The House of Commons Standing Committee’s report also provides a list of recommendations for policy changes, and government-sponsored activities that could positively improve the well-being and healthcare of LGBTQ2 people in Canada. These recommendations include:
Government-Sponsored Policy Changes for LGBTQ2 People in Canada
Foster the inclusion of LGBTQ2 content in the curricula of health-related professional and training programs. Collaborate with health authorities and decision makers to promote the inclusion of topics pertaining the health of sexual and gender minorities in the curricula and training of professionals who work in the field of healthcare. This can involve partnering up with relevant regulatory bodies to include LGBTQ2 competencies as a part of the registration process to lawfully practice within a province.
Create a national education campaign. The Committee also recommended an education campaign launched across Canada that would provide education on sexual and gender diversity, specifically from an intersectional lens. This campaign’s goal would be to educate the public on the challenges and barriers faced by LGBTQ2 communities.
Facilitate diverse gender options on personal identification documents. The committee recommends that policies be in place to allow trans- and gender-diverse people to identify their gender in ways other than only “male” or “female” on legal and identification documents. The report also suggests doing this by consulting directly with trans- and gender-diverse people to ensure the best practises of this change.
Facilitate diverse gender options on personal identification documents. The committee recommends that policies be in place to allow trans- and gender-diverse people to identify their gender in ways other than only “male” or “female” on legal and identification documents. The report also suggests doing this by consulting directly with trans- and gender-diverse people to ensure the best practises of this change.
Promote LGBTQ2-specific public health grants. It is suggested that greater funding be offered directly to health and community organizations serving the LGBTQ2 community. This recommendation suggests that greater funding may facilitate greater access to health and community programming to ultimately improve the well-being of LGBTQ2 people.
Target LGBTQ2 people in national strategies for public health issues. LGBTQ2-identified people are over-represented in areas such as homelessness, substance use, and poverty. Therefore, it is recommended that programs are put in place to specifically address the LGBTQ2 community in strategies run by federal agencies (e.g. Canada’s Homelessness Strategy, Canada’s Poverty Reduction Strategy) that already exist to reduce these social issues.
Offer shelter support for homeless trans and non-binary people. Trans and gender-diverse people are over-represented among homeless populations, including youth who may be displaced from their homes. Yet, many shelter spaces are not trans-inclusive because they are often gendered as supports for only male or female-identified people. As a result, many gender-diverse people face harrassment and discrimination in these spaces. The report recommends that existing, and/or new, shelter spaces address this issue.
Health care coverage for gender-affirming surgeries and hormone therapies.
Eliminate in Canada. The report recommends that conversion therapy be banned in all provinces and territories across Canada, and that new consequences be entered into the Criminal Code for anyone practising any form of conversion therapy.
Change the criminal code to postpone genital surgeries on intersex people. It is recommended that genital surgeries on intersex youth be postponed until the child is reasonably old enough to be part of the decision making process.
Increase access to HIV-related medication and home testing kits. It is suggested that all HIV-related medications be covered under a national pharmacare plan. This includes , and medications.
End blood, organ and tissue donation bans for gay, bisexual and other men who have sex with men (MSM). It’s recommended that Canadian Blood Services and Hema-Quebec end the donation ban for MSM. Instead, a screening process that is based on behaviour, rather than gender, would be appropriate.
Push forward inclusive sexual education programs. The report recommends that the federal agency, Health Canada, develop a sexual education curriculum that is evidence-based and includes comprehensive information on sexual orientation and gender identity. This recommendation would keep provinces and territories to a federal standard of education in this area.
