The federal government unveiled what it described as a historic first as it announced a five-year, $100-million plan to support 2SLGBTQI+ communities across the country, CBC reported.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau unveiled the strategy, called "Canada's first Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan," at an Aug. 28 news conference ahead of the Pride parade in Ottawa—the first in-person march after a two-year hiatus due to COVID-19.
Trudeau touted the plan as the first such federal initiative of its kind, and said it demonstrates the government's commitment to fighting discrimination and supporting diversity.
According to an official press release, the plan will, among other things:
—Prioritize and sustain 2SLGBTQI+ community action by supporting 2SLGBTQI+ community organizations in advocating for and serving the communities they represent;
—Continue to advance and strengthen 2SLGBTQI+ rights at home and abroad including by building on the criminalization of conversion therapy and launching consultations on additional criminal law reforms, as well as continuing to invest in projects abroad through Canada's Feminist International Assistance Policy; and
—Support Indigenous 2SLGBTQI+ resilience and resurgence by continuing to fund Indigenous 2SLGBTQI+ community organizations, placing the "2S" to represent Two-Spirit people at the front of the 2SLGBTQI+ acronym, and creating a dedicated Two-Spirit Senior Advisor position within the 2SLGBTQI+ secretariat.
The entire release is at pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2022/08/28/prime-minister-launches-canadas-first-federal-2slgbtqi-action-plan .
