NDP statement on the 17th International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia

Jagmeet Singh Leader of Canada’s NDP issued the following statement:

“Today on the International Day Against Homophobia, Transphobia and Biphobia we recommit to standing up to hatred and discrimination wherever we encounter it. Together, we can make our country a place where everyone can be who they are and love who they love in safety and dignity.

But there is still a lot of work to do. We must acknowledge and address all forms of violence that LGBTQ2+ people continue to face.

A report from Statistics Canada released just months ago showed that hate crimes against sexual minorities were on the rise. In 2019, hate crimes against LGBTQ2+ people increase by 41 per cent and over half of the incidents reported were violent crimes. This is unacceptable and violence against anyone cannot be tolerated. The government has to ensure people have the services and support they need to report these incidents and recover from these traumatizing events.

Practices like conversion therapy have caused so much harm to LGBTQ2+ people and should have no place in our society. New Democrats are again calling on the Trudeau government to take urgent action to immediately ban conversion therapy here in Canada. Not one more person should be subjected to this abusive practice.

The Canadian government must be a vocal ally for LGBTQ2+ people at home and around the world. There are still 69 countries where it is illegal to be gay and nine countries who have specific laws that target gender expression aimed at Trans and gender non-conforming people. The death penalty is still a punishment for being gay in seven countries. The Canadian government needs to condemn this behaviour on the international stage and ensure that LGBTQ2+ refugees have a path to safety.

On this important day, we say to members of the LGBTQ2+ community in Canada and all over the world – we see you and we value you. New Democrats will always fight to ensure your human rights are respected and protected. Together we can build a future where everyone lives free from the threat of violence."