43rd Parliament291Not answered before dissolutionAugust 15, 2021e-3296e-3296 (Social affairs and equality)JoyceArthurLindsayMathyssenLondon—FanshaweNDPONMarch 26, 2021, at 4:12 p.m. (EDT)April 25, 2021, at 4:12 p.m. (EDT)May 26, 2021April 26, 2021Petition to the <Addressee type="3" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">Government of Canada</Addressee>Whereas:Recent media coverage has revealed that several hate groups and anti-LGBT groups and at least 45 anti-choice groups received CEWS funding (through the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy so companies can pay staff during the pandemic);The Canada Summer Jobs program has criteria that disqualify applicants whose activities “actively work to undermine or restrict a woman’s access to sexual and reproductive health services” and those who restrict access to programs, services, or employment via discrimination; andPublic funds of the government should not be directed to organizations that support discrimination and are anti-choice.We, the undersigned, citizens of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to: 1. Change the criteria for the Canadian Emergency Wage Subsidy funding to exclude anti-choice groups and hate groups; and2. Revoke CEWS funding previously given to anti-choice groups and hate groups.Associations, institutions and organizationsCanada Emergency Wage SubsidyCOVID-19DiscriminationIncome and wagesPandemic43rd Parliament229Not certifiedJuly 29, 2021e-3356e-3356 (Health)Miguel ArturoPossamai SolorzanoHon.MichelleRempel GarnerCalgary Nose HillConservativeABMay 28, 2021, at 4:27 p.m. (EDT)July 27, 2021, at 4:27 p.m. (EDT)July 29, 2021Petition to the <Addressee type="3" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">Government of Canada</Addressee>Whereas:The Canadian Blood Services is seeking urgent blood donations to prevent a blood shortage;The current government has promised to remove the deferral period for men who have sex with men to donate blood;By maintaining the deferral period, the government is complicit in stigmatizing gay men; andThere are many countries around the globe that have adopted a lifestyle-based questionnaire and have lifted the ban on gay blood for examples, Argentina, Israel, Italy, Poland, Russia, Portugal, Spain, South Africa, Ukraine, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Bulgaria.We, the undersigned, Citizens and Residents of Canada, call upon the Government of Canada to lift the ban on gay men’s ability to donate blood.Blood supplyDiscriminationGay and lesbian personsMen43rd Parliament223Government response tabledJanuary 25, 2021432-00306432-00306 (Employment and labour)KarenVecchioElgin—Middlesex—LondonConservativeONNovember 27, 2020January 25, 2021October 13, 2020Petition to the House of CommonsWe, the undersigned, citizens of Canada,Draw the attention of the House of CommonsTo the following, that, in support of the undersigned Petitioner Theresa Doherty:We contend there is an as yet undisclosed need to examine and challenge existing standards of Police Officer recruitment and collective force(s) arbitrary decision of 'non-competitive' without explanation. To dispute Ontario Watchdog organizations for negligence and failure to provide mandate of transparency, accountability and impartiality. We suggest this request for remedy is pervasive in nature, a Canadian concern and that the Public has the right to be made aware of the hidden agenda in Police recruiting and imbalance of power from the very entities they entrust and expect the same from. We request to make transparent the determination for hire for a Police Officer in Canada with intention of changing public policy in police recruiting. I, Theresa Doherty intend to make Void a non-disclosure signed August 2017 on grounds of unconscionability against Toronto Police Services Board. This petition cannot be brought before a court of law or tribunal, as the HRT is one target, lawyers fail to involve for fear of retaliation from the police community and my particular Prayer is precedent setting.A Canadian resident, continuously qualified older mother to 6, who completed requirements repeatedly, including the Physical component 12 times. Additional contributions as community volunteer, University graduate, College graduate, vital role as mother were dismissed and devalued. I have received feedback from other citizens who agree this isn't the justice system in Canada they envisioned.I am competitive. A pioneer in a male and youth dominated industry who deserved consideration. Current standards are unethical, non-inclusive and archaic in practice.Therefore, your petitioners call upon the House of Commons, the addressee; to respond with action to the above Prayer by Theresa Doherty to consider changing public policy in police recruiting and remove discrimination in hiring procedure and investigate corruption in collective oversight agencies.
