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Trans rights Bill C-389 dies in Senate upon election call: Trans community calls on candidates to support equality

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE / POUR DIFFUSION IMMÉDIATE -- Sunday, March 27, 2011 -- CANADA

(version française suivre)

TRANS RIGHTS BILL C-389 DIES IN SENATE UPON ELECTION CALL:
Trans Community Calls on Candidates to Support Equality

A grassroots coalition of advocates and members of transsexual and transgender communities, along with Aide aux transsexuels et transsexuelles du Québec (ATQ), Trans Alliance Society and Trans Equality Society of Alberta, are saddened to note that with yesterday's election call, and despite the key victory of earning the support of the House of Commons at third reading, Bill C-389, An Act to Amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code (gender identity and gender expression) ends its trek through the Senate without being passed into law.

As a marginalized community, many of us have experienced or have assisted others who have faced economic, systemic, and legal disenfranchisement at our jobs, homes, places of business and while accessing services. Some of us have also experienced violence. Although Canadian information is scarce, a recent report by the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force, Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, illustrates the need for specific human rights inclusion.[1] The TransPulse project also provides some Ontario-specific resources, including an e-bulletin on how personal annual incomes in the trans community are inconsistent with what one would expect based on high levels of education that many trans people possess.[2] This discrepancy likely results from the discrimination and harassment based on gender identity and gender expression that Bill C 389 sought to address.

We thank Bill Siksay for all the work he has done to shepherd Bill C-389 through Parliament. We have tended to be a forgotten community historically, and the fact that he remembered and sought to include us in legislation will be remembered. We wish him well in his retirement. We also thank the parties, Members of Parliament and legislative staff who have lent their support and efforts.

We also note that there are other gaps in legal protections, as well. For example, the Criminal Code does not include disability and sex among the protected classes. As they go into this election, we call upon members and leaders of all parties to make it a point to correct all of these gaps in a comprehensive way. We also encourage all Canadians who care about equality and human rights to contact their local candidates, impress upon them the need for fully-inclusive legislation, and demand a commitment to support it.

This coalition of transsexual and transgender advocates and community members was formed in 2011 as Bill C-389 passed in the House of Commons, for the purpose of offering trans perspectives to media and to the public.

REFERENCES
1 http://www.thetaskforce.org/downloads/reports/reports/ntds_full.pdf
2 http://transpulse.ca/public_downloads.html


------------------

LE PROJET DE LOI C-389 SUR LES DROITS DES PERSONNES TRANS MUERT AU FEUILLETON:
La communauté trans presse les candidat-e-s à appuyer l’égalité

Une coalition de membres de la communauté transsexuelle et transgenre, accompagnée par Aide aux transsexuels et transsexuelles du Québec (ATQ), Trans Alliance Society et la Trans Equality Society of Alberta, note avec tristesse qu’avec le déclenchement des élections, le projet de loi C-389, Loi pour amender la Loi canadienne sur les droits de la personne et le Code criminel (identité et expression sexuelles) meurt au feuilleton au Sénat. Rappelons toutefois que ce projet de loi avait franchi l’étape historique de l’adoption à troisième lecture à la Chambre des communes.

En tant que membres d’une communauté marginalisée, beaucoup de parmi nous ont subi ou ont appuyé des proches ayant subi la discrimination économique, systémique et juridique à nos emplois, à nos résidences, dans des commerces et en utilisant des services publics. Plusieurs ont également subi des agressions. Quoique des études canadiennes sont rares, un rapport récent de la National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (É.-U.) sous le titre Injustice at Every Turn: A Report of the National Transgender Discrimination Survey, renforce le besoin d’une protection spécifique dans les lois portant sur les droits de la personne.[1] Chez nous, le projet TransPulse (Ontario) a publié un bulletin électronique faisant état des revenus faibles au sein de la communauté trans, malgré le fort niveau d’éducation moyen de cette communauté.[2] On peut attribuer cette inconsistance par la discrimination et le harcèlement basé sur l’identité et l’expression de genre, l’objet du projet de loi C-389.

Nous remercions le député Bill Siksay (NPD Burnaby—Douglas, C.B.) pour son travail acharné pour l’adoption de son projet de loi. Nous sommes souvent oublié-e-s en tant que communauté, et nous nous souviendrons longtemps de sa conscience de nos préoccupations et sa volonté de les inclure dans la législation. Nous lui souhaitons une retraite plein de bonheur. Nous sommes également reconnaissant-e-s envers les partis politiques, député-e-s et attaché—e-s politiques qui nous ont accordé leur appui et leur travail.

Nous notons également d’autres lacunes dans la loi. Par exemple, le Code criminel ne comprend pas la limitation fonctionnelle ni le sexe parmi les motifs de crime haineux. Au début de ces élections, nous pressons les candidat-e-s et les chefs des partis à s’engager à corriger ces lacunes de façon compréhensive. Nous encourageons aussi les électrices et électeurs qui priorisent l’égalité et les droits de la personne à contacter les candidat-e-s dans leur circonscription, faire valoir le besoin de législation inclusive et exiger un engagement de l’appuyer.

Cette coalition de défenseurs/euses et de membres de la communauté transsexuelle et transgenre fut créée en 2011 au cours du cheminement du projet de loi C-389 à la Chambre des communes, afin d’offrir les perspectives des personnes trans aux médias et au public.


RÉFÉRENCES
[1] http://www.thetaskforce.org/downloads/reports/reports/ntds_full.pdf
[2] http://transpulse.ca/public_downloads.html

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TRANS EQUALITY SOCIETY of ALBERTA  |  PO Box 2053 Edmonton Main  |  Edmonton  |  Alberta  |  T5J 2P4