The CBA welcomes the Minister of Women and Gender Equality

(Disponible uniquement en anglais)

Via email: rechie.valdez@parl.gc.ca

The Honourable Rechie Valdez, P.C. M.P.
Minister of Women and Gender Equality
House of Commons
Ottawa, ON K1A 0A6

Dear Minister Valdez:

On behalf of the Women Lawyers Forum (WLF) and Sexual and Gender Diversity Alliance (SAGDA) of the Canadian Bar Association (CBA Sections), we congratulate you on your appointment as Minister of Women and Gender Equality. The CBA Sections are delighted to see this portfolio brought back and look forward to working with you.

The Canadian Bar Association is a national association of 40,000 members, including lawyers, notaries, academics and students across Canada, with a mandate to seek improvements in the law and the administration of justice. The WLF is an inclusive space for women lawyers to share experiences, build skills, and advocate for change in the legal profession and Canadian society. SAGDA works to address the needs and concerns of two-spirited, lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and intersex (2SLGBTQI+) people in the CBA.

We commend your government’s commitment to make the Sexual and Reproductive Health Fund permanent. Ensuring stable, long-term support for inclusive health services is essential to upholding the rights and dignity of all people, especially those who face systemic barriers to care. The CBA Sections have consistently advocated for access to comprehensive reproductive healthcare, including through our resolution on abortion rights in Canada.¹ We view reproductive rights as fundamental to gender equality and are committed to supporting policies that protect and expand this access across the country.

We also strongly support your pledge to make the 2SLGBTQI+ Community Capacity Fund permanent and to continue funding the 2SLGBTQI+ International Assistance Program. These initiatives are critical to ensuring that community organizations can continue their vital work at home and abroad. The CBA consistently calls for the protection of 2SLGBTQIA+ human rights, and has urged governments to take concrete action to combat transphobia and homophobia.² Our free training on gender diversity and inclusion and the 2022 Access to Justice for Trans People report³ outline steps to improve legal and institutional responses to the needs of trans communities.

Our members have extensive experience working on these priorities on the front lines of our justice system across the country. We would welcome the opportunity to share their expertise and to collaborate to help further our shared goals of advancing equity and inclusion.

Yours truly,

(original letter signed by Véronique Morissette for Kyla M. Lee and Charles Easton)