Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled the strategy, called “Canada’s first Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan,” at a press conference Sunday ahead of the Pride parade in Ottawa — the first in-person march after 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 continued 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. .
Trudeau said 75 percent of the funding will go to community organizations focused on diversity and inclusion because “that’s where the real work of support comes from.”
“The strength and resilience of your communities should inspire everyone,” he said.
The strategy suggests 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 in North America.”
The acronym stands for Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex and additional sexually and gender diverse individuals.
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 to be accepted.”
“This is for people — who are rejected by family and friends after coming out — to everyone trying to live their truth in rural communities where they feel isolated — this is for black queer people who are struggling every day to justify their place in this country and trans women who are sometimes afraid to walk home alone in the dark – that’s for you,” Ien said.
He said the strategy was created after many years of consultation and research with members of the LGBTQ and two-spirit communities.
Ottawa received more than 25,000 responses in 2020-2021 to a national online survey about how to better serve diverse communities, Ien said.
“The resounding response was that they needed more direct support … to deliver programs — to continue to educate the wider public because, again, we can’t legislate kindness,” Ien said.
More than $5 million of the funding, he added, will go toward launching a public awareness campaign.
The government also committed through the plan to launch consultations on additional criminal law reforms, with $7.7 million earmarked for community data collection and policy research to support federal action on LGBTQ issues.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 28, 2022.
