Building our future, with pride: Canada’s first Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan
September , 2022 - Defence Stories
On Sunday, August 28, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Canada’s first Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan… Building our future, with pride. The Action Plan, led by Women and Gender Equality Canada (WAGE), represents an important step forward for the Government of Canada and the 2SLGBTQI+ communities that contributed to its development. The Action Plan will support the promotion of equality for 2SLGBTQI+ people, the protection of their rights, and community action. It includes several new initiatives to be implemented over the next five years in a coordinated whole-of-government approach.
What does it mean for the Defence Team?
The plan calls on all departments to strengthen 2SLGBTQI+ inclusion in federal workplaces and take action to ensure that nothing akin to the LGBT Purge happens again. The Department of National Defence and the Canadian Armed Forces (DND/CAF) has been designated as one of the departments that will lead initiatives as part of the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan. In support of the plan we will:
- Continue our work to implement recommendations from the LGBT Purge Class Action Settlement Agreement.
- Ensure that any initiatives we undertake are informed by federal employee networks, stakeholders and by the 2021 LGBT Purge Report “Emerging from the Purge: The State of LGBTQI2S Inclusion in the Federal Workplace and Recommendations for Improvement”; and
- Continue to support and encourage employee-led Pride initiatives, such as the Positive Space Initiative and the Public Service Pride Network.
While the Federal Action Plan is new, DND/CAF has already has taken many positive steps that address or lay the foundation for actions identified in the plan.
- As part of the response to the LGBT Purge Class Action Settlement Agreement, we are reviewing and updating training resources, increasing awareness and understanding of inclusive language, continuing to define departmental benchmarks, supporting the monitoring of activities, and working in collaboration with 2SLGBTQI+ communities to support 2SLGBTQI+ inclusion.
- The DND/CAF Positive Space initiative has played a major role in advancing awareness and acknowledging and respecting diversity. We will be taking steps this fall to reinvigorate and expand this initiative into a full-fledged program, ensuring that it has the necessary resources and support to meet the need.
- In 2020, DND/CAF officially recognized the Defence Team Pride Advisory Organization (DTPAO) as a Defence Advisory Group (DAG). This organization has had an incredibly positive impact on our workplace by providing advice, guidance and recommendations to Defence Team leadership on systemic challenges and issues affecting the 2SLGBTQI+ communities. Recognizing the value of the DTPAO and the other DAGs, the Defence Team is investing additional resources, including establishing dedicated secretariat support through the Chief, Professional Conduct and Culture. The secretariat will help decrease administrative workload for all the DAGs and ensure they can fully engage in their critical advisory functions.
We are proud of the important steps we have taken to foster a more respectful and inclusive Defence Team but we know there is much more work to do. The Action Plan will help us strengthen our efforts.
Why a new acronym?
Terminology is continuously evolving and, going forward, the acronym to be used in all Government of Canada and DND/CAF communications is 2SLGBTQI+. The new acronym represents Two-Spirit, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and additional people who identify as part of sexual and gender‑diverse communities. The “2S” at the front recognizes Two-Spirit people as the first 2SLGBTQI+ communities. Please note that in French, “personnes aux deux esprits” and “personnes bispirituelles” can be used interchangeably, although the acronym remains the same (2ELGBTQI+).
Choosing to be inclusive
Diversity is a fact. Inclusion is a choice. By supporting the Federal 2SLGBTQI+ Action Plan, DND/CAF remains committed to choosing inclusion, helping to ensure that every Defence Team member—be they military or civilian— has an opportunity to contribute meaningfully to achieve their full potential.
But inclusion doesn’t just happen. We have to work at it. Each and every one of us. Every day.
We encourage you to read the Action Plan, consult the resources related to the Government of Canada’s work to improve equality for 2SLGBTQI+ communities, and consider how you can advance equality for all in your everyday work.
2S at the front recognizes Two-Spirit people as the first 2SLGBTQI+ communities; L Lesbian; G Gay; B Bisexual; T Transgender; Q Queer; I Intersex, considers sex characteristics beyond sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression; + is inclusive of people who identify as part of sexual and gender diverse communities, who use additional terminologies.