Olivia Chow Stands up for Gay Rights in Parliament

Important Update: Olivia Chow’s motion to restore gay rights in the citizenship guide was passed by the Standing Committee on Citizenship and Immigration, ensuring that future printings contain the removed references to gay rights and gay history.

Ms. Olivia Chow (Trinity—Spadina, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, memos show that references to gay rights were shamefully deleted from the citizenship guide at the behest of the immigration minister.

Half a million copies have been printed with gay history censored.

The minister will not take responsibility and instead leaving his staff to blame. That simply is not acceptable.

Will the minister do the right thing, admit his mistakes, stop laughing about this and immediately apologize to Canadians?

Hon. Jason Kenney (Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, CPC):

Mr. Speaker, I take full responsibility for Discover Canada.

About that the Montreal Gazette that “The 62-page guide is a solid step toward a healthy self-respecting Canadian nationalism we can all share”.

Maclean’s said, “The remedy of the historical oversights of the previous versions the new citizenship guide also provides clear-eyed and forceful statements of the expectations of current Canadian values”.

The old study guide, the one that is replaced, had zero mention of gays and lesbians in Canada. We corrected that in the new guide.

However it is true, there is no section on marriage, there never was, and we are proud of this guide. We believe it does reflect the diversity of Canada

 

 

Ms. Olivia Chow (Trinity—Spadina, NDP):

Mr. Speaker, newcomers need to know that gay-bashing is illegal. They need to know that gay marriage is to be celebrated. Is the minister saying that those important elements of Canadian law should not be made known to new Canadians? Why is it missing? Why is it censored away from the new citizenship guide?

Canadians are tolerant, peace-loving and we value our freedom. Let us make sure that newcomers are welcomed in this spirit.

Will the minister immediately restore this reference to gay rights and gay history to the citizenship guide right now?

Hon. Jason Kenney (Minister of Citizenship, Immigration and Multiculturalism, CPC):

Mr. Speaker, perhaps I have a higher estimation than the member does about new Canadians. I do not believe that new Canadians are potential gay-bashers. I believe that new Canadians come here to respect our laws and the dignity of other Canadians.

We make very clear in this document that was well accepted right across, I believe, the political spectrum, right across the country, that there are rights and responsibilities, and among those responsibilities are following the laws and respecting the dignity of all Canadians.

I am proud that this is the first citizenship guide that does mention gay and lesbian Canadians, unlike the one that it replaces.

Read more posts about: , ,