Bill C-279: Gender Identity and Expression Tag

24 Jul 2015 Highs and Lows of the 41st Canadian Parliament

On June 18th, the House of Commons adjourned, setting the stage for an election campaign that will end the 41st session of Parliament. This is an appropriate time to look back on the past four years and see what was accomplished, especially through the lens of ARPA Canada and the issues that we focus on. Pre-born Human Rights: When the Conservatives were handed a majority in the last federal election, many Christians hoped that pre-born human rights would finally be addressed. These hopes were in vain. Although some courageous MPs stood up for the pre-born, the leadership of all the political parties in the House of Commons did their utmost to suppress these efforts.   Motion 312, championed by MP Stephen Woodworth, was the first motion that held promise. It asked that “a special committee of the House of Commons be appointed and directed to review the declaration in Subsection 223(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada which states that a child becomes a human being only at the moment of complete birth.” Local ARPA chapters hosted presentations by Mr. Woodworth on this motion and many ARPA supporters encouraged MPs to support it. But with the party leaders all vocally opposed, the motion died in the House by a vote of 203 to 91. Yet Motion 312 reignited a discussion that was quiet for too long. Momentum for addressing this injustice was building.
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10 Oct 2014 Stop Bill C-279 Before it Becomes Law

Bill C-279 would add "gender identity" as another identifiable group in a section of the Criminal Code and the Canadian Human Rights Act, giving individuals who feel they are transgendered extra protections under the law. The bill passed through the House of Commons and is now in the Senate. Now is the time to stop it before it becomes law! Our video below goes into detail to explain the many problems that arise when law and public policy are based on how people feel about themselves, rather an any objective reality. Transgendered Canadians, like everyone else, are already equally protected under the law. Please urge the Senators from your province to oppose Bill C-279.  1) Easymail letter for BC Senators2) Easymail letter for Alberta Senators3) Easymail letter for Ontario Senators4) Find a listing of all the Senators, along with sample letters here.  
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08 Jul 2013 Bill C-279 (Transgendered Rights) Can Still Be Stopped!

Although we would love to see our leaders stand up for what is right, sometimes we have to rely on other means to promote good law in Canada. When it comes to Bill C-279, which would add extra protections in law for transgendered Canadians, a majority of both the House of Commons and Senate support this dangerous legislation (learn more about it here). But that does not mean it will pass. If it can be stalled long enough and doesn't make it through all the required steps, it will not...

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04 Jun 2013 Bill 279 is not passed yet: Please help stop it!

ARPA Note: We have followed this bill extensively but encourage you to persist in opposing it. You can find a sample letter and contact information for all the Senators here. Find a video, action items, and more information here. REAL WOMEN OF CANADA - June 4, 2013: The bill on the transgendered (Bill C-279) is now being reviewed by the Senate Committee on Human Rights.  Supporters of this bill claim that it is merely a “simple” amendment to extend human rights protection to another category of deserving individuals. Yet, when the bill was reviewed by the House of Commons Justice Committee in December, 2012, testimony was provided by the Canadian Human Rights Commission, and also the officials from the Department of Justice. They testified that there was no requirement to amend the Canadian Human Rights Act and the Criminal Code, since the transgendered were already protected under the category of “sex” in the Canadian Human Rights Act.  They also referred to the existence of substantial case law to support this position. Why, then, has this transgendered bill been placed before Parliament?
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14 Feb 2013 New EasyMail: Bill C-279 Vote Coming Soon

Bill C-279 needs concerted action before the February 27 vote! We have reported extensively on Bill C-279. Here is the final update and call to action: Although 15 Conservative MPs supported the bill at an earlier vote, they did so under the condition that amendments be made when the bill was studied by the Justice Committee. That Committee was unable to agree on amendments, and the bill was sent back to the House without being changed, meaning that it would probably have been defeated.However, this week Member of Parliament Randall Garrison, the bill's sponsor, submitted a package of amendments to his bill, which will be reintroduced in the House of Commons at report stage on February 27.
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14 Jan 2013 Continued Action on Bill C-279

Today, ARPA Canada mailed each Member of Parliament the letter below. Please follow up with your MP and encourage them to vote on this bill, and to base their decision on scientific evidence, not political correctness. Check out this YouTube video explaining our concerns with the bill (also linked in the letter below), as well as the eye-opening testimony of leading psychiatrist Dr. Berger and bring the testimony and the video to your MP's attention. To help you encourage your MP, we've also provided a petition for you to print and fill out.
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12 Apr 2012 EasyMail Action Item: Transgender Bill Back in Parliament

Updated - Vote Result: The bill passed Second Reading vote with 150 MPs in support and 132 against. It still has a ways to go through Parliament. If you have not done so yet, please take a few minutes and use our EasyMail to urge your MP to vote against this bill.   EasyMail Action Item: NDP Member of Parliament Randall Garrison (on right) has reintroduced the infamous "bathroom bill" which many of our readers worked hard to oppose in the last Parliament. Bill C-279 would add gender identity and gender expression to the list of "identifiable groups" to the hate section of the Criminal Code as well as to the the Canadian Human Rights Act. As Dr. Douglas Farrow pointed out in 2010 this legislation "will entrench in Canadian law the notion that sex and/or gender are basically social constructs, products of a series of human choices, based not in the natural order but in more or less arbitrary acts of interpretation.”
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