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441-02084 (Social affairs and equality)

Paper petition

Original language of petition: English

Petition to the House of Commons

We, the undersigned citizens and residents of Canada, draw the attention of the House of Commons to the following:

Whereas:

The Liberal Government is involving itself in decisions that should be made by parents and provinces;

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre criticized the Liberal government's attempted interference when he told Justin Trudeau to "butt out" of New Brunswick Premier Blaine Higgs' Policy 713. The New Brunswick proposal requires that schools receive parental consent to change the names and pronouns of students under the age of 16 for official recordkeeping purposes; and

In the vast majority of cases, parents care about the wellbeing of their children and love them much more than any state-run institution. The role of government is to support families and respect parents, not to dictate how they should make decisions for their children.

Therefore, we, the undersigned, call on the Government of Canada to butt out and to let parents raise their own children.

Response by the Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth

Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Lisa Hepfner

Equality rights are at the core of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and are intended to ensure that everyone of every age is treated with the same respect, dignity, and consideration, regardless of personal characteristics such as race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, mental or physical disability, marital status, citizenship, sexual orientation, and gender identities and expressions, from coast, to coast to coast.

Discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation, gender identity and expression continue to be a reality in Canada, and it must be eliminated. It is important that parents be involved in the lives of their children, and that should be balanced with the importance of protecting vulnerable young people.

The Government of Canada is committed to promoting 2SLGBTQI+ equality, protecting 2SLGBTQI+ rights, and addressing discrimination against 2SLGBTQI+ communities, both past and current.

The Government has taken several actions to end discrimination against transgender and gender diverse people in Canada. Some highlights:

• A new Action Plan to Combat Hate that will also address hate faced by 2SLGBTQI+ communities, including trans people (Budget 2023, chapter 4)

• 2022: Government of Canada criminalized conversion therapies, see Statement

• 2017: Canadian Human Rights Act amended to protect gender identity and gender expression

• 2022: Launch of Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan

The first Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan enables the federal government to help advance rights and equality for 2SLGBTQI+ people of every age in Canada. It also seeks to address and prevent discrimination and stigma based on sexual orientation, sex characteristics, gender identity and expression for future 2SLGBTQI+ generations.

The Action Plan achieves these objectives by prioritizing community action and by coordinating work to advance 2SLGBTQI+ issues across the federal government, recognizing the types of inequities facing communities. The plan is supported by an investment of $100 million, which will help create a more equitable Canada for 2SLGBTQI+ communities, both present and future generations. In doing so it builds upon work the Government of Canada has done to address persisting disparities faced by 2SLGBTQI+ communities and to build a safer, more inclusive country.

Presented to the House of Commons
Garnett Genuis (Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan)
February 5, 2024 (Petition No. 441-02084)
Government response tabled
March 20, 2024
Photo - Garnett Genuis
Sherwood Park—Fort Saskatchewan
Conservative Caucus
Alberta

Only validated signatures are counted towards the total number of signatures.