In the first edition of the federal government’s Discover Canada guide for new immigrants, the only mention of gays and lesbians was a caption under a photo of Mark Tewksbury that read, “a prominent activist for gay and lesbian Canadians.” The second edition, released on March 14, adds a single sentence on gay people Canada.
“Canada’s diversity includes gay and lesbian Canadians, who enjoy the full protection of and equal treatment under the law, including access to civil marriage” has been added to a section entitled diversity.
“One paragraph is better than no paragraph, I suppose,” says NDP immigration critic Olivia Chow. “It’s the will of Parliament – for once, they semi-listened, and at least there’s some mention of gay rights.”
Chow brought a motion before Parliament last spring to have the sections on gay and lesbian rights restored to the guide after documents obtained through an Access to Information request revealed that they had been cut. That motion passed. According to The Canadian Press, the earlier version also included sections detailing milestones in the gay liberation movement, including decriminalization of homosexuality in 1969 and the gay marriage law of 2005.
“I could have done without the ‘civil marriage’ but the word ‘marriage’ would have been general and acceptable because there are members of the community who choose to get married in religious services,” says Liberal immigration critic Justin Trudeau.
No new imagery was added to the guide, leaving the picture of Tewksbury, by himself, to represent gay and lesbian people.
Discover Canada Guide
Read more - Revamped citizenship guide still light on gay content
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