Question Period Note: Violence and Discrimination targeting 2SLGBTQI+ Communities

How is the Government of Canada addressing violence, hate and discrimination targeting 2SLGBTQI+ communities?

•Discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity and expression continues to be a reality in Canada, and it must be eliminated.
•We are committed to building a safer Canada for 2SLGBTQI+ communities by promoting human rights, and by developing inclusive policies and programs that seek to address discrimination, end Gender-Based Violence, and combat hate.
•In response to rising hate and discrimination targeting 2SLGBTQI+ communities, the Government of Canada provided $1.5M in emergency funding to Fierté Canada Pride to help pride organizations address increased security and insurance costs during the 2023 pride season.
•We are also working closely with 2SLGBTQI+ organizations across Canada to give 2SLGBTQI+ communities a voice in the development of programs, policies and services that impact them; this includes youth.

If asked:

Targeted measures include:
•Canada’s first Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan, which seeks to address discrimination against 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
•The National Action Plan to End Gender-based Violence (GBV) – a framework for a Canada free of GBV, including violence against 2SLGBTQI+ people.
•Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence, which advances efforts to prevent GBV, support victims, survivors and their families, and promote responsive legal and justice systems.
•Canada’s Action Plan to Combat Hate, to be released later this year, which will address hate faced by diverse communities, including 2SLGBTQI+ people.

Investments
Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan
•The Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan was launched in August 2022. Of the $100M dedicated to support its implementation
o Up to $75M will be available to help 2SLGBTQI+ communities address the discrimination and inequities they face.
o The Action Plan also includes work to advance awareness, to enhance inclusion and break down stigma and discrimination against 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
In May 2023, WAGE completed public opinion research to inform the development of the awareness campaign.

National Action Plan to end Gender-Based Violence (GBV NAP)
•In November 2022, the FPT Ministers Responsible for the Status of Women endorsed the GBV NAP. Supported by a $539.3M investment over five years (Budget 2022), the GBV NAP serves as a framework for a Canada free of GBV, including violence against 2SLGBTQI+ people.

Canada’s Strategy to Prevent and Address Gender-Based Violence (GBV)
•Under this Strategy, WAGE launched the GBV Program in 2018. The program supports organizations working in the GBV sector to develop and implement promising practices to address gaps in supports for Indigenous and underserved groups of survivors in Canada. Ten projects funded through the program’s first call for proposals included supports for 2SLGBTQI+ people. For example:
o The SALAL Sexual Violence Support Centre Society is receiving $998,129 for a 60-month project to develop and test a gender affirming inclusion process for 2SLGBTQI+ communities and gender-non-binary survivors of GBV to improve service provision.

Budget 2023 Initiatives
•Budget 2023 announced that Canada will:
o Create a new Action Plan to Combat Hate that will specifically addresses hate faced by 2SLGBTQI+ communities.
o Provide up to $49.5M to expand Public Safety’s Communities at Risk: Security Infrastructure Program to allow it to be more responsive to the evolving security needs of communities, including 2SLGBTQI+ communities.

Emergency Funding for Pride Organizations
•In response to rising hate against 2SLGBTQI+ communities, in June 2023, WAGE provided up to $1.5M to Fierté Canada Pride to administer an emergency fund to support pride organizations in addressing increased security and insurance costs.

BACKGROUND:

•2SLGBTQI+ communities are concerned about their safety and security. The 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan Survey (2021), which informed the development of the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan, gathered input from 25,636 survey respondents. The statistics on safety are striking:
o 39% of respondents indicated that, over the last five years, they had experienced violence due to homophobia, transphobia, biphobia or other forms of discrimination. However, 91% of respondents who experienced violence did not report any of these incidents to the police.
o 69% of respondents reported that they consider their personal safety when deciding how to dress or appear in public, with transgender women (67%), non-binary/agender (58%), gender diverse (57%) and transgender men (55%) respondents being the most likely.
o 56% of transgender men respondents, and 54% of transgender women, gender diverse and non-binary/agender respondents experienced violence and discrimination. These groups also experienced higher rates of physical and sexual violence than respondents from other gender identity groups.
•Furthermore, there is currently a disturbing rise in hate and violence against 2SLGBTQI+ communities, which contribute to an increased climate of fear for 2SLGBTQI+ people. For example:
o 2SLGBTQI+ people face increased threats to their safety related to hosting and participating in drag story hours. In December 2022, there was a bomb threat following a drag event hosted at a library outside Brockville, ON.
o The 2023 Hershey’s International Women’s Day campaign – “Her for She” – generated negative reaction online and in the media for including trans representation.
o On June 28, 2023, a man stabbed three individuals in a University of Waterloo gender studies class. Police described the attack as a “hate-motivated incident related to gender expression and gender identity”.

2SLGBTQI+ Youth
•2SLGBTQI+ youth in schools across the country also experience discrimination. Égale Canada reported (2011) that 64% of LGBTQ2 students felt unsafe at school.
•The Government of Canada will continue to engage with all levels of government and 2SLGBTQI+ community leaders to address this issue.
•As part of this work, WAGE is engaging with Provinces and Territories to advance 2SLGBTQI+ equity across Canada, including as it pertains to matters of importance for 2SLGBTQI+ communities, such as education, that fall within jurisdictional authorities of other levels of government.

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