQ+ people in Canada, particularly transgender youth.
“In the last year, we’ve seen too many people — including some politicians — showing that they’re willing to target vulnerable trans youth, to deny them the freedom to seek life-saving gender-affirming care, all for narrow political gain,” he said.
Premiers in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan have introduced changes to the way schools must deal with children who change their pronouns or names.
Broadly speaking, the policies require educators to get parental consent to use a child’s preferred name or pronouns at school if they are under 16, while parents of older students must be notified of such changes.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government has proposed similar changes to pronoun and name policies in schools, along with a plan to ban gender-affirming medical treatment for some transgender youth and ensure there are sports leagues only for biologically female players.
Critics say these policies put transgender and nonbinary students at risk of being outed without their consent and can cause serious harm.
Jordan Ames-Sinclair, a Cree youth and the two-spirit policy lead for the Assembly of First Nations, said homophobia and anti-Indigenous racism are both on the rise in Canada.
“The beginning of Pride is a joyous occasion. However, I cannot discuss how far we’ve come as a community without acknowledging the lived realities of so many young queer and (two-spirit) people in Canada today.”
Ames-Sinclair thanked political leaders in attendance, while warning of another reality in which leaders are “committed to backwards policy proven to harm the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.”
Trudeau said when he was the first prime minister to march in Pride parades in 2016, people questioned if his participation was relevant.
“This summer, nobody’s going to ask me that question,” he said.
The federal government set aside $1.5 million in its recent budget for Fierte Canada Pride to cover the rising security and insurance costs of Pride events this summer. The group received the same amount last year and distributed it to 50 Pride organizations.
Trudeau lamented the need for that funding, and said it is a reminder of “how vigilant we need to be.”
Sen. Rene Cormier, co-chair of the Canadian Pride Caucus, noted that more than 60 countries around the world still criminalize homosexuality and said Canada stands out as a beacon of hope for many despite the challenges.
“It might be the time for Canada to have a special envoy to advance the human rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ persons,” he said, as the small crowd in front of the Peace Tower cheered.
“At a time when issues of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression are under high tension in our country and elsewhere, due to the unprecedented rise in hatred toward 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, we are at a crossroads. We must be there, speak out and act.”
"In the last year, we've seen too many people — including some politicians — showing that they're willing to target vulnerable trans youth, to deny them the freedom to seek life-saving gender-affirming care, all for narrow political gain."
Author of the article:
The Canadian Press
Published Jun 03, 2024 •
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Women and Gender Equality and Youth Minister Marci Ien raise the Pride flag during an event on Parliament Hill, in Ottawa, Monday, June 3, 2024.
PHOTO BY ADRIAN WYLD /The Canadian Press
OTTAWA — As the Pride flag was raised over Parliament Hill Monday morning, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned what he called “rising hate” against LGBTQ+ people in Canada, particularly transgender youth.
“In the last year, we’ve seen too many people — including some politicians — showing that they’re willing to target vulnerable trans youth, to deny them the freedom to seek life-saving gender-affirming care, all for narrow political gain,” he said.
Premiers in New Brunswick and Saskatchewan have introduced changes to the way schools must deal with children who change their pronouns or names.
Broadly speaking, the policies require educators to get parental consent to use a child’s preferred name or pronouns at school if they are under 16, while parents of older students must be notified of such changes.
Alberta Premier Danielle Smith’s government has proposed similar changes to pronoun and name policies in schools, along with a plan to ban gender-affirming medical treatment for some transgender youth and ensure there are sports leagues only for biologically female players.
Critics say these policies put transgender and nonbinary students at risk of being outed without their consent and can cause serious harm.
Jordan Ames-Sinclair, a Cree youth and the two-spirit policy lead for the Assembly of First Nations, said homophobia and anti-Indigenous racism are both on the rise in Canada.
“The beginning of Pride is a joyous occasion. However, I cannot discuss how far we’ve come as a community without acknowledging the lived realities of so many young queer and (two-spirit) people in Canada today.”
Ames-Sinclair thanked political leaders in attendance, while warning of another reality in which leaders are “committed to backwards policy proven to harm the 2SLGBTQIA+ community.”
Trudeau said when he was the first prime minister to march in Pride parades in 2016, people questioned if his participation was relevant.
“This summer, nobody’s going to ask me that question,” he said.
The federal government set aside $1.5 million in its recent budget for Fierte Canada Pride to cover the rising security and insurance costs of Pride events this summer. The group received the same amount last year and distributed it to 50 Pride organizations.
Trudeau lamented the need for that funding, and said it is a reminder of “how vigilant we need to be.”
Sen. Rene Cormier, co-chair of the Canadian Pride Caucus, noted that more than 60 countries around the world still criminalize homosexuality and said Canada stands out as a beacon of hope for many despite the challenges.
“It might be the time for Canada to have a special envoy to advance the human rights of 2SLGBTQIA+ persons,” he said, as the small crowd in front of the Peace Tower cheered.
“At a time when issues of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression are under high tension in our country and elsewhere, due to the unprecedented rise in hatred toward 2SLGBTQIA+ communities, we are at a crossroads. We must be there, speak out and act.”
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