2018 was a truly historic year with some real milestones, one of which was, of course, Bill C81, the Accessible Canada Act. It is one of those moments when a law passes through both Houses, gets Royal Assent, and bends the curve of this country’s history. Other such milestones that come to mind are the Official Languages Act, and the Charter of Rights. Canada will never be the same after that legislation is passed. It is a huge accomplishment and I know that many people in this room have helped shape it.
The special advisor to the Prime Minister on LGBTQ2 issues, Randy Boissonnault, today issued the following statement on the anniversary of the Prime Minister’s apology to LGBTQ2 Canadians.
If you only followed the media, including social media, you would think this was the pipeline department...but the range of things that you deal with is really impressive—lands, minerals, forestry, innovation, energy, clean tech, and more.
This is a societal change that is a lot like the “MeToo’ and “Time's Up” movements. It is also a lot like the national conversation on mental health or the national conversation on climate change.
The Canada Pride Citation design was unveiled as an acknowledgement of historical injustices experienced by LGBTQ2 federal public servants, Royal Canadian Mounted Police and Canadian Armed Forces members and to commemorate their resilience, bravery and sacrifice.
Dr. Elmendorf is one of those special people that I really admire, that move almost effortlessly between the public sector, academia, private sector, and think tanks. He has worked on both the legislative and the executive branches of government and served with great distinction in Washington.
