Our Canadian trans cousins are one step closer to having some historic legislation passed on their behalf.New Democrat LGBT Critic Bill Siksay’s Private Member’s Bill C-389 is closer to becoming law in the Great White North after it passed 9-2 without amendments last night at the Justice and Human Rights Committee.
C-389 adds gender identity and gender expression to the list of prohibited grounds of discrimination in the Canadian Human Rights Act and amends the hate crimes and sentencing provisions of the Criminal Code of Canada.
This is great news,” said MP Siksay. “This positive step in the legislative process comes after consultations with members of the transsexual and transgender community across Canada, after several versions of the bill, and after a lot of work by trans activists and allies. We are on track toward ensuring the full protection of transgender and transsexual Canadians under the law.”
“We’re quite conscious of the fact that we’ve got an election coming and wanting to see if we can get it out of the House and into the Senate and through the Senate before the election, otherwise it all dies,” NDP committee member Joe Comartin said. “Speed was really of essence.”
The next Canadian federal elections are scheduled to take place on or before October 15, 2012.
It now heads back to the House of Commons for the next step in the parliamentary legislative process with debate, a vote at report stage and a third reading.Should it clear that stage, it moves to the Canadian Senate where the process will start again. Depending on the House of Commons legislative calendar, the next step could happen as early as next month.
If you're one of my Canadian trans readers or allies you may wish to become an agent of your own liberation and get busy chatting Bill C-389 up with your friendly neighborhood MP.
Your south of the border cousins are saying our prayers for you and hope you'll have continued expeditious positive outcomes on Bill C-389.