Response by the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency PreparednessSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Joël Lightbound, M.PAuthority for policing in Canada is decentralized across different levels of government. The administration of justice — including policing — is a provincial responsibility. Throughout Canada, police services may have different mandates, serve different sizes of population, be presented with different community circumstances and operational requirements. The provinces or municipalities determine policing models including policies relating to recruitment. The communities are responsible for governing police services through a police board, band council, or other authority.As the provider of front-line policing services in all provinces and territories except Ontario and Quebec, the Royal Canadian Mounted police (RCMP) works closely with individual communities to tailor its policing model to their needs.The RCMP is committed to modernizing its recruitment practices through proactive action aimed at increasing diversity and reducing bias so that that its police officers reflect the communities it serves. Diversity in the RCMP’s workforce provides the organization  with an enhanced understanding of the communities it serves and  increases collaboration.The RCMP is pursuing a transformation agenda with advice from its independent Management Advisory Board to: tailor the policing model and approach to communities’ needs; strengthen accountability and transparency; advance equity, diversity and inclusion in RCMP decision-making, training and recruitment.The RCMP is also developing a renewed Recruitment Strategy in order to attract diverse applicants with the necessary skills required for modern policing.  As part of this  Strategy, the RCMP will focus on increasing diversity among proactive recruiters, to represent the diversity it seeks to attract. The RCMP will also implement modern applicant screening tools to promote diversity and ensure candidates have the attributes needed for policing of the future, including screening for bias. Consultation with the RCMP management across the country is underway to support this important work.The RCMP is also applying a Gender based Analysis plus (GBA+) approach to the recruitment process to identify any unintended barriers in the application process. As part of the GBA+,  a new RCMP aptitude test will be introduced to ensure an effective and inclusive approach. Further, a full refresh of the RCMP recruiting website was recently conducted to simplify language and remove unintended barriers. Additionally, the RCMP has adjusted the recruitment application process allowing Permanent Residents, who have lived in Canada for three of the last five years, to apply to be a police officer.We are committed to implementing these necessary modernization efforts — and others — in collaboration with partners and stakeholders, to build a stronger, more inclusive and more resilient country, to keep all communities safe and secure.
DiscriminationOversight mechanismPolice officersStaffing
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledJanuary 25, 2021e-2757e-2757 (Health)DavySabourinRandallGarrisonEsquimalt—Saanich—SookeNDPBCJuly 29, 2020, at 9:01 a.m. (EDT)October 27, 2020, at 9:01 a.m. (EDT)December 7, 2020January 25, 2021October 27, 2020Petition to the <Addressee type="3" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">Government of Canada</Addressee>Whereas:Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec will not accept blood and plasma donations from gay men, men who have sex with men, and trans women if they have had a male sexual partner within three months;Canada’s blood supply is suffering from shortages during the COVID-19 crisis and there is an urgency of obtaining plasma donations for research into the prevention and treatment of COVID-19;Behaviour-based screening provides better security for the blood supply than identity-based rules, and there is no science behind the current 3-month deferral;In Canada, every blood donation is tested for several infectious diseases, including HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C; andMore than 17 nations have no deferral period, including Italy, Spain and Argentina.We, the undersigned, concerned citizens, call upon the Government of Canada to 1. Act now to immediately eliminate the 3-month deferral for blood and plasma donations from men who have sex with men, gay men, and trans women, and2. Support member of Parliament Randall Garrison’s motion, M-41, tabled in the House of Commons on June 8, 2020.
