{"id":8955,"date":"2015-10-01T17:27:04","date_gmt":"2015-10-01T21:27:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.aidslaw.ca\/site\/?p=8955"},"modified":"2022-10-04T23:01:23","modified_gmt":"2022-10-05T03:01:23","slug":"proud-to-vote","status":"publish","type":"blog22","link":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/proud-to-vote\/","title":{"rendered":"Proud to Vote: LGBTQ Issues in the Federal Election"},"content":{"rendered":"

October 1, 2015<\/p>\n

On September 24 in Toronto, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer (LGBTQ) issues were front and centre on the campaign trail as the Dignity Initiative<\/a> (co-founded by the Legal Network) co-hosted \u201cProud to Vote: LGBTQ Issues in the Federal Election.\u201d September 24 also marked the launch of the Dignity Initiative\u2019s Call to Action<\/a>\u00a0in support of LGBTQ rights globally, endorsed by more than 120 organizations Canada-wide.<\/p>\n

At the Proud to Vote event, it was a packed house. Candidates who appeared on behalf of their respective parties included Bill Morneau (Liberal candidate in Toronto Centre), Craig Scott (NDP candidate in Toronto Danforth), and Chris Tolley (Green Party candidate in Toronto Danforth). The Conservative Party did not send a participant.<\/p>\n

The event was an opportunity for the co-sponsoring organizations and members of the audience to question the party representatives on a range of issues of interest to LGBTQ communities in Canada, including federal funding for the country\u2019s HIV strategy, aid for LGBTQ refugees, criminal laws that undermine sex workers\u2019 safety, poverty and the need for a guaranteed annual income, pharmacare, the criminalization of people living with HIV and more. You can read the Storify \u2015 a compilation of real-time posts on Twitter \u2015 of the entire #LGBTQVotes debate here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here are a few hot-button questions and answers we would like to highlight:<\/p>\n

\n

Q) Canada needs an adequately funded federal strategy on HIV and AIDS, which disproportionately affects LGBTI communities. Canada is falling down in its response to HIV at\u00a0both global and domestic levels, and we are currently lacking a coordinated, national strategy and corresponding funding \u2015 and the political will \u2015 to end HIV here at home.<\/i> Will your party commit to collaborating with leading HIV organizations in Canada to envision a<\/i> new, fully funded strategy to end HIV and AIDS in this country and globally?<\/i><\/p>\n

\"Untitled-1\"\"Untitled-3\"\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\"Untitled-2\"<\/p>\n

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Q) Recently, Bill C-36, which was ostensibly created to protect sex workers, passed through our last government. However, sex worker advocacy groups have criticized the bill as unduly endangering the lives and livelihoods of sex workers. Will your party look at revising or repealing this bill?<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Untitled-4\"\u00a0\"Untitled-5\"\u00a0\"Untitled-6\"<\/p>\n

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Q) The Syrian refugee crisis has brought attention to refugee and immigration policies. For many LGBTQ people living in places where being queer or transgender is illegal and their safety is continually threatened, gaining refugee status in a country like Canada is critical to survival. Yet, Canada is closing its doors. According to the UN refugee agency, in 2010, Canada ranked 5<\/i>th<\/sup><\/i> in the world for the number of refugees that we admitted. We are now ranked\u00a015<\/i>th<\/sup><\/i>. And our current\u00a0government\u2019s cuts to refugee health care have been called \u201ccruel and unusual\u201d by\u00a0the courts. If elected, what changes would your government make to better support LGBTQ refugees?<\/i><\/p>\n

<\/i>\u00a0\"Untitled-7\"\u00a0\"Untitled-8\"\u00a0\"Untitled-9\"<\/i><\/p>\n

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Q) Let\u2019s think about Canada\u2019s trade relationships: the list of countries (besides ours) involved in the Trans-Pacific Partnership negotiations include Australia, Brunei, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, the United States and Vietnam; countries that do not meet normative, minimal standards in environmental protection and human rights, including labour rights. Brunei has imposed a law that can punish same-sex acts with stoning to death. Malaysia is also repressive to gay, lesbian and transgender people, whose rights are routinely violated by federal and state authorities. So far, Canada’s message has been clear – no rights, no problem. What will change under your government?<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/i>\u00a0\"Untitled-10\"\u00a0\"Untitled-11\"\u00a0\"Untitled-12\"<\/i><\/p>\n

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Q) Does your party support the decriminalization of [people living with] HIV?<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/i>\u00a0\"Untitled-13\"\u00a0\"Untitled-14\"\u00a0\"Untitled-15\"\u00a0\"Untitled-16\"<\/i><\/i>
\n<\/i><\/i><\/p>\n

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As you can see, it\u2019s an important time for LGBTQ rights in Canada and around the world. On September 29, the United Nations released a joint statement on ending violence and discrimination against LGBTI people that was endorsed by UNDP, OHCHR, UNAIDS, ILO, UNESCO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNHCR, UN Women, UNODC, WFP and WHO. The statement recognizes the need to ensure that the rights of LGBTI people are part-and-parcel of sustainable development. Read it here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

For more details\u2026<\/b><\/p>\n

Please visit the following links for some media coverage of the #LGBTQVotes debate. If you missed the debate, it can be found on on Daily Xtra\u2019s Youtube channel<\/a> and broadcast on Rogers Television beginning October 12 through to October 19 (check here<\/a> for airtimes as they become available).
\n<\/a><\/p>\n

NDP, Liberals, Greens Commit to Repealing Anti-Sex Work Law
\n<\/a>NOW Magazine, September 27, 2015
\nJonathan Goldsbie<\/p>\n

The Conservatives Were Represented By An Empty Chair At An LGBT\u00a0Debate
\n<\/a>Buzzfeed Canada, September 25, 2015
\nLauren Strapagiel<\/p>\n

Conservatives A No-Show at National LGBTQ Leaders Debate
\n<\/a>Torontoist, September 25, 2015
\nErica Lenti<\/p>\n

\u00c9lection\u00a0: le milieu LGBT veut se faire entrendre<\/a>
\nTFO, le 25 septembre 2015
\n\u00c9tienne Fortin-Gauthier\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

\u00c9lections f\u00e9d\u00e9rales : Les enjeux LGBTQ sous la loupe
\n<\/a>Radio-Canada, le 24 septembre\u00a0<\/b><\/p>\n

Marginalized communities\u2019 concerns not election focus, expert says
\n<\/a>Yahoo News, October 1, 2015
\nBrent Jolly<\/code><\/code>","protected":false},"featured_media":0,"template":"","publication_topics":[153],"publication_language":[184],"class_list":["post-8955","blog22","type-blog22","status-publish","hentry","publication_topics-lgbtq-rights","publication_language-english"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog22\/8955","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/blog22"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/blog22"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8955"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"publication_topics","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication_topics?post=8955"},{"taxonomy":"publication_language","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hivlegalnetwork.ca\/site\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/publication_language?post=8955"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}