Lawmakers from across the political spectrum have banded together to form Canada’s first 2SLGBTQI+ caucus.
In many ways, the Canadian Pride Caucus cements the protection of 2SLGBTQI+ individuals in the country.
Not only would this kind of governmental body be illegal in different jurisdictions around the world, there would not even be space for 2SLGBTQI+ people in politics.
NDP MP Blake Desjarlais made history in 2021 when he became the first Two-Spirit Member of Parliament in Canada. He’s making history again by co-chairing the unprecedented caucus.
“We have thousands, if not millions, of people in Canada who are members of the 2SLGBTQI+ community,” Desjarlais said in a mid-January interview with rabble.ca. “And it’s not such a far stretch to know that every single human society in the world, that we exist, no matter if governments allow it to exist or not.”
Homosexuality has been legal in Canada for less than half of the country’s existence. Married gay couples in the United States will not even be able to celebrate their tenth anniversary until 2025.
But as Desjarlais noted, it wasn’t until people like professor and activist Michael Phair stood up and said, “I’m done waiting around and watching my friends die of AIDS and HIV.”
Phair’s outspokenness about the AIDS crisis helped him become the first openly gay politician elected in Alberta’s history in 1992. He remained a city councillor for 15 years.
“If they’re not going to do it for us, we’re going to do it ourselves,” Desjarlais said of Phair’s leadership.
Now, the fight for dignity and equality continues as Desjarlais warned “our safety isn’t guaranteed.”
“We have to continuously work together to make sure we don’t fall down a slippery slope, because it’s possible,” he said.
Pointing out the trans community is undergoing a historic level of hatred, Desjarlais added solidarity, cooperation, and unity among the 2SLGBTQI+ community is more important than ever.
“We are a part of the world here. We are part of this land — part of this world as anyone else and any living thing is,” Desjarlais said. “To diminish us and take us out of this world is to hurt our ecosystem and to hurt our environment for all of us.”
Creating the Canadian Pride Caucus
The caucus, which will bring together members of the Canadian House of Commons and Senate, was announced in December 2022 before parliament adjourned for the holiday season.
Co-chaired by Senator René Cormier and Desjarlais, the Canadian Pride Caucus will consist of eight MPs from three federal political parties and two independent senators.
Desjarlais noted the goals of the caucus include working with civil society organizations while also raising awareness and advocating for 2SLGBTQI+ issues in a non-partisan way.
Other MPs on the caucus include New Democrats Lisa Marie Barron and Randall Garrison and CPC member Melissa Lantsman.
There are also three federal ministers in the caucus. They include Minister of Labour Seamus O’Regan, Minister of Sport Pascale St-Onge, and Minister of Tourism Randy Boissonnault. The Liberal members are joined by Robert Oliphant, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Foreign Affairs.
Rounding out the group of ten is a second independent senator, Kim Pate.
In a joint statement issued last month, Cormier and Desjarlais noted the creation of the caucus came one year after Canada banned so-called conversion therapy practices, also known as acts of torture against 2SLGBTQI+ individuals.
“Current events are a constant reminder that the rights of 2SLGBTQI+ communities are eroding and far from achieved around the world,” the co-chairs said.
The creation of the caucus comes in the footsteps of the global Equality Caucus, which first met with politicians in 2020.
In December, Sen. René Cormier tweeted about the creation of the Canadian Pride Caucus.
“The non-partisan approach between parliamentarians has been proven elsewhere in the world,” said Cormier, Caucus co-chair. “Now it’s Canada’s turn to provide united leadership on this matter.”
Caucus will help ‘create a better Canada’
For Desjarlais, the caucus has the ability to reshape perceptions about 2SLGBTQI+ people in Canada, while debunking myths and countering the hyper-divisiveness endangering queer and trans communities.
“I hope that the community sees it as a fair chance for us to try to create a better Canada — one that isn’t as scary as it seems on TV or on TikTok or on Twitter,” Desjarlais said.
Desjarlais hopes the caucus can conduct enough substantial work to present it to a parliamentary committee. But in the meantime, he added, there are mandates and planning items to decide on.
“I think this next year is going to be about the community,” he said, noting he hopes the caucus will provide a platform for as many stakeholders as possible to bring their priorities to the House floor.
According to Desjarlais, the caucus is slated to hold its first event in February.
“We’re the folks who are going to help contribute to a greater society and a greater peace in this place,” Desjarlais said. “Because we have in the past and that’s our record.”
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