Response by the Minister of HealthSigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): Darren FisherThe Government of Canada is committed to protecting the safety and security of Canada’s blood supply. The Government is also committed to supporting blood donation practises in Canada that are non-discriminatory and scientifically supported.Blood donation practises are determined by Canada’s blood operators—Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec. Changes to donation practises can only be implementedby the blood operators. However, they must be based on current scientific evidence and approved by Health Canada. To date, the Department has not yet received a submission from the blood operators to eliminate the deferral period in question.Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec were created as arm’s length organizations responsible for operating Canada and Québec’s blood systems. Under Canada’s Blood Regulations, they are required to make submissions to Health Canada for any changes to their practices, such as changes to donor deferrals. These submissions must include scientific data that support the safety of the proposed changes. Health Canada evaluates and approves any changes before they can be implemented but has no authority to mandate that a donor screening criterion be changed, except in extraordinary situations when safety issues arise. In Canada, every blood donation is tested for several infectious diseases, including HIV, hepatitis B and hepatitis C. Despite advances in testing methods, there remains a period when there is a risk that infected units of blood may not be identified by testing. As a result, donor screening and deferral remain relevant safety measures because they minimize the potential of infected units of blood entering the system.Funding research is the federal lever available to support further changes to blood donation practises. Under Health Canada’s MSM Blood and Plasma Research Program—ongoing since 2016—Canadian Blood Services is overseeing 19 funded research projects selected through peer review processes that could inform future changes to blood and plasma donation eligibility and screening. This includes assessing whether changing to a gender-neutral, behaviour-based donor criterion would be acceptable. Research is ongoing and some project results are expected in 2021.Since 2015, Health Canada has approved two submissions from both Canadian Blood Services and Héma-Québec to change the deferral period for MSM. On June 16, 2016, Health Canada approved submissions to change the blood donor deferral period for MSM from five years to one year and on April 30, 2019, Health Canada approved submissions to further reduce the MSM deferral period to three months.At this time, we have not received a request from Canadian Blood Services and Héma Quebec. However, we are funding 15 research projects to help find evidence needed to eliminate it. We encourage Canadian Blood Services and Héma Quebec to move towards a behaviour-based model and abandon this discriminatory practice.
Blood supplyDiscriminationGay and lesbian personsMenTransgender persons
43rd Parliament223Government response tabledDecember 7, 2020e-2289e-2289 (Information and privacy)JenniferJosephDerekSloanHastings—Lennox and AddingtonConservativeONFebruary 14, 2020, at 10:33 a.m. (EDT)April 14, 2020, at 10:33 a.m. (EDT)October 23, 2020December 7, 2020April 14, 2020Petition to the <Addressee type="3" affiliationId="" mp-riding-display="1">Government of Canada</Addressee>Whereas:There are no explicit protections for transgender people in Bill C-16. Instead Bill C-16 creates protections for "gender identity" and "gender expression", which have no precise legal definition. This has triggered litigation against women who now need to prove they have a right to women's only safe spaces and sex-segregated activities. Bill C-16 erodes women's sex based rights outlined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms;Before Bill C-16 passed in the House of Commons, the current government pledged that no piece of legislation proposed would ever pass without a full and proper gender-based analysis (GBA) report. This report has never been published or made public, and inquiries made through the Freedom of Information Act suggest it was never completed; andAs of January 2019, Statistics Canada are no longer recording the sex of criminals, but instead the gender by which they identify. Statistics Canada response when contacted and asked if it would effect any research based on the data was "Statistics Canada consulted extensively, and performed the necessary statistical tests to evaluate the impact of this change. It is expected the change will have no impact on the analysis of the data." Again, the public has not been made aware of what statistical tests/methodology they used, nor has anything been published.We, the undersigned, Citizens of Canada, call upon Candice Bergen to ask for the Gender-Based Analysis report be made public, and for Statistics Canada to explain their analysis or publish the results.
Response by the Minister of Justice and Attorney General of Canada Signed by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable David LamettiFormer Bill C-16, An Act to Amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code, was an important step forward in protecting the dignity, security and freedom of transgender and gender-diverse Canadians. With this Bill, Parliament affirmed that trans and gender-diverse persons are entitled to equal protection from discrimination, hate propaganda, and hate crime; and that every individual is entitled to express their gender identity or gender expression without fear of harm.The passage of this legislation in no way diminishes the importance of considering the differential impacts of policy choices on specific segments of the Canadian population. The Government of Canada is committed to supporting the full implementation of gender-based analysis across federal departments and agencies. With Budget 2019, the Government of Canada published its first Gender Report, which is publicly available online. 
Response by the Minister of Innovation, Science and IndustrySigned by (Minister or Parliamentary Secretary): The Honourable Navdeep BainsThe new gender and sex standards released by Statistics Canada, on April 13th, 2018, followed several months of focus groups and testing sessions with cisgender and transgender individuals. Statistics Canada also consulted with transgender and non-binary individuals, representatives of organizations serving the transgender population, academic experts in the measurement of gender identity, as well as several federal departments.Statistics Canada has analyzed the results of its social statistics surveys, where sample sizes were sufficient, by comparing the results using either sex or gender.  No significant impact was found when comparing the effect on the characteristics analyzed. These assessments were performed by analysts responsible for these statistical programs. Statistics Canada is currently in the process of implementing either the sex at birth and gender questions or the gender question only into its different collection vehicles.
Access to informationDiscriminationGender identity and gender expressionGender-based analysis