“I will be wearing pink today. Day of Pink is about speaking out and letting everyone know that we will not accept bullying and discrimination in our schools and workplaces. This remarkable movement is a testimony to the power of collective action,” said Green Leader Elizabeth May, Member of Parliament for Saanich-Gulf Islands.

“All of us desire the basic human rights of freedom and dignity, which bullying destroys. Communities need not only to have zero tolerance for bullying but also resolve its root causes, too often a result of poverty and a lack of community education,” remarked Joe Foster, Human Rights advocate for the Green Party of Canada.

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Seconded by Elizabeth May on October 23, 2012

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The bill certainly is a step in the right direction, but I must agree with my hon. friend that there needs to be more, perhaps a civilian oversight body, going along with these proposed improvements in legislation.

The member raised the issue of women in the RCMP who faced sexual discrimination and had their careers ended. I have talked to some of those women and they say it is somewhat of a convenient myth that there is systemic sexism within the RCMP. They say their experience is that there are one or two bad apples who keep being promoted and do not get punished. Therefore, the overall message is that if one speaks up, one’s career will end and that the person causing grief will continue on a career path by perhaps moving sideways or to another detachment.

I would like my hon. friend’s comments on how we can protect women in the RCMP so that they do not face sexual discrimination and harassment.

Malcolm Allen: Mr. Speaker, I understand that the folks the member has talked to say that they do not believe it is systemic, but what I witnessed in the auto sector in the mid-1970s is indeed exactly the same thing within RCMP. It was systemic.

If someone is being told they will be promoted or will be moved sideways, it is the system that is doing that. The system is saying that it is okay for them to do what they did and that it will just shuffle them and put them in a different place, and that it will do so again.

The issue is that we actually have to stop it. We have to have the leadership to say that if this continues the person will not be there any more. It is not good enough to simply say “Oops, that was nasty“, and give them a slap on the wrist and a promotion to do something else. Rather, this issue has to be condemned and must be ended.

Where women and men are in the workplace, they must always be equal. They can be nothing less than equals. We put a stop to it when men in an organization, and I say this with purpose, actually accept women as equals in the workplace.

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“As Canadians, we can be proud that our great country was one of the first to sanction same-sex marriage. As Greens, we are proud that we were the first federal party to officially support the inclusion of same-sex couples in civil marriage.”

“Now, we must continue to improve. It is still unacceptable that trans-gendered people are rarely even considered when laws and public policies are created. We still have to make changes,” said May.

The Green vision is of a world free from discrimination based on sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, a world in which difference is accepted and celebrated.

Green Party MPs will:

• Amend the Canadian Human Rights Act to explicitly include gender identity and gender expression as protected grounds of discrimination.
• Amend the Criminal Code to include gender identity and gender expression in the hate sentencing and hate propaganda provisions.
• Support public education to end prejudice and discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
• End the targeting by Canada Customs of LGBT bookstores and other LGBT businesses.
• Ensure Canada advocates internationally for an end to state-sanctioned discrimination and violence against LGBT people.

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“Everyone thought this issue of same-sex marriage was settled.  Canadians have over and over again indicated that they believe people have the right to marry without being discriminated against for their sexual orientation,” said Chris Lea, former leader of the Green Party of Canada and the first openly gay political party leader in Canadian history.

Canadians believe in freedom from discrimination. This includes people having the right to live their lives without being discriminated against for their race, creed, ethnic background, political beliefs or sexual orientation. A majority of Canadians applaud the fact that Canada was one of the first countries to sanction same-sex marriage. Existing legislation and the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms prohibit discrimination.

In 1996, the Green Party of Canada became the first federal party to officially support the inclusion of same-sex couples in civil marriage.

“The Harper government’s position shows a total disrespect of gays and lesbians and their families, contempt of law, legislation and due process. As confirmed by the Supreme Court of Canada, our rights are equal to the rights of other citizens and visitors in Canada. This new position promotes hate in a time when too many young gay, lesbian and transgender people are being bullied into taking their lives,” said Lea.

“We must not allow these backward steps. We must remain vigilant and work toward our vision of a world in which difference is accepted and celebrated, whether it is sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression,” said May.

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