CIJA Applauds Passage of Bill Protecting Transgender Canadians from Hate

Ottawa, ON – Today, the Senate voted to pass Bill C-16: An Act to Amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and Criminal Code. As a result, gender identity and expression will be included in hate crime sections of the Criminal Code and as a prohibited ground for discrimination in the Canadian Human Rights Act.

CIJA Chair David J. Cape issued the following statement:

“We applaud the passage of this historic bill to protect one of Canada’s most vulnerable communities. We especially commend MP Randall Garrison, Justice Minister Jody Wilson-Raybould and Senator Grant Mitchell for their leadership in this cross-party initiative.

“Transgender people are an indivisible part of our communities and our country. Like any at-risk minority, transgender Canadians deserve the full protection of the law, especially since hate crimes against transgender people tend to be physically aggressive.”

Tom Chervinsky, Chair of CIJA’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Council, issued the following statement:

“As Canada’s largest per-capita target of hate-motivated crime, Jewish Canadians know firsthand how important it is for minorities to be protected from hate. Speaking as a member of the Jewish and LGBTQ+ communities, I am proud that CIJA served on the Executive Committee of Trans Equality Canada and was a vocal leader in this cause.

“We thank the Government of Canada for undertaking this crucial initiative to counter hate and discrimination in Canadian society. Bill C-16 will rightfully ensure that transgender Canadians are protected the same way that other vulnerable groups are.”

Background

• CIJA serves on the Executive Committee of Trans Equality Canada.

• CIJA is proud to partner with the LGBTQ+ community in advocating for Bill C-16, building on our work to advance previous legislative initiatives to include gender identity and expression in the Criminal Code and Canadian Human Rights Act.

• Past experience demonstrates that explicit reference in the Criminal Code increases the likelihood that police or crown attorneys will correctly identify a criminal act as hate or bias-motivated.

• Since Bill C-16 was introduced in May 2016, British Columbia and Quebec have passed legislation amending their respective human rights codes to explicitly protect gender identity and/or gender expression, joining Newfoundland, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, and the Northwest Territories.

• Transgender individuals face high rates of violence in Canada and around the world. In Ontario, the Trans Pulse Project found that 20% of transgender people had been physically or sexually assaulted as a result of their gender identity or expression, and a further 34% had been verbally threatened or harassed.

-30-