Parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage will also advise prime minister
By Deborah Gyapong
OTTAWA (CCN)

Caption: MP Randy Boissonnault

The Trudeau government is pressing ahead with an aggressive LGBTQ2 equality agenda through new legislation and the appointment of Special Advisor to guide the process.

On Nov. 15, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau named Edmonton Centre MP Randy Boissonnault as Special Advisor on LGBTQ2 issues.

“Mr. Boissonnault’s principal role will be to advise the Prime Minister on the development and co-ordination of the Government of Canada’s LGBTQ2 agenda,” said a news release announcing the appointment. “This will include working with LGBTQ2 organizations from across the country to promote equality for the LGBTQ2 community, protect the rights of its members, and address discrimination against them – both historical and current.”

“We work diligently to close the gap between our principles of justice and equality and our reality,” Boissonnault told journalists after his appointment. “And we’re only getting started. We know that there’s a lot of work ahead of us. It’s been nothing short of inspiring to be named Special Advisor to the Prime Minister on LGBTQ2 issues.”

“In my new capacity, I will work hard with the Prime Minister and the LGBTQ2 community to advance and protect the rights of the community and address historical injustices that we have endured,” he said.

“We have made great strides in securing legal rights for the LGBTQ2 community in Canada – from enshrining equality rights in the Charter to the passage of the Civil Marriage Act,” said Prime Minister Trudeau. “But the fight to end discrimination is not over and a lot of hard work still needs to be done. Canadians know our country is made stronger because of our diversity, not in spite of it.”

Boissonnault will continue as parliamentary secretary to the Minister of Canadian Heritage.

Also on Nov.15, the Justice Minister introduced an amendment to the Criminal Code that would lower the age of consent for anal sex from 18 to 16, the same age of consent for heterosexual intercourse.

“I am very proud to say that moments ago, I introduced legislation to repeal Section 159 of the Criminal Code, and it’s Bill C-32,” Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould told journalists. “Currently, Section 159 of the Criminal Code prohibits engaging in anal intercourse except by a husband or wife or two persons who are 18 years or older, provided that the act is consensual and takes place in private, which means not in a public place and not in the presence of others.”

“This section of the Criminal Code is discriminatory and the LGBTQ2 community has rightfully called for its repeal,” she said. “Appellate courts in this country have agreed. They have found that this provision violates equality rights under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms. The proposed amendment would ensure that in law, all forms of consensual sexual activity are treated the same. Diversity and inclusion have long been among the values Canadians embrace.”

However, previous governments had argued the law was in place because anal sex-whether engaged in by same-sex or heterosexual couples—is inherently more dangerous because tissues are more easily damaged contributing to the easier transmission of sexually-transmitted diseases and HIV.

Part of Canada’s LGBTQ2 equality agenda is the Transgender Bill C-16 that would make gender identity and expression part of the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code. It passed on third reading in the House of Commons Nov. 19 and is now before the Senate.

Canada will also be raising LGBTQ2 equality rites in international and multilateral forums such as the UN Human Rights Council.