Minister Chagger Marks Important Milestone Toward Canada’s first LGBTQ2 Action Plan

GATINEAU, June 11, 2020

Advancing equity and improving the lives of lesbian, gay, bisexual, Transgender, queer, and Two-Spirit (LGBTQ2) communities is essential to building a society where everyone is able to participate fully and individuals are able to be their true, authentic self in every aspect of life.

On November 27, 2020, the Government of Canada launched the beginning of a formal engagement process with LGBTQ2 communities to inform Canada’s first ever federal LGBTQ2 Action Plan.

Through the LGBTQ2 Action Plan Survey conducted from November 2020 to February 2021, our government reached more than 25,000 LGBTQ2 people living in Canada. Survey respondents shared their lived experiences related to safety and justice, health and wellbeing, housing and homelessness, employment and workplace, as well as discrimination, stigma, and resilience.

Today, the Government of Canada is pleased to share initial survey results with Canadians in the form of two “What We Heard” infographics. These will be followed by a series of thematic infographics that will be released throughout the summer.

The first two infographics include a demographic portrait of respondents and quick facts, which provide insights into some of the key findings identified from the major themes explored in the survey.

As Minister Chagger and the Government of Canada’s LGBTQ2 Secretariat continue their engagement process, they look forward to hearing more from communities through thematic virtual engagement sessions on priority policy issues identified in the survey.

Community inputs from the survey, written submissions, and the various engagement activities will be used to develop the first-ever Federal LGBTQ2 Action Plan.

Quotes

“To everyone who has participated in the engagement process by sharing their daily realities and personal experiences, know that your input is heard and appreciated. The policy development process, underpinned by a robust and intersectional engagement strategy and ongoing research into issues most important to LGBTQ2 communities, will inform the types of measures included in the LGBTQ2 Action Plan. I am looking forward to continuing the discussion during the virtual engagement sessions as we write a new page of history by advancing equity and improving the lives of LGBTQ2 people in Canada.”

—The Honourable Bardish Chagger, Minister of Diversity and Inclusion and Youth

Quick facts

• The LGBTQ2 Survey was open to anyone in Canada age 16 or older who self-identifies as lesbian, gay, bisexual, Transgender, intersex, queer and/or Two-Spirit, including those who identify as part of the LGBTQ2 community, but use different terms or concepts to refer to their sexual orientation and/or gender identity and expression.
• While data collected cannot be generalize to the entire LGBTQ2 population in Canada, the results will provide valuable insights on the daily realities and lived experiences by various LGBTQ2 survey respondents in Canada. The survey results will also be complemented by other data sources, such as research and inputs from communities, academic and policy experts.
• From April 13 to May 31, 2021, the Government of Canada also invited LGBTQ2 civil society organizations to share their views on policies and programs that could be improved, and suggested new measures that could be undertaken as part of the LGBTQ2 Action Plan through an online submission process